Tomorrow on TV3

Tomorrow on TV3's Sunrise we'll be featuring the McCahon houses in Auckland's Titirangi - the artists' residence designed by Pete Bossley and Andrea Bell, and the cottage that McCahon himself and his family owned in the early 1950s. Here's a view of the artists' residence, designed to snake its way through the trees. (The photographs are by Patrick Reynolds.)


The artists' residence is administered by the McCahon House Trust, which selects the artists who, lucky things, to get reside and work there for three-month periods. The artists who have spent time there since it opened in 2007 include Judy Millar, Rohan Wealleans, Gavin Hipkins, James Robinson, Richard Lewer, Luise Fong, Eve Armstrong and Lisa Reihana. You can find out more information about the trust, its work and the artists it has hosted on its website, www.mccahonhouse.org.nz.

In the image below, you can see both the artists' residence and the original McCahon cottage, and how they relate to each other on the site. The original cottage is further down the hill, and while it's lovely in summer, it would have been very damp and gloomy in winter.

The restoration of the original McCahon house was managed by architect Graeme Burgess, while Rick Pearson designed the discreet displays that tell visitors about McCahon, his life and his work. I remember wanting to use this shot below of the kitchen (with its painting by McCahon on the cupboards) on our April/May 2007 cover, but then getting cold feet. I wish now that I'd been braver about it, not only because the image is one which would resonate with many New Zealanders, but because I think the house is a very eloquent building that tells us a lot about an aspect of our history. It's a place I always like to take overseas visitors to - even if they don't know McCahon, there's something about visiting the house that feels like a very authentic New Zealand experience.

And here's the exterior of the original (and very humble) cottage, with the artists' residence just discernable in the background. Tune into TV3 tomorrow around 8.40am to see more, or check the link on the website when we post it.

Garden outtakes

One of our favourite annual features is our Landscapes special, which we publish every February. This year, as usual, we found a fantastic range of gardens established by people with very different philosophies of gardening. Architect Pete Bossley and his partner, artist Miriam van Wezel, favour the highly considered and structured approach, which has resulted in a garden of elegant restraint at their home in the Auckland suburb of Westmere.

These photographs are by Mark Smith.

Here's a view of the garden and its pond, which also shows the clever way it borrows views of neighbouring foliage, making for a park-like outlook.


This shot shows Miriam in one of her favourite spots, a concrete bench with a view of the garden that retains solar heat, making it a warm place to sit on cooler evenings.

The garden is on a sloping site, which Pete and Miriam have carefully divided up with a series of small retaining walls that also manage the way people walk through the area. Pete is a master of moving people elegantly through spaces in his architecture, so it makes sense that he applies the same philosophy and rigour in his garden.

And I put this final shot in for Pete, who complained the other day that we didn't show enough of the oioi reeds that dominate their front yard, one of his favourite parts of the garden. We don't have a shot of the whole front yard, but most of it is covered with these reeds, which Miriam has tied up in ponytails like you can see in this photograph.

We'll run more outtakes from other gardens featured in the current issue in the coming days.

A crisp and modern home

The chic and elegant color scheme in this modern flat makes me imagine a modern Audrey Hepburn living in the 21st century. The use of black and white with splashes of green, purple, red and blue give it such a feminine and fine atmosphere.

I can picture a modern and hectic family with children in this eat-in kitchen.

Don't you love the black and white striped bed with the contrasting red curtains?

The mirrored doors on the closets create illusion of a bigger space.

Pictures from Nuevo Estilo.

Building a bach at blustery Bethells beach - Sunrise - Video - 3 News

Here's a link to this morning's house on TV3's Sunrise - a bach by Gary Hopkinson at Bethells Beach that we originally published in our December/January 2007 issue. One of the nice things about working with TV3 is the chance to revisit great houses from past issues like this one.

Building a bach at blustery Bethells beach - Sunrise - Video - 3 News

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Charles Renfro, New Zealand bound

Now this really is exciting news (which you may have also seen in the magazine itself): with the help of the lovely folk at First Windows & Doors, we're bringing New York architect Charles Renfro of the firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro to New Zealand, where he'll be giving lectures in Auckland and Wellington.

DS+R are best-known at the moment for their work designing the High Line, New York's triumphant sliver of parkland that runs along an abandoned elevated railway on Manhattan's lower West Side. These photographs of it are by Iwan Baan:

And this is Charles himself:

It'll be Charles' first visit to New Zealand. His Auckland lecture is being held on Tuesday April 13 at 6pm at the Fisher & Paykel Auditorium in the Owen G. Glenn building on the University of Auckland campus. His Wellington lecture is being held on Wednesday April 14 at 6pm in the Adam Auditorium in City Gallery in Civic Square.

Charles will have a lot to talk about, including DS+R's work on the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art and the refurbishment of New York's Lincoln Center. The common thread in all these works is DS+R's determination to use these structures to add dynamism to the urban realm outside them - their designs are the opposite of self-contained.

Tickets are $15 for subscribers and students, and $20 for regular folk. You can purchase them at www.ticketek.co.nz (just type 'Charles Renfro' into the search box).

You can see more of DS+R's work at www.dillerscofidio.com. Please come to the lectures - we think Charles is going to be one of the most interesting speakers you'll see in the country this year. Thanks again, too, to First Windows & Doors for their generous support of his visit.

Reading Spaces

All the unnecessary snow that have come upon us in the East Coast reminded me of these photos from my file and how I would like to cuddle up with a good book in one of these fantastic reading spaces.

 

HOME New Zealand on Sunrise

A Grey Lynn house by Malcolm Walker that was a finalist in our Home of the Year 2006 was our featured home on TV3's Sunrise last Friday. Here's the link if you want to see the footage. We'll be featuring another house sometime after 8.30am this Friday, so look out for that if you're interested.

Turning bad into good: Building on a soggy hill

Christchurch Art & Architecture

And one more event that we're also very pleased to support: Christchurch Art & Architecture, a one-day tour of fascinating homes and gardens, organised by Friends of Christchurch Art Gallery. Here are two of the properties we're looking forward to visiting - one is a house designed by the late Jonty Rout:

And the second is Miles Warren's wonderful house and garden, Ohinetahi.

Visit http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/ for more information about the tour and how to purchase tickets (which cost $110).

Style Safaris in Auckland and Wellington

There are still a few tickets available for our upcoming Style Safaris in Auckland and Wellington, our day-long guided tours of design stores that feature exclusive briefings, a great lunch, and excellent goody bags.

The Auckland Style Safari is taking place on Friday February 28, while the Wellington one will be held on Friday April 30.

You can visit www.ticketek.co.nz to purchase tickets (just type 'Style Safari' into the search field on the site). Tickets are $70 for subscribers, or $80 for non-subscribers. Please come and join us - these are always enjoyable and very informative days.

Opera in a Days Bay Garden

HOME New Zealand is proud to be supporting the production of Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' being performed in the garden of our Home of the Year 2006, designed by Hugh Tennent in Wellington's Days Bay. (The garden itself was designed by Megan Wraight.)

Produced by Rhona Fraser (above), directed by Sara Brodie, and featuring a full professional cast, the event will take place 'Glynebourne style', with patrons invited to bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden during the dinner interval.

Tickets are $50 (and include a glass of Seresin Estate wine), and can be booked at www.daysbayopera.org.nz

Has Design just been through a 'Lost Decade'?

If you have been following media coverage of the current recession you probably have heard the term 'the Lost Decade'. This refers to the notion that the current recession has erased any gains in employment and economic growth that the past decade had created. And, as a bonus, the past ten years marks the first time when investment income (using standard averages) has actually contracted over a ten year period. The reasons for all of this are beyond the subject of this blog, but in summary, the dollar just ain't what it used to be. For anyone in a creative profession, we have certainly seen rising unemployment, Client focus on cost instead of quality, and the globalization of many industries. Has Design been through a "Lost Decade" and if so, how can we rebuild and re-brand?

Our economy constantly cycles through a series of 'boom' and 'bust' periods. Those of you may remember the 'dot com' boom of the 90's where companies were setting up shop overnight with furniture made of plastic and bright colors on every wall. Industrial buildings that had been occupied by printing companies where converting into 'loft office suites' practically overnight. While all this seemed good for the economy, that printing shop was probably forced out of business and the work went elsewhere. I recently looked at a bunch of books at my local Barnes and Noble to discovered that they were all printed in China. Madison Avenue may still be where advertising dollars are spent, but the work of those graphic artists often gets produced in other places for less money.

I experienced a similar phenomenon when I owned a Design firm that did a lot of Hospitality Design work. We would spend weeks designing a set of guestroom furniture only to have to wait months for prototypes of the designs to come back from the Chinese factory. I remember our pieces also being held up in Customs once for almost two weeks alone. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing on China here. There are many good quality products that are made by hard working people there. The trend that I'm interested in is whether or not we have made progress as Designers due to the economic trends that have affected our business. Globalization is obviously one such trend.

Another trend that we have to consider is the value of our dollar. Our clients love to spend fewer and fewer of these things, even though they are worth less and less each year. When my Graphic Designer told me that our new stationary and business cards would cost over $7,000 to produce, I will admit that I flinched a little. But then I remembered that a business card may be the only piece of my company that a prospective client ever gets to touch. I knew I had made the right decision the day I took a bunch of letters down to the Post Office and the clerk said that I had the coolest envelopes that she had ever seen. (for more on our stationary design see Ty Mattson's blog at http://mattsoncreative.com/blog/category/brand-identity/ ) That being said, I don't think Client's think about Design in this way. Most companies market themselves as though Design were a service that needs to be rendered, not a mark of success like Fashion. In Fashion, there is a huge difference between Old Navy and Gucci. Unfortunately, most people do not see design this way. They will go for the Old Navy prices all day long. As Designers, we need to give our clients a good value for the money that they spend and also help them create return on that investment. Then perhaps our Clients will see Design as a vehicle that can generate business for them.

Lastly, I would like to briefly talk about the Internet. Ten years ago, the Internet was slower, uglier, and used primarily for e-mail. Today, the Internet is unavoidable. I wish I could say that it has made it easier to get work. It hasn't. Instead, we are now overwhelmed by information. A Google search for 'graphic designer nyc' will yield about 25.5 Million results. Seriously. In the old days, there was a book or a professional society you could turn to find a qualified professional. Today, anyone with the ability to point and click can set up a website with images that may or may not reflect their work. People have businesses selling stock images just to help other businesses make their collateral look legitimate. If you don't the time or money to hire a real photographer, you can buy a stock image for $1. Is this helping photographers? Maybe. But just like everything else, it's one step forward, two steps back.

So, given the current realities, how can we move design forward? I have come up with three easy steps, and if all Designers adopt them, I guarantee the respective professions will be better off. Here they are, in no particular order:

1- Volunteer your services to create great Design opportunities. Whether you are in Interior Designer or a Graphics wizard, there are many people and/or organizations that could use the help of a qualified professional. They don't always have the budget so this is your opportunity to get a foot in the door by volunteering your services. Charities are also a great place to help. And here's the best part: you get to pick the Client. Not only will you be excited by choosing something or someone that you like, but you will also feel good about the work. And while it may not pay money, it will create a great piece for your portfolio and potentially lead to other paying gigs.

2- Don't compromise quality - If you have a Client that wants to work with you (for one reason or another) don't jeopardize that relationship by allowing them to demand cheap work. The only thing worse than giving in to a Client's cheapness is getting blamed for how crappy something looks after they see the result. If you're going to be associated with it, make sure you want to be associated with it. Even if it means sticking to your guns in a tough spot. Remember that one compromise leads to another and eventually you're shopping at Walmart.

3- Help your peers - One of the problems I have with Architects is that (professionally) they all see each other as competitors. They compete for work, they compete to get the best consultants, and they compete for fees. What they don't realize is that they're killing the profession. I took another approach. I decided to befriend a bunch of really good architects and I sometime throw work their way. I do this because it helps me out. Not every client is a great fit. Not every project is one that I am interested in. If I can't make the Client happy (because I don't like them or their project) then I'm not going to be doing anyone any good. In turn, I create a relationship with a colleague that can have other benefits. Maybe they will refer work to me. Maybe they will let me plot at their office when my plotter dies at 5:00 on a Friday. Either way, we're all in this together. It is better to be a small office that does great work, than a big office that just churns out the same crap all the time.

Has the last decade been lost? In many ways, it has. Salaries and positions have been shed. The Internet has given everyone a voice and they're all screaming at the same time. Fortunately, we now have the tools and the experience to avoid a collapse similar to the one we just experienced. Working together, we can lead our profession into a new Renaissance and spur unexpected growth for all creatives. Dare to dream.

Our three happiest years

It feels like yesterday when I married my soulmate. What wonderful years these have been. Living with such a considerate and thoughtful man is really a gift or shall I say the answer to my prayers. Happy anniversary my love!!!

Looking forward to Spring

To bike away in the City. I just hope I can pull it off like one of these three beautiful ladies above.
all pictures from Riding Pretty

The Power of the Plan - some tips on getting things done..

Today I realized that it's been over a month since my last post. I guess I could blame it on having a newborn in the house or working day and night to finish our latest project. But simply put, my problem is organization. While I have the best of intentions to accomplish everything I set out to do, I often fall short and realize that I need to re-think how the parts of my life are organized. In short, I need a better plan. Now don't get the wrong idea. I am not saying that I am disorganized or inefficient. I own a 2 person company that needs to do the work of 12. In today's economy, you cannot get ahead by replicating the status quo. You have to find a way to be better. Hence, the PLAN.

Today I want to talk about THE PLAN, not just as a component of a set of architectural documents, but as a metaphor for universal organization. You may be familiar with LeCorbusier's quote, 'The Plan is the Generator'. When I first heard this quote in college, I didn't really get it. Almost two decades later, these five little words impact almost everything I do. Today, I hope to describe how you can be more effective by analyzing the steps in making a great plan. As you will see, these steps hold true for both the architectural document and the notion about getting things done.

Step 1 - What do you want?

When I first think about designing anything, I ask myself what I am trying to accomplish. I say, "Self - what's the big idea here?" After I do this, I then make a written list of all of my goals in as much detail as possible. For example, if I were designing a house, I might develop a program that lists all of the spaces that I want to be in the house and I might assign them a value. It might say something like "Master Bedroom - 200 SF, Master Bathroom - 80 SF, Laundry Room - 40 SF" and so on. If I were thinking of developing a print ad for Pocono Modern, I would make a list of all the sentiments and feelings that I want the ad to get across. I might even write a list of words or adjectives that would help me brainstorm later on. Make no mistake, this step is crucial to carrying out a plan. You have to know what you are trying to do before you can figure out how to do it. And while this sounds very simple, you would be surprised how many times I have seen colleagues staring at a blank screen or a blank piece of paper claiming that they don't know where to start.

Step 2 - Know your limits

In my experience, the two big limits in this country are time and money. It seems that every task somehow involves at least one of these two things. Your partner may want you install a new closet system in your guest bedroom (which seems simple enough), but he or she may want it done by next weekend when their parents are coming to stay. Often things that seem simple are complicated by the availability of these resources. There are of course other limitations, but for the purpose of this piece, we will just call these limitations the 'X Factor'. Fill in the blank for whatever your 'X' is. Once you know what you want to do, you have to consider what the potential limits or road blocks are so that you can factor them into your plan. I have seen many graphic designers come up with incredible ideas for things like invitations and stationary only to find out that the designer was thinking Letterpress and the Client was thinking Kinko's. In short, know your limits before wasting your time on a plan.

Step 3- Small steps.

When you are starting any new endeavor, it's very easy to get overwhelmed. When I start to put together a plan, I go back to the small parts of my program and work on each piece by piece. For example, I never just sit down and draw a floor plan of a house and say, "This is how it should be." What I do is start by designing each room how I would want it to be and then make smaller tweaks later on when the spaces get connected. In short, I break down the larger tasks into smaller ones so that there is an underlying rationale to the bigger plan. More often than not, examining the smaller details forces you to think about things that you would have not considered if you were focusing only on the big picture. I once worked with an Interior Designer who wanted pocket doors everywhere. I still remember the puzzled look on his face when I told him that all the walls would need to be twice as thick to do this. When he didn't understand why, I asked him where the wiring for all the switches would go. He said, "In the walls!". I then asked him where the pocket doors would go. He said "In the walls!". To make a long story short, the Client didn't want to spend more money and lose double the space. I think the Designer ended up in the walls of that project, but it just illustrates how you should work small and consider the details.

Step 4 - Connect the dots

Once you have put in the time of figuring out all the details, now it's time to piece your plan together. Of course, no plan ever comes together perfectly, but I find it's much easier to tweak some smaller items than sit there trying to solve everything at once. If you've heard the saying 'the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts', then it should be said that a good plan is based on the sum of the research. Once you go to implement your plan, you will certainly appreciate having done the bulk of the work beforehand.

Whether you are designing a house or figuring out how to buy a new car, a good plan is essential. If you are starting out in the world of Design, I hope that you will consider this post when trying to make a strong impression at a new job or on a new project. There will always be plenty of people to sit around a table and criticize an idea or an approach, but a man (or woman) with a plan is a valuable asset to any team. As for me, I will try to plan more blog writing time into my future days.

Now you see me now you don't: Lucite furniture in a room

Lucite or acrylic furniture can do great to any interior. Apart from lightening any room up due to its light visual weight it also reflects and flows the light in the room. It's perfect for small spaces and against a graphic wall.

In this bedroom designed by Ruthie Sommers the coffee table is almost invisible while still reflecting light.

The lucite side table provides comfort to the person sitting on the chair without taking any visual effect. Designed by Williamson Design.

I love the use of this lucite chair in front of this painted Chinese desk.

Peekaboo side tables and console for CB2. I would love to see the console in a small entrance.

This Louis Ghost Armchair would look great in a bathroom vanity.

Mediterranean Alert

For a long, long time American Design has been influenced in great amount by the English, but lately I've been happily enjoying the growing influence of French design and architecture. From a stunning historical Houston, Texas house that has been transformed into a breathtaking French Chateau look-a-like (see the article in House Beautiful "Blue as a Titian." If I hadn't read the article I would've sworn this house was a remodeled chateau in the southern France)-to more sleek interpretations of pied-à-terres in the City. This sophisticated influence distends itself from the more Provencal style with an a-la-Jacques-Grange approach. In this month's Elle Decor issue the house of Interior Designer Paula Caravelli also frames a very French continental influence. Below are a few images that evoke what we all love so much, the immaculate perfect style of everything French.

Above a shot of Designer Paula Caravelli's house (note in March Elle Decor's issue another settee and table are used with no rug)

A very beautiful image of the entrance of Aerin Lauder's apartment in New York, City designed by Jacques Grange. I love how the French have been hanging tapestry on the walls for centuries- a tendency that started more in an effort to preserve them than to showcase them. Here in this modern interpretation the high lacquer parson table does the trick.

Above, in the living room, a very Jacques Grange style uses sculptural furniture pieces in neutral tones.

The paneling in this Manhattan library/dining room could be easily mistaken for a library in a Paris apartment. Designed by Miles Redd.

Our cover house - outtakes

Now's a good time to show you some of the outtakes from the art-filled Auckland penthouse on our February/March 'Art Houses' cover. As usual, there were a number of great shots by Jeremy Toth that we couldn't fit into our layouts, so it's our pleasure to show them (and the artworks they show) here. The owners of the penthouse are generous philanthropists in the art world and, as you'll see here, have a remarkable collection of their own.

In this shot, photographs by Tacita Dean at left, and a sculpture by London-based New Zealand sculptor Francis Upritchard at right.

Below this work by Gordon Walters is a table designed by Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects (who also designed the penthouse space as a whole) that appears to miraculously float, thanks to the support structure cleverly concealed within it. The bowl is by Gavin Chilcott:

Here's a view of the hearth that Nat designed that we didn't get to show in its full glory in the layout, a faceted concrete creation. The artwork is by Andy Warhol.

Here's a view of the main living space, with its clerestory window, loggia with leafy views, and an artwork by Richard Killeen in the top right of the picture (the orange work at left is by James Ross):

In the guest bedroom, a chair by Donald Judd and an artwork by Gordon Walters:

The main entrance (guests arrive in the elevator) features a neon work by Martin Creed and artworks by Tacita Dean:

And finally, this glimpse to the bathroom from the master bedroom shows two works by Gretchen Albrecht: the canvas at right, and a mosaic she designed for the bathroom: