Our new cover

Our new cover is a photograph by Patrick Reynolds of architect Sir Miles Warren's amazing home and garden, Ohinetahi, on Banks Peninsula. The home was substantially damaged in the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake, but has now been rebuilt in a slightly different form. You can read Finlay Macdonald's in-depth interview with Sir Miles about his home and Christchurch's post-quake future in the magazine, on newsstands Monday June 4. 

Other exhilarating, beautiful, drool-worthy content in this issue includes:

• Our 2012 furniture and homeware Design Awards winner and finalists.
• Auckland architect Jack McKinney's remarkable villa transformation.
• A new Queenstown getaway by Pete Ritchie and Bronwen Kerr of Kerr Ritchie Architects.
• A major feature on architect Ian Athfield by Julia Gatley, coinciding with the upcoming launch of Julia's new book on Athfield Architects, as well as lavish coverage of Ath's remarkable, crumbling, inspiring Wellington home by Patrick Reynolds.
• New Zealand architect William Tozer's sleek, gritty design for a new apartment in an old London factory building. 
•  A fantastic encampment-style holiday home on Waiheke Island by Fearon Hay Architects.
• Much more, including interviews with Pete Bossley, Tanu Gago, Katie Lockhart, Martin Brown and others...

Our Design Awards winner

Congratulations to Phil Cuttance, whose 'Faceture' vases are the winner of our 2012 Design Awards.

Our awards recognise excellence in New Zealand furniture and homeware design. This year's judge, Christian Rasmussen of Denmark's Fritz Hansen, praised Phil's creations for the way they blur the boundaries between digital and hand-made objects by creating an interplay between craftsmanship and technology. "They feel like something special that I haven't seen before," Christian said when he examined the vases on a recent visit to Auckland. (In the image above, the vases sit on a 'Gallons' table by Holly Beals, one of our 2012 Design Awards finalists. The photograph is by Toaki Okano, styled by Alicia Menzies and Juliette Wanty).

The vases are made from water-based resin using a polypropylene mould. You can see Phil make them on a machine he created in the short film below. Our congratulations to Phil and the other finalists in our 2012 Design Awards.

You can see full coverage of the awards in our June/July issue, on newsstands from Monday June 4. 

New Zealand Architecture Medal 2012

Congratulations to Richard Francis-Jones and the team at Sydney's FJMT Architects who, in conjunction with Archimedia, have won the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Medal for their refurbishment and extension of the Auckland Art Gallery.

The New Zealand Architecture Medal is highest honour awarded to a building each year by the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

“The Auckland Art Gallery is a most deserving winner of the Architecture Medal,” says the convenor of the awards jury, Wellington architect Hugh Tennent. “There were high hopes for this building, and big challenges to overcome. The architects had to work with an existing heritage building and a sensitive site on the edge of Albert Park, as well provide all the spaces and amenities required by a twenty-first century art gallery.

“On all fronts, the architects have risen to the occasion. The existing building looks stunning, the new building looks even better, and the two parts work well together. And with its generous terraces the Art Gallery now makes the most of its connections to Albert Park.”

We'd also like to congratulate another winner: Auckland architect Pete Bossley, who has been awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal for contribution to architecture. Pete is also a two-time winner of our Home of the Year award. You can read an interview with him about his Gold Medal success in our next issue, on newsstands on June 4.

Design Awards 2012 - the finalists

We're delighted to reveal the finalists in our 8th annual furniture and homeware Design Awards. The winner has been selected by our very glamorous judge, Christian Rasmussen of Denmark's Fritz Hansen (who was in New Zealand recently), and will be revealed in our June/July issue, which is on newsstands from Monday June 4. All the photographs are by Toaki Okano, styled by Alicia Menzies and Juliette Wanty. 

Here are the finalists, in no particular order. First, London-based New Zealand designer Jason Whiteley's 'Studio' chairs for Resident, made from blockboard wood sheets (created from the waste of other industrial timber processes).

Next, David Moreland's 'Pendant 45' light, made of spun aluminium and spun copper. 

Emma Hayes designed the 'River' print and fashioned it into silk throws, cushions and pillowcases for her firm MM Collections. 

London-based Phil Cuttance's 'Faceture' vases are made from water-based resin in a polypropylene mould, using a machine Phil made himself. Also in this shot is Design Awards 2012 finalist Holly Beals' 'Gallons' table. 

Nathaniel Cheshire's 'Oud' lamp for Resident is a homage to JJP Oud's 1928 Piano lamp, as well as incorporating references to Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion and OMA's CCTV Tower. 

Two-time Design Awards winner Jamie McLellan's 'Spar' floor lamp for Resident was designed as a contemporary alternative to Achille Castiglioni's 'Arco' light in the way it cantilevers illumination into the centre of a space.

Tim Webber's 'Y' stools are elegant combinations of wood and powder-coated, primary-coloured steel. 

Our lineup of Design Awards finalists appears to grow more impressive every year, a vote of confidence not only in the increasing appreciation for local design here in New Zealand, but the ingenuity of our designers in creating export-ready objects. Our congratulations to all the designers whose work appears in our June/July Design Awards issue. We look forward to revealing the winner to you on June 4.

My love of Vintage Pyrex

One of the first things I ever bought as an independent apartment dweller was a big yellow Pyrex mixing bowl.  I got it at one of those NYC flea markets that they hold on the weekends in a parking lot. It didn't have any chips, but was pretty scratched up and I used it mostly to mix bread dough.  I have always loved making my own bread and this little number was a score at $10. 

Growing up, my mother had alot of older and more interesting sets, most of them blue and white or turquoise and white.  There was the occasional sunflower pattern or stray dish with circles on it, but for the most part she had the more traditional varieties. My summers were filled with bowls full of jello, macaroni salad, and marshmallow abrosia.  Strange to say, but I feel like most kids today don't get to experience alot of those kinds of memories.

I have always found extreme beauty in things that were made to be used.  I never viewed these bowls as anything less than useful.  As I became aware of more patterns and sizes, and types (the butter dish is a unique example) somehow the whole collection became more amazing.  William Morris once said "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."  Amen to that brother.

When contemplating new products for our shop at Pocono Modern, I had the idea to pay homage to the ridiculously hip Pyrex of the 50's and 60's by creating a kind of visual documentary.  The result is our new poster which can be seen below (click to enlarge):

Although most of us will never own all of these collections, I am proud to say that my big yellow bowl is perched on the top as a crown sits on the head of a king.  Now everyone can have some retro Pyrex in their own kitchen.

This poster is 11 x 17 and available through the Pocono Modern shop at www.poconomodern.com ($16)

Travel - Daniel Marshall's Chicago slideshow

This is the first in what we hope will become a regular series of travel dispatches from architects and people interested in architecture. A couple of weeks ago, Auckland architect Daniel Marshall travelled to Chicago, one of the most interesting cities for architecture in the US (or the world, depending on your point of view). 

Handing over now to Daniel, who will guide you through his slideshow.

Chicago is a city deservedly proud of its architectural heritage, where even the doorman at Mies van der Rohe’s Lake Shore Drive apartments can provide an animated and almost entirely fictitious account of moments in the city’s architectural history.

I was lucky enough to be invited there a couple of weeks ago to meet with a client, and I spent five days roaming the streets and checking out the city’s rich architectural history. Here are images representing some of the architectural highlights of the trip.

Cocktails at the John Hancock Center, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and completed in 1968.

The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, conceived by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

Nichols Bridgeway leaving the modern wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. In the background you can see the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, a magnet for photo opportunities.

Frank Gehry’s BP Bridge, straddling a freeway between two parks.

Aqua Apartments, designed by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects.

Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology by Mies van der Rohe.

860–880 Lake Shore Dr apartments by Mies van der Rohe.

God is in the details at Lake Shore Drive apartments. 

Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic planters at the Robie House. And finally, below, the architect [Ed: Daniel Marshall, not Mies] in repose at Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House.

Fearon Hay wins chapel design competition

Fearon Hay Architects have won the much sought-after competition to design a chapel at Auckland's Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The firm's design features a glass-walled chapel with a canopy roof featuring mosaic artwork.

"This winning design, in its inherent simplicity and economy of means, provides a powerful starting point for achieving an inspiring, useful and ‘of its time’ Chapel," said David Sheppard, President-elect of the NZ Institute of Architects and the competition judging panel chair. "It promises to become a perfect complement to the great works of St Mary’s, Architect Towle’s Chancel, Dr Toy’s Nave and forecourt, and Jacky Bowring’s memorial gardens.”

It will be located at the south end of the Cathedral, where a "temporary" corrugated iron wall has stood for almost 40 years. Here are some of the images developed by Fearon Hay in their entry to the competition:

Our congratulations to Jeff Fearon and Tim Hay and the team at Fearon Hay Architects.

The design competition was run through the NZ Institute of Architects. The winning entry from chosen from a shortlist comprised of Athfield Architects, Architectus, and RTA Studio in collaboration with Bossley Architects. Work is expected to start next year.

The Most Creative People

I had to chuckle slightly after reading Fast Company's list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.  Let me start by saying that I enjoy Fast Company as a publication and I am especially fond of their website.  If Facebook had a blog, I imagine it would look like their website.  In any case, I went through the list of creatives expecting to find some unknown talent or some up and comer that they had combed through mountains of mediocrity to find.  Unfortunately this was not the case.  The list was populated with celebrities, corporate executives, and accomplished creatives all building on their existing accomplishments.  

No disrespect to the celebrities, but if you make $20M a year, it's not that difficult to start a new project that allows you to be creative.  I have a hard time believing that Shaquille O'Neal is going to win the Pritzker.  I also don't imagine that companies like Starbucks and Amazon.com have a hard time attracting good talent, although some of their top people are on this list.

And while I am glad that Fast Company is celebrating creativity in some way, I would like to offer some alternate judging criteria for next year's list.  I would propose to celebrate the following:

1- People who are doing groundbreaking work in some field without any funding, assistance, or leverage other than their own passion and determination.

2- People who use their talents to help other people rather than prioritize fiscal gain.

3- Companies who are pursuing an impossible goal that one day may be possible.

4- People who have triumphed over ridicule and criticism to prove their critics wrong.  

I don't know about you, but these are the kinds of figures that inspire me, particularly when it comes to being creative.  Cee Lo Green 1995 is way more inspiring to me than Cee Lo Green 2012.  Food for thought.  


If you'll excuse me, I have to go look at Justin Timberlake's new home line. He's apparently partnered with a designer to start a curated web site offering daily deals.  It's a good thing as it must be difficult for him to get all that press on his own...

An event ... you're invited

Later this month we're very excited to be hosting Wallpaper magazine creative director Meirion Pritchard and VII Photo Agency photographer Stefano De Luigi for a talk about the future of publishing at the Auckland Museum. Limited seats are available, so please RSVP as soon as you can to kstevens@acpmedia.co.nz to reserve your place. Details on the invitation below. We hope to see you there. 

 

Has Dwell Magazine become irrelevant?

As someone who has built a life around being a proponent of Modern Design, I find myself supporting and gravitating towards companies that have similar philosophies.  In October of 2000 I remember walking by a news stand in NYC and seeing the Premiere Issue of a new magazine called Dwell.  The cover was bold.  A big steel box of a house with a woman and her dog sitting in front of it.  The heading under the title said 'AT HOME IN THE MODERN WORLD' in all caps with a lovely sans serif font.  The features listed on the cover had tag lines like 'Design for Real People' and 'The Most Beautiful Vacuum Cleaners on Earth'.  I was drawn from the start and picked up a copy.  

When I got it home I read the first issue from cover to cover and salivated at both the publisher's mission and the editor's opening remarks.  They were brilliant.  Lara Hedberg (publisher) led with the tag line : From the Robie House to Our House and talked eloquently about we should aspire to create homes that fulfill our deep longing for meaning and beauty.  Editor Karrie Jacobs went a step further.  She wanted to stage a minor revolution.  Her beautifully written introduction talked about how the design community has a desire to try and show architecture as this perfect and unattainable being.  Dwell was aiming to give it back to regular ordinary people and this inspired me.  From then on, I waited on every issue and saw the magazine grow and develop to reach thousands of new readers every month.

By 2006 each issue was the size of a local phone book filled with page after page of enviable goods and projects.  Despite the change in editors (I believe they are currently on their fourth in 12 years) there seemed to be a continuity of thought that made me believe I could be part of this revolution.  Year after year went on and slowly the mission changed. It seemed that the book was getting thinner and thinner as advertising revenue across the industry tanked.  The magazine started to lend their name to conferences and consumer partnerships (such as a tile line with Heath ceramics) and the revolution started to fizzle.  It seemed that all of the energy of the original mission was now going into generating revenue to keep the ship afloat.  Today the magazine arrives about as thick as the original issue, which is pretty thin.  I used to devote a solid two hours to reading each volume and now it takes me all of eight minutes.  All of the original tenacity and gumption have been replaced with project after project of designs that seem as impractical and unattainable as the designs they once condemned.   

Now I suppose you could argue that shelter magazines as a whole are tanking.  Domino closed and even Martha Stewart couldn't sustain the popular Blueprint brand.  But I would disagree when you see books like Elle Decor, House and Home, Elle Decor UK, Living ETC, and Inside Out growing by the month. Even Atomic Ranch and Modernism haven't lost their luster through the recession and I even found myself picking up recent issues of Architectural Digest, which is amazing in and of itself.  These books have survived by focusing on their core audience and not concerning themselves with trying to grow beyond their brand.  I think this is a lesson Dwell could definitely learn from.

Of course there will always be people discovering Dwell for the first time and falling head over heels. But for my part I will not be renewing my subscription and I am very sad to say that.  I wish the magazine went back to it's original desire to show the average person about meaning and beauty in the home as opposed to finding the craziest places around the world which most people will never even come close to living in.  

Karrie Jacobs once wrote that Dwell wanted to demonstrate that a modern house could be a comfortable one.  If only it were so.