Thomas Seear-Budd and James Ross of Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington architecture and interiors studio Seear-Budd Ross share a passion for designing furniture; Motueka furniture makers Woodwrights are expert artisans. They met, they talked, they decided to design a contemporary chair and table that embodies enduring principles of proportion, functionality, elegance and craftsmanship.  So how did the to and fro go between you guys? James: Woodwrights’ enthusiasm for pursuing quality design meant the process was really enjoyable and collaborative. They made several prototypes throughout ..read more

Words Philippa Prentice Photography David Straight Like the flax threads of the exquisite hieke/cloak framed in its entryway, everything in this extraordinary home ties in beautifully. It’s connected to its owners’ past and present; to their loves and lifestyle; to the land, sea, stream and sky. If you were to view it from above, you’d also be struck by its intriguing shape, but more gazing up and out happens here. TOP Oak flooring travels through this part of the curved hallway that connects to the more ‘public’ portion of the home built by Chris Bell Construction, past the tall wi ..read more

Follow the rules and make your own by adding an artsy headboard to a classic scheme. In association with Resene. –  It’s a commonly held belief that neutral walls — ours are in Resene Solitaire — are fail-safe in a bedroom for the sense of calm they project. That’s perfectly true, and they also form an unobtrusive backdrop for more eye-catching elements you can play your way — in this instance an earth-toned DIY headboard.  –  To make our folksy version, paint a 105cm x 195cm piece of timber with Resene Rewilding, leaving a 15cm border around the top and sides and masking with p ..read more

Along with the typical requests for renovating and extending this bungalow in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s Western Springs, Sam Atcheson of Dorrington Atcheson Architects (DAA) received some more unusual ones. Budding young gymnast Bea (7) wanted carpet rather than timber floorboards in her bedroom (all the better to do handstands on) and her elder sister Florence (10) was adamant that the original large entry lobby stay that way. Why? For dancing in the hallway, of course. TOP The front garden is bee-friendly, with a fragrant low hedge of star jasmine by the entryway and a Lagerstroemia faurie ..read more

This time next week, art lovers will be flocking to the Viaduct event centre for one of New Zealand’s largest gatherings on the cultural calendar — the Aotearoa Art Fair. It’s always a favourite of ours for keeping abreast of new and important works by both emerging and established artists from galleries across New Zealand and Australia. Thinking about adding to your own collection? Here are five female artists that we are coveting for ours, and believe are worth investing in. Hannah Ireland This year Jhana Millers is presenting a solo exhibition of paintings by Hannah Ireland (Ngāti Hine, Ng ..read more

In association with PeterFell. Oriented towards the lake, while also capturing views of the mountains and golf course, this urban bach in central Wānaka was designed by architects who know what to look for. James Hyndman and Erin Taylor of Hyndman Taylor made savvy decisions right down to the last detail in this NZIA Award-winning dwelling constructed by Rutch Building (profiled in our October/November 2023 issue). One of those was to run with coloured concrete flooring, for a subtle visual connection to the alpine environment in a hue that complements the FlaxPod Colorsteel exterior cladding ..read more

German-born Elena Renker was into pottery from the moment she was introduced to it by a wonderful craft teacher as a child. She later made plans  to spend a year working in a pottery  in the village of Bergen in Germany’s Bavaria, but before she did so, took  up an invitation from a friend to spend three months at India’s Golden Bridge Pottery. She had an amazing time, and for someone who’d always enjoyed making functional, everyday objects,  it planted a seed. The year in Bergen followed, before she moved to Bavaria’s capital, Munich, to study graphic design, got married ..read more

In association with Versatile. Change is the only constant, so how about taking the reins and making one that enhances your life — perhaps providing you with a small home you can afford, adding value to your existing property with a secondary dwelling, downsizing to make things more manageable, or expanding for growing teens or to house extended family close to home. The rising cost of living and land is no joke, but you could be laughing  all the way to the bank or simply over a glass of something chilled as you toast to your best idea yet. MAIN IMAGE From Versatile’s Freedom range of c ..read more

In association with ABI Interiors. Filled with practicalities you can’t live without but don’t necessarily want to live with, the average bathroom can feel like a challenge to your home’s overall appeal. Doing it differently starts with making a mood board that allows you  to compile and arrange elements you actually like to form a cohesive whole that works well and looks good. Those in the know might add fixtures and fittings from a beautifully crafted collection that’s at home amid a number of aesthetics, from Art Deco to Japandi, allowing you to style it to suit you. By specialist ..read more

Most people who manage to secure an iconic mid-century house in New Zealand might already own one or two items that would fit seamlessly into the scheme — an Eames chair or Arco floor lamp, for instance — but would struggle to deck out the spaces in full modernist mode. Not so Mr Mod, Ross Morrison, who started his collection in the early 1990s and had just the right thing for every nook and cranny of this Ian Athfield-designed beauty — and then some. TOP The home’s concrete-block cladding is painted with Resene  Black White and offset by joinery in Resene Karaka. In the west-f ..read more