Tickets are on sale now for our inaugural Kitchen Design Day with Blum

<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We're delighted to invite you to our inaugural Kitchen Design Day, which we're holding in conjunction with our friends at Blum, the specialists in top-quality kitchen hardware.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Modelled on our successful Style Safaris, our Kitchen Design Day is an all-day event that incorporates showroom visits, the latest news in kitchen appliances, new trends from Europe, and information-rich design briefings from expert kitchen designers (including international kitchen design award-winner Morgan Cronin, one of whose designs is shown in the image below). </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnktvgXucbO70JCRGzK6fvh12ijgOLlenog-IGEejvi_oNxE1Ut7QVFam3fN5ivutEFbHM13tIPEcvgyepz7OhjbZXskgA50bEYow6mF4o4Sm5NOQIRI_beLeStkIOyUgGElAArLtWjvA/s1600/HE0614p139_KitchenDesignDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnktvgXucbO70JCRGzK6fvh12ijgOLlenog-IGEejvi_oNxE1Ut7QVFam3fN5ivutEFbHM13tIPEcvgyepz7OhjbZXskgA50bEYow6mF4o4Sm5NOQIRI_beLeStkIOyUgGElAArLtWjvA/s1600/HE0614p139_KitchenDesignDay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tickets for the day are $75 (the price includes transport between destinations and food and drinks), and numbers are limited to 50. The event is being held in Auckland and is hosted by HOME editor Jeremy Hansen. It'll be a perfect day full of inspiration for anyone planning a new kitchen, so book your tickets now at the link <a href="http://www.eventopia.co/event/Kitchen-Design-Day/248238">here</a>. </span>

Tickets are on sale now for our inaugural Kitchen Design Day with Blum

We're delighted to invite you to our inaugural Kitchen Design Day, which we're holding in conjunction with our friends at Blum, the ...

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Our new issue has winter goodness aplenty

<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our winter issue is on newsstands RIGHT NOW and we're quite excited about all that it contains. First, here's the cover: a photograph by Simon Devitt of an amazing small home by Pattersons on the northern end of Banks Peninsula. Beautiful!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjyBuPtZ83ZTum9R342Kw6poOQ553MvnLHMUcUJAlgnImEumBHOMCzYG6GgkaeVmnuKxWZt4ywr5X7kKeAghdD_AANTF3fBSha53sgiG6BCTT5g8R7auBpsPY8kG1dl8KgZ5feWiWvrg/s1600/HE0614_C_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjyBuPtZ83ZTum9R342Kw6poOQ553MvnLHMUcUJAlgnImEumBHOMCzYG6GgkaeVmnuKxWZt4ywr5X7kKeAghdD_AANTF3fBSha53sgiG6BCTT5g8R7auBpsPY8kG1dl8KgZ5feWiWvrg/s1600/HE0614_C_Cover.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a photograph by Simon Devitt of the home itself (below) in its spectacular setting:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrF8AofpfN9MeKaHMtoh7yLgA5X6gE-SaNBNvyo7lQCjriVo_x26nzHkpY44832EO9d3BUKrlqJ4vx1THhwqN1yjtai7Vhg8TpRqs27yBmvT1afYj0CT80HIwce7MI07BgsiOFTJ2qcM/s1600/X3237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrF8AofpfN9MeKaHMtoh7yLgA5X6gE-SaNBNvyo7lQCjriVo_x26nzHkpY44832EO9d3BUKrlqJ4vx1THhwqN1yjtai7Vhg8TpRqs27yBmvT1afYj0CT80HIwce7MI07BgsiOFTJ2qcM/s1600/X3237.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Also in this issue, we visit a couple of remarkable New Zealand expats. Music manager Debbi Gibbs lives in Manhattan, but spends weekends on the New Jersey lakeside in this prefabricated home by Resolution: 4 Architecture (the home was mostly built in a factory and trucked to the site in four pieces). The photograph below, featuring Debbi and her son Blake, is by Emily Andrews. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-tq_RF_XUxagdGPL4d6UZ7KxGpUTTB5rRz44UZ_lJmRKSbmjTNITe6cCSF3wSkm_7GZ84TWpEln3qN82zfBgNQuLrFzqVC8QGhYUmUulHV60PCHHu5wgSWdkBwn-s7Wkq-JvJqQj8rY/s1600/AR54164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-tq_RF_XUxagdGPL4d6UZ7KxGpUTTB5rRz44UZ_lJmRKSbmjTNITe6cCSF3wSkm_7GZ84TWpEln3qN82zfBgNQuLrFzqVC8QGhYUmUulHV60PCHHu5wgSWdkBwn-s7Wkq-JvJqQj8rY/s1600/AR54164.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Emily Andrews also visited London for this issue, where she photographed the flat of Christchurch-born interior designer Christopher Hall (below) who divides his time between the English capital and his homes in Istanbul (where he also designs furniture, including all the pieces in this photo) and Riyadh, where has has some major interior design commissions under way. He's a fascinating and very successful designer, and we're delighted to feature him in this issue.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PLO_shEp7pF9__U4S9FOowNdN4I15oe9FzgwrvSNUwuLgdb1YUPP_5_8WHhNSNKsN0O520eixVmNnTy2PmkL0JkUujPEM81xfYvRKyJJG5SFJaxHwQjQuicCRNQGeCDGBm6GOzuRWF4/s1600/AR55379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PLO_shEp7pF9__U4S9FOowNdN4I15oe9FzgwrvSNUwuLgdb1YUPP_5_8WHhNSNKsN0O520eixVmNnTy2PmkL0JkUujPEM81xfYvRKyJJG5SFJaxHwQjQuicCRNQGeCDGBm6GOzuRWF4/s1600/AR55379.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Also in this issue! A delightful home (below) by Michael O'Sullivan (who also designed our 2011 Home of the Year on Kare Kare Beach) on Waiheke Island - it's warm, woody and economical, and well worth a closer look. The photo is by Simon Devitt. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinU3MG-52MMTTc7MXdkWbWe_JBNidtuHFOOgx5pSikvsJD4gA8OGt7ruoLYDc0-f5wRREk1uoKw9dkZ8MStDLObK9cqqBuBlLHnNTIY_7rpHS-jFN-qmcoQjiiHQS8CyNStf6yBUCoJpc/s1600/W7411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinU3MG-52MMTTc7MXdkWbWe_JBNidtuHFOOgx5pSikvsJD4gA8OGt7ruoLYDc0-f5wRREk1uoKw9dkZ8MStDLObK9cqqBuBlLHnNTIY_7rpHS-jFN-qmcoQjiiHQS8CyNStf6yBUCoJpc/s1600/W7411.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And in Christchurch, we visit a vintage delight, a wonderful 1968 home (below) by Warren & Mahoney that is now owned (and adored) by Matthew Arnold of the design firm Sons & Co and his wife Kate. It was photographed by Samuel Hartnett. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TYE3npTSM74zt1Offe0mFkDeaZcm31pr7WOqi2PrsDeIcuPuNNGz2LXGcUOr09lB9c8-RwzeSvz15GMkX5QXlPWXDKQy5NUCqn14txTZvNKUYYRgeiINfAEiQ4jDwa8ONMWwrL6RfMo/s1600/_MG_6719_20_21-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TYE3npTSM74zt1Offe0mFkDeaZcm31pr7WOqi2PrsDeIcuPuNNGz2LXGcUOr09lB9c8-RwzeSvz15GMkX5QXlPWXDKQy5NUCqn14txTZvNKUYYRgeiINfAEiQ4jDwa8ONMWwrL6RfMo/s1600/_MG_6719_20_21-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And let's not forget that this is our annual Design Awards issue, featuring the work of New Zealand's best furniture designers (brought to you this year by our new awards partner, Fisher & Paykel). Here's a group shot of them by Toaki Okano (below), and you can check out their fantastic work in the mag. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdISAWXGgTPA1dWJUgjmIqYSIn9ZLC4i8UVZWu2Udcqk3nmNYiGC2LT91Wo1YsvzDmgHJBg2nlDmWOpcWCWBD9qd2G3sf9LocBdGe5YUC5yDYiVXtg6OWEbCPuvtL6nBpjHTzg_369UIk/s1600/YH0614_D_DESIGNAWARDS_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdISAWXGgTPA1dWJUgjmIqYSIn9ZLC4i8UVZWu2Udcqk3nmNYiGC2LT91Wo1YsvzDmgHJBg2nlDmWOpcWCWBD9qd2G3sf9LocBdGe5YUC5yDYiVXtg6OWEbCPuvtL6nBpjHTzg_369UIk/s1600/YH0614_D_DESIGNAWARDS_002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our Design Awards finalists are (from left): Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects, Nathan Goldsworthy, Tim Webber, Simon James, Nigel Groom and Emma Fox-Derwin of Wellington's Well-Groomed Fox, and Timothy John. Look out for more of their designs in the magazine and in a subsequent post. In the meantime, enjoy our new issue!</span>

Our new issue has winter goodness aplenty

Our winter issue is on newsstands RIGHT NOW and we're quite excited about all that it contains. First, here's the cover: a photograp...

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More great picks from the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival

<div class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More on the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival. This time, HOME senior designer and stylist Kendyl Middelbeek reveals her picks from the festival programme.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/28422870" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'm constantly caught between being a maximalist and hating clutter, so watching people fold their lives into the petite homes in </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><b>TINY: A Story About Living Small </b>(trailer above) promises to be</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"> fascinating. It seems particularly poignant at the moment, give our recent HOME of the Year winner is so diminutive!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r6fWlsl3Ks0" width="420"></iframe></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">"My favourite episodes of Mad Men are when Don Draper spends a debauched weekend in Palm Springs - I re-watched the episode twice just to screenshot all the home and interiors. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to visiting the place, so the film </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs</b> (trailer above) is going to nicely stoke my obsesson. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Zno10mIFrbU" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b>"The Oil Rocks – City Above the Sea</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"> is kind of a wild card for me, but I’m fascinated by the Soviet era, and by anything built on the constantly moving surface of the ocean (like the small cities constructed inside jet fighter carriers), so I've put this film (trailer above) on my list too."</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

More great picks from the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival

More on the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival. This time, HOME senior designer and stylist Kendyl Middelbeek reveals her picks fr...

Read more »

Top picks for the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival

<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As many of you hopefully already know, the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival is starting today at Rialto Cinemas Newmarket in Auckland (until May 21), before opening at The Embassy in Wellington (May 29 to June 11) and at Rialto Cinemas Dunedin (June 12-22).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can download a PDF of the programme <a href="http://www.resene.co.nz/pdf/Film_Festival_Program.pdf">here</a>. And you can book tickets <a href="http://www.rialto.co.nz/filmfestivals/resene">here</a>. (Wellingtonians: please note you should use the link to the Event Cinemas website).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the next few days we'll tell you our picks from the festival lineup - all the films are tantalising, but we've got to be in the office some of the time, so we'll tell you which movies are at the top of our lists. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are some of HOME editor Jeremy Hansen's picks:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQT2C10P1eOx3Btaq1SIuGMfpgMGB9nmVGfYaEph8FmwBSdhdPqKg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQT2C10P1eOx3Btaq1SIuGMfpgMGB9nmVGfYaEph8FmwBSdhdPqKg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'm crazy about the work of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the Japanese firm SANAA, especially after going to see their Museum of 21st Century Art in  Kanazawa a few years ago (do you like how I dropped that in?). So I'm really excited about seeing <b>The Interior Passage, </b>a documentary about the making of their Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, Switzerland (left), an incredible-looking building that creates its own kind of terrain. It also sounds like the documentary is an interesting look at the pressures of creating such an avant-garde building, and how architectural vision gets tested by the realities of budget pressures and engineering challenges."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/79902240" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I saw </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If You Build It </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(that's the trailer above) a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">t the festival opening night, and although it wouldn't quite have made my original list, it was fantastic and really uplifting and I think everyone should see it. In it, two designers take over the workshop programme at a high school in a downtrodden country in North Carolina, and lead their students on a fantastic journey that has a heart-warming and lasting effect on the entire town. Lots of people in the audience were crying, as it's impossible not to be moved by this film. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tUwYv1uxBOU" width="560"></iframe></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I can never see too much of the work of the great modernist architect Richard Neutra, and this documentary, <b>The Oyler House: Richard Neutra's Desert Retreat</b>, (trailer above) which focuses one on of his lesser-known homes, looks irresistible. It's just 48 minutes long, so it screens with <b>Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs </b>- a double-bill that's sure to satiate even the most ravenous modernists.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I'm also excited about seeing the documentary about the great Japanese architect </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">because Ando's works are so fantastic, and any insight into how he creates them has got to be a good thing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zkFxzMsIbBg" width="560"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"And while it isn't about architecture, the idea of a fashion documentary featuring Givenchy, Dior, Ungaro, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin along with Andy Warhol, Christina Onassis, Liza Minnelli, Josephine Baker and Rudolf Nureyev all getting together for an epic fashion show at Versailles just sounds too amazing to be true. The film's called <b>Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution</b> and pits the French against American designers including Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein and Bill Blass. It looks like the kind of thing that anyone interested in fashion should see."  </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>

Top picks for the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival

As many of you hopefully already know, the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival is starting today at Rialto Cinemas Newmarket in Auc...

Read more »

Design Awards 2014 Call for Entries

<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Designers! Each year our Design Awards programme features the best New Zealand furniture and homeware - and now's your chance to enter to ensure your design reaches the country's most engaged readers.</span> <br /><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All you need to do to enter is send up to five images (from a variety of angles) of the furniture or object(s) you've designed, along with a 250-word statement about the project's aims and its designers. You can email your entries to designawards@bauermedia.co.nz or courier them to HOME magazine, Bauer Media, Shed 12, CityWorks Depot, 77 Cook Street, Auckland 1010. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Entries at due by 5pm, Tuesday April 15. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We'll choose a shortlist of finalist from the entries and have them photographed for inclusion in our June/July issue, on newsstands June 2. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We look forward to showcasing more of the work of New Zealand's best designers. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjzACdd1xuNkNCvk6L6i3s-kDox0wYWRRCkFgW_5DGSlkrOoO_-jVc2yHIqjEcKjWbPwGlreMPnNXZksV50FnNCWXuURfOgvErCACN1dXyIWz8T9wW812xYycUG_T1HSxPUEdcI1S06U/s1600/2014+HOME+Design+Awards+call+for+entries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjzACdd1xuNkNCvk6L6i3s-kDox0wYWRRCkFgW_5DGSlkrOoO_-jVc2yHIqjEcKjWbPwGlreMPnNXZksV50FnNCWXuURfOgvErCACN1dXyIWz8T9wW812xYycUG_T1HSxPUEdcI1S06U/s1600/2014+HOME+Design+Awards+call+for+entries.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br />

Design Awards 2014 Call for Entries

Designers! Each year our Design Awards programme features the best New Zealand furniture and homeware - and now's your chance to enter t...

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Amanda Levete on the Home of the Year

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mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style><![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Given all the attention our Home of the Year is getting, we thought many of you might be interested in hearing some of the thinking behind the jury's decisions. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Home of the Year jury was made up of HOME editor Jeremy Hansen, Gary Lawson of four-time Home of the Year winners Stevens Lawson Architects, and Stirling Prize-winning London architect Amanda Levete. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here, Jeremy talks to Amanda about the judging process. This interview was conducted in mid-March, soon after judging of the Home of the Year was complete.  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8frfSlDLfuBUMq0O1s3Dvviy7P3zskHEM970g1u99d98h8vc9CeKcpAf6oJxRV25m5TVTHax0b54yijokQOjIUFJfqzrUCMkm3R5IeMJnuD0MNVIxzEuKmDSPZDdMOkSlChkU3_6ZQwk/s1600/Amanda+Levete+%28Peter+Guenzel%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8frfSlDLfuBUMq0O1s3Dvviy7P3zskHEM970g1u99d98h8vc9CeKcpAf6oJxRV25m5TVTHax0b54yijokQOjIUFJfqzrUCMkm3R5IeMJnuD0MNVIxzEuKmDSPZDdMOkSlChkU3_6ZQwk/s1600/Amanda+Levete+(Peter+Guenzel).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Architect Amanda Levete. Photo: Peter Guenzel.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> Let’s start by talking about the winning project: Eyrie, the black cabins by Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> That project was very finely tuned, such a poetic response to its site. It was a complete merging of idea and form. And there’s a narrative behind it that’s as poetic as its realisation. The idea that an architect would negotiate with planners to allow a smaller and much more modest footprint on the site is a fantastic inversion of expectations: it captures the mood of the world right now by demonstrating a greater respect for modesty and a reining in of consumerism. It shows how much you can do with so little and still hold such resonance. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The landscape it’s situated in was not the most beautiful or most dramatic of the sites we saw – far from it – but it had a sensibility of its own. You could sense this through the success of the dialogue between the client and the architect. It felt like there was a complete synergy between architect and client, and that is quite rare. It feels like the relationship with the client pushed the architect to go beyond his repertoire and explore ideas and an attitude that perhaps hadn’t been expressed in his work before. You need that input from a client, you need that challenge – and you need that energy and inspiration to make your work better. It’s those kind of relationships and moments that push an architect to develop and become great. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The cabins were beautifully detailed in a very simple way but every move, every line held the idea of the house. The tiny brass recessed kitchen area, which was like a little jewel in this simple black container, lifted it from being prosaic to something exceptional. The cabinets around the kitchen, which used a crude black-painted form-board, had chamfered edges that revealed the colour of the ply behind it, a tiny shadow line that, because the space was black, had a lustre almost like there was a light behind it. And what was so revealing about that space was that it was a black interior and black exterior but it didn’t feel oppressive. You were drawn into the space by the light and felt uplifted and serene and at one with the world and with nature. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_SNxIJ8cRG7g-qeLHCo3Q9QdJ0F4DWKwzPUDV5sQ2nMuNIMQQPXpQn6Xe9Ej6FoNMTGPkZRm6VldthlSVe9tfI1RorGGLYgUvo4wq6Od1LxkSJLq9nkxJNiUkNxRG2vOW8W9l2-t18g/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_SNxIJ8cRG7g-qeLHCo3Q9QdJ0F4DWKwzPUDV5sQ2nMuNIMQQPXpQn6Xe9Ej6FoNMTGPkZRm6VldthlSVe9tfI1RorGGLYgUvo4wq6Od1LxkSJLq9nkxJNiUkNxRG2vOW8W9l2-t18g/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Home of the Year 2014, designed by Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects. <br />Photo: Darryl Ward.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> What made the other homes worthy of inclusion? Let’s go from north to south, and start with the house by Herbst Architects. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> This house expressed very clearly how the forces of nature can drive design, with a clever layering of openings between indoor and outdoor spaces. There was a very strong relationship between a deep gabion wall and the passage between the bedrooms and the main spaces of the house, an outside but protected area that reinforced it as a beach house, so whatever the weather and time of year, you have to go outside to get inside, and that was very charming.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXSnaItgqXVBW3U1jMjQ02hv1Urf36TDo6gC4BZDtFuJcHbnK9C7z0iPAXJoKBu789_HhmGoaji3DmkXOnQ1ICbrBq84SC0gVyFHwx2m8YaYte2H1u7QpU4PX5mp3sd9SnhnxhB2jfYU/s1600/HE0414_H_CASTLEROCK_016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXSnaItgqXVBW3U1jMjQ02hv1Urf36TDo6gC4BZDtFuJcHbnK9C7z0iPAXJoKBu789_HhmGoaji3DmkXOnQ1ICbrBq84SC0gVyFHwx2m8YaYte2H1u7QpU4PX5mp3sd9SnhnxhB2jfYU/s1600/HE0414_H_CASTLEROCK_016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Castle Rock House by Herbst Architects. Photo: Patrick Reynolds.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> On Waiheke Island we visited a home by Wendy Shacklock. What did you enjoy about that?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>AMANDA LEVETE </b>This was an incredibly difficult site and a huge amount of thought had gone into exploring ways in which you could liberate it. That’s been achieved in a way that appears effortless, thanks to much of the site engineering being invisible – but it was far from straightforward. There was also a delicacy about the use of materials and the contrast between the solidity and brutality of the concrete wall and the openness of the elevations looking down at the water. The clients wanted the house to feel like a nest, and it did feel very protective and precarious at the same time. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmOkmhEup0jOgewrwuwNMPCljUtRecmHiNw-jD2IH0Td9e3Mxo8ygamSThyphenhyphenpT4AjWZ248vmsin-2cBSo_pgt5D85jD3DTHUWyw5FzAxDd6Z_LyxDm2ADs438tkrYzVSi2Uwfabs3WQ8I/s1600/_MG_9638-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmOkmhEup0jOgewrwuwNMPCljUtRecmHiNw-jD2IH0Td9e3Mxo8ygamSThyphenhyphenpT4AjWZ248vmsin-2cBSo_pgt5D85jD3DTHUWyw5FzAxDd6Z_LyxDm2ADs438tkrYzVSi2Uwfabs3WQ8I/s1600/_MG_9638-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Te Kohanga, a home on Waiheke Island designed by Wendy Shacklock in association with Paul Clarke. Photo: Samuel Hartnett.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> How about the small house by Andrew Simpson?  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> This was a studio house, just 50 square metres in which every little square foot was accounted for and exploited. There was a wonderful, huge opening up of a view on a very difficult site. What I loved was the ambition and endeavour that was invested into such a complicated site. That endeavour was palpable and real – the architect built much of the interior – and it shows again how much you can achieve with a modest budget, which is always refreshing. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B9iNOOUagbeobqt6EdWuSpSelgoiqosF4AOG2uR05HNeCqTbmxPRNkveK_O81ldCmP3JGZrhpL41JgbEzObSmx-HQwVlbVaWeG9px2L1pCmCSAzV-xf4Jh_U221Bv56IOXHPetAuorw/s1600/WireDog121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B9iNOOUagbeobqt6EdWuSpSelgoiqosF4AOG2uR05HNeCqTbmxPRNkveK_O81ldCmP3JGZrhpL41JgbEzObSmx-HQwVlbVaWeG9px2L1pCmCSAzV-xf4Jh_U221Bv56IOXHPetAuorw/s1600/WireDog121.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Nine Tsubo House by Andrew Simpson of Wiredog Architecture. <br />Photo: Paul McCredie.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> On Banks Peninsula, we visited the Scrubby Bay Farmhouse by Pattersons.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> I found this house incredibly beautiful. Proportionally there was a real kind of magic about the delicacy of these barn-like forms that just slipped one in front of the other in a strong sectional relationship sited in a completely spectacular bay. The plan of the house was understated and restrained, and that restraint was very powerful when matched by such a spectacular backdrop. The house also made beautiful use of wood, with a subtle scent of the macrocarpa cladding inside that was just magic for me. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EELejQAC99bFNc8mWE82cBlUG8jfiQZ5oq3XO9GwIGRAtITevmgHeK2YCW0gygvTfPQBLglAIeSC2vkVasF_4LsXxh9sNVx28BlTMP7E-jRiJVbwLBKfg_N_Y3LElI4nM4GCK6_v5Jc/s1600/X3277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EELejQAC99bFNc8mWE82cBlUG8jfiQZ5oq3XO9GwIGRAtITevmgHeK2YCW0gygvTfPQBLglAIeSC2vkVasF_4LsXxh9sNVx28BlTMP7E-jRiJVbwLBKfg_N_Y3LElI4nM4GCK6_v5Jc/s1600/X3277.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Scrubby Bay Farmhouse by Pattersons. Photo: Simon Devitt</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> We saw homes on beautiful sites, but the suburban house by LO'CA in Wanaka was different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> This is a house for a retired couple with a brief that was far from glamorous, but the architects managed to lift it by creating a kind of respect for the span of a couple’s life, and I was very touched by that. It wasn’t just the clever planning but the way in which the clients’ lives – their past as well as their future and the present – were mapped into the planning; I’ve never seen that done before. It made me think how important houses are as containers for your life and your history. Some of the houses we saw had an absence of the soul of the owners, and a house needs soul. This one had it. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXf_pPMiKda6Tne4R8NUGJkJ2P6SutZVnPH49QO2dGdcqSroA36EW7RrrnzZg_bS1CwG9-4Tzm6Qzj9Zu4-UVvQTfVwvTEYoVyeD3F9WE6oNMi2JrBjbkmC9zzYOLWT2G8FiaH-6Nhyphenhyphenw/s1600/LOVELL+HSE_4740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXf_pPMiKda6Tne4R8NUGJkJ2P6SutZVnPH49QO2dGdcqSroA36EW7RrrnzZg_bS1CwG9-4Tzm6Qzj9Zu4-UVvQTfVwvTEYoVyeD3F9WE6oNMi2JrBjbkmC9zzYOLWT2G8FiaH-6Nhyphenhyphenw/s1600/LOVELL+HSE_4740.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lovell House by Tim Lovell and Ana O'Connell of Lovell O'Connell Architects. <br />Photo: Patrick Reynolds.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> This is your first visit to New Zealand. What are your impressions of the country's architecture after a week here?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> It’s clear that the bach is a powerful genre, and we’ve seen it interpreted differently in extraordinary settings that are very particular to New Zealand. There is an incredible and inventive use of woods, which has been inspiring to me, and makes me want to explore that in our own work. But I worry that there’s a kind of complacency in New Zealand’s architecture. I have seen some of the most spectacular sites in the world on this trip and some of the most extraordinary pieces of landscape – I don’t think I’ll ever see anything more beautiful. With that goes a huge responsibility to respond with an ambition that matches that drama and the beauty of the location. That responsibility is sometimes taken too much for granted. I think architects need to remind themselves what a privilege it is to design in a piece of nature that is unsurpassable.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Clients, too, need to have that same sense of ambition and responsibility in selecting their architect and in their own briefs. It’s not just about designing a house. You have to respond to the magnitude and power of nature at its most beautiful. Houses are relatively modest in scale but historically they have defined an architectural era, and not enough architects here feel that sense of potential. Architecture here is quite self-referential and it shouldn’t be, because what we’ve seen in this last week is a fantastic abundance of talent and inventiveness and clever thinking. Architects in New Zealand should be more ambitious in terms of their place internationally – you have a great tradition of house design that could be defining and having an influence on the rest of the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>JEREMY HANSEN</b> Lastly, do you have any thoughts about awards like this in general?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>AMANDA LEVETE</b> The Home of the Year award is important because it’s not just about applauding excellence; it’s about marking turning points in architects’ careers. The purpose of awards is to recognise talent and to lift the standards and advance the debate. The cross-section of projects we’ve selected for this, the Home of the Year issue, is testament to all of that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Amanda Levete travelled to New Zealand thanks to the support of Altherm Window Systems, our Home of the Year sponsor.</i></div>

Amanda Levete on the Home of the Year

Given all the attention our Home of the Year is getting, we thought many of you might be interested in hearing some of the thinking behind ...

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Home of the the 2014 - the winner!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Congratulations to Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects, who designed Eyrie, the twin cabins on an inlet of the Kaipara Harbour that have won our 19th Home of the Year award. Here's our new cover, featuring a photograph by Jeremy Toth. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N5NvEjR5Fk2waN7NG0yuCsQSt4CcoGEYTY8JnLFnTd8p43rVksujzNgoPIw79eeEZTAGuki8wyq7rZ9Ad5770si7fon59HEJDUm8r9af9D1BhfOllltevQvhzAXFW9oXpMtuOkvc6P0/s1600/HE0414_C_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N5NvEjR5Fk2waN7NG0yuCsQSt4CcoGEYTY8JnLFnTd8p43rVksujzNgoPIw79eeEZTAGuki8wyq7rZ9Ad5770si7fon59HEJDUm8r9af9D1BhfOllltevQvhzAXFW9oXpMtuOkvc6P0/s1600/HE0414_C_COVER.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jeremy Toth also shot this fantastic short web film of the winning homes for us - watch it here, and enjoy! Thanks, as always, to our sponsors, <a href="http://www.altherm.co.nz/">Altherm Window Systems</a>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/78661534" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/78661534"><br />Home Of The Year 2014</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4609599">Jeremy Toth</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />  </span>

Home of the the 2014 - the winner!

Congratulations to Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects, who designed Eyrie, the twin cabins on an inlet of the Kaipara Harbour that have won...

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Home of the Year 2014 - the finalists

<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tonight's the night we announce our 19th annual Home of the Year award. We're delighted to present the six finalists for the award for you here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As always, the winning architects will received a $15,000 first prize, thanks to our award sponsors Altherm Window Systems. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The award was judged by our Home of the Year jury - HOME editor Jeremy Hansen, Gary Lawson of Auckland's Stevens Lawson Architects, and Stirling Prize-winning London architect Amanda Levete - who visited all the shortlisted homes in early March to make their selection of the winner and finalists. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The winner and all the finalists will be in our Home of the Year issue, on newsstands from Thursday April 3.  And you can check back here at 7.30pm this evening to see our short web film of the winning home. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are the finalists, from north to south:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodiT2MNBFlSTATAJQhR7w3vCSGMpqr7NdMMaYXOqgqYgKdqo0n6-fmWd5HuX-fVrFiQ3hU_XrBut-7H5j_owxpRdzRsSais8LMNYsRg9aCOK1bm44lktmWZeYu2Fnw_lkmJNsb3cvUYI/s1600/HE0414_H_CASTLEROCK_008_R1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodiT2MNBFlSTATAJQhR7w3vCSGMpqr7NdMMaYXOqgqYgKdqo0n6-fmWd5HuX-fVrFiQ3hU_XrBut-7H5j_owxpRdzRsSais8LMNYsRg9aCOK1bm44lktmWZeYu2Fnw_lkmJNsb3cvUYI/s1600/HE0414_H_CASTLEROCK_008_R1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Castle Rock House (above) is a holiday home at Whangarei Heads by Herbst Architects, who designed our Home of the Year 2012 winner. The photograph is by Patrick Reynolds.  </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW_bm7GWNXtdwIZD0MdMQ3Pf_SYLOfO6MS2ZPpgUS3IHMRBH3VbGQVz-ofIVphS1J4XbuxqjnL6gwdr9-63w7XwkyfPBKVlYzsH8HvrJKKddsIlyizy-WOxy4eJWD_vY-MXCmKrBQwaU/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW_bm7GWNXtdwIZD0MdMQ3Pf_SYLOfO6MS2ZPpgUS3IHMRBH3VbGQVz-ofIVphS1J4XbuxqjnL6gwdr9-63w7XwkyfPBKVlYzsH8HvrJKKddsIlyizy-WOxy4eJWD_vY-MXCmKrBQwaU/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Eyrie by Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects is a pair of almost-identical cabins (above) on an inlet of the Kaipara Harbour. The photograph is by Darryl Ward.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzZ3rkZ9OzeJPm7jVc1AnvTWQvbw7Rdydwg-HRNjj1OVGw3vdI2gWDlP9WSzZzepWsSoY2qQW1N6EuYVMWk2PJJSoRMYWeMXs-4FJNtIt4W_1EtputzpZScSB-p4b6BRh51DeFehZDl4/s1600/_MG_9638-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzZ3rkZ9OzeJPm7jVc1AnvTWQvbw7Rdydwg-HRNjj1OVGw3vdI2gWDlP9WSzZzepWsSoY2qQW1N6EuYVMWk2PJJSoRMYWeMXs-4FJNtIt4W_1EtputzpZScSB-p4b6BRh51DeFehZDl4/s1600/_MG_9638-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This Waiheke Island home (above) was designed by Wendy Shacklock Architects in association with Paul Clarke. The photograph is by Samuel Hartnett. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNfahKun63Z0fcN9LtZma25XuVA7Ljrd_SJUwGrHjgxGgF7wd8t-Sj3QT8gVt0b2_x-Jpt0I2SFci9e5kj7vPeuVhbQsLM9-fF-wAwJ4uD26N7F4GQNF3jJo0A5ALLokyXD19q7We2-Y/s1600/WireDog120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNfahKun63Z0fcN9LtZma25XuVA7Ljrd_SJUwGrHjgxGgF7wd8t-Sj3QT8gVt0b2_x-Jpt0I2SFci9e5kj7vPeuVhbQsLM9-fF-wAwJ4uD26N7F4GQNF3jJo0A5ALLokyXD19q7We2-Y/s1600/WireDog120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This 50-square-metre home (above) in Wellington was designed by Andrew Simpson of Wiredog Architecture for himself and his partner, Krysty Peebles. The photograph is by Paul McCredie. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmgPNCDi-B7WP2szZ_YJpc6nQ1IHpCDw7dSDOwUbmTQNV18ebZW0RsOS-m5lRGVJrZ-9fJuVNparw2haQfoMDZGmNOK1NpgsJwnOB-oitpiimJmbzQTJaxlu7C_aacCYJdIXYVv55sRk/s1600/X3277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmgPNCDi-B7WP2szZ_YJpc6nQ1IHpCDw7dSDOwUbmTQNV18ebZW0RsOS-m5lRGVJrZ-9fJuVNparw2haQfoMDZGmNOK1NpgsJwnOB-oitpiimJmbzQTJaxlu7C_aacCYJdIXYVv55sRk/s1600/X3277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This farmhouse (above) on an isolated bay on Banks Peninsula was designed by Pattersons, and photographed by Simon Devitt. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4NdQ3ORfq36xtTme0VMSw8lXKJr5ZG4JvnYc79z3ck7hDHxHbEIt2o8tISDFjXcIjha0ugu0N_VJmWRUpLqf25t-6tR5Pir1JtSD2FKwKwH6RCtlO5AVbTKl0pGj262Km5XfnBeVWs4/s1600/LOVELL+HSE_4503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4NdQ3ORfq36xtTme0VMSw8lXKJr5ZG4JvnYc79z3ck7hDHxHbEIt2o8tISDFjXcIjha0ugu0N_VJmWRUpLqf25t-6tR5Pir1JtSD2FKwKwH6RCtlO5AVbTKl0pGj262Km5XfnBeVWs4/s1600/LOVELL+HSE_4503.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And this home in Wanaka for a retired couple was designed by Tim Lovell and Ana O'Connell of Lovell O'Connell Architects.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We're delighted with the inventiveness and variety of this year's finalists. Remember to check out much more coverage of all these homes in our Home of the Year issue.  </div>

Home of the Year 2014 - the finalists

Tonight's the night we announce our 19th annual Home of the Year award. We're delighted to present the six finalists for the award f...

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Design Case Studies with Altherm Window Systems: the O'Sullivan Family Home

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mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:ZH-TW;} </style><![endif]--> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The fourth in our series of Design Case Studies visits the super low-budget Auckland home of architect Michael O'Sullivan (of <a href="http://www.bosarchitecture.co.nz/">Bull O'Sullivan Architects</a>) and Melissa Schollum, which Michael mostly built himself. It's an inspiring tale of creating architectural magic on a low budget. This series is brought to you by <a href="http://www.altherm.co.nz/">Altherm Window Systems</a>. The photographs are by Florence Noble.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL1mGaDRc7b2kfyFpvNWhpCf8gTSPB0RSvYJZss5p5xH8cU2_lYsTE1-MkDuZVqnxhAq36kiN4UfoOAq8z-s534I1MA3b3zqqmu_ybiXbT-u6z2m_0uGSji4KUPVJTfVFCgfDamDMRVo/s1600/hnz0809SULLIVAN_FIMG_5655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL1mGaDRc7b2kfyFpvNWhpCf8gTSPB0RSvYJZss5p5xH8cU2_lYsTE1-MkDuZVqnxhAq36kiN4UfoOAq8z-s534I1MA3b3zqqmu_ybiXbT-u6z2m_0uGSji4KUPVJTfVFCgfDamDMRVo/s1600/hnz0809SULLIVAN_FIMG_5655.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Michael O'Sullivan (centre) with Melissa Schollum and some of the neighbours who<br /> helped them build their house. From left: Seti Faaofo, Rhys Hanna, Ikimau Ikimau<br /> (holding Michael and Melissa's daughter Mary), Michael, Melissa<br /> (holding son Seamus), Fred Taupa and Mary Taupa.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Michael and Melissa’s 115-square-metre home in the Auckland suburb of Mangere Bridge (which was a finalist in our Home of the Year award in 2009), cost just $152,000, but that doesn’t mean you should presume you can get a house that cheap for yourself. The house cost so little because the couple didn’t pay a builder – Michael did all of that himself, with the regular help of some of the couple’s neighbours. “It’s the labour that kills projects,” Michael says, estimating that, if they had paid for a builder and for architects’ fees, their house would have cost over $300,000 – which is still a pretty good deal. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8DShzjRaGhxMZn9ZKa4QUBPxq_oZIWM-3cOBkyQlY3EuxpplnVO4p9_2bD0QPsCTwfYHib6Ca_SCGnbu3SIrmC5n0YvWKCC2OCDyca1H5RF__p8FdejwfE3Z1piaXCq6U5HkQbM_eOs/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8DShzjRaGhxMZn9ZKa4QUBPxq_oZIWM-3cOBkyQlY3EuxpplnVO4p9_2bD0QPsCTwfYHib6Ca_SCGnbu3SIrmC5n0YvWKCC2OCDyca1H5RF__p8FdejwfE3Z1piaXCq6U5HkQbM_eOs/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4591.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Melissa in the kitchen, with its brass-clad island. <br />The plates on the mullions behind her are by Rachel Carley.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On this project, Michael was determined to do things differently from the start. “We didn’t have a budget,” he says. “We had $70,000 to start with, and we had decided to work with that in the first instance and see how we went.” That amount of money, along with many hours of Michael’s labour, got them as far as the basic timber structure being erected, and with the roof on. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-FFmpLulIIY9YzsyOT37dq_T4sLrhEfCbVevMTwvfH05lC57cdXk3uzgDe46PVnQEM3xEio486ULBO9jTitTluuzkYU7r8fnoXuiCuNXUCdmwGvt3kX8XFNGpqV7HxDbCOAKXlsQsnw/s1600/hnz0809SULLIVAN_IMG_5612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-FFmpLulIIY9YzsyOT37dq_T4sLrhEfCbVevMTwvfH05lC57cdXk3uzgDe46PVnQEM3xEio486ULBO9jTitTluuzkYU7r8fnoXuiCuNXUCdmwGvt3kX8XFNGpqV7HxDbCOAKXlsQsnw/s1600/hnz0809SULLIVAN_IMG_5612.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The kitchen and living areas have a cedar ceiling <br />with lights residing behind the triangular cutouts.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With their funds depleted, it was time to visit the bank, but not to request a conventional mortgage. “We went to the bank and said this is how far we’ve got, but we didn’t know how much it was going to cost to finish off,” Michael says. They did, however, know how much they could afford to pay off a mortgage each week, a figure the bank used to estimate the maximum the couple could borrow and set up what was essentially a floating overdraft. “They were initially a bit sceptical,” Michael says, “but they’re pleased now they’ve seen what we’ve done.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif97QLURFxpFbeSQVl0G2acRjHaD6bYolK2sVHWTTz_GDaRTljkjBuN7qmG61v1maxQ8lxk6SgCm2sJFMRERuAeeCzQL1P0Mz_i8fsKH1HPzD0SkUJMEFRAXLLa5h76QlcEF9EwCMxUZU/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif97QLURFxpFbeSQVl0G2acRjHaD6bYolK2sVHWTTz_GDaRTljkjBuN7qmG61v1maxQ8lxk6SgCm2sJFMRERuAeeCzQL1P0Mz_i8fsKH1HPzD0SkUJMEFRAXLLa5h76QlcEF9EwCMxUZU/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4656.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This view of the dining area (with a dining table by IMO) shows <br />the home's main entrance. A small deck outside is shaded by an oak tree. </i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Michael and Melissa needed to remain extremely mindful of how much money was required to finish the building within their budget, but in a sense, the most pivotal budgetary decision – to keep the house relatively small – had been made early on. There is only one bathroom, but a more difficult choice was to design the house with just two bedrooms, as by the time it was nearing completion, the couple’s third child was about to be born. So far, however, children Seamus (4), Finbar (3) and Mary (2), as well as Michael’s son Rem (11), who stays occasionally, like their relatively large room with its bunk beds, and the house has been designed so the later addition of another bedroom is possible. Michael thinks the decision not to have a third bedroom saved between $15,000 and $20,000 in materials alone, as well as making the building process about two months quicker because of the home’s smaller footprint. (Since these photographs were taken, Michael has added an upstairs area with more children's bedrooms). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDzT7Iu4tzRdqWF0PD_sMTZ7T8roTTkTfXGiaPcIrMaQZCcYlzQ510dVANQtmxk8mppoz1tgifQQIVomyZEWDWQ4t-rBCpGD1TIoDnDWxqAwLvGRW-6Nw9xMHAtamRl2k7Ojj6_z9E2s/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDzT7Iu4tzRdqWF0PD_sMTZ7T8roTTkTfXGiaPcIrMaQZCcYlzQ510dVANQtmxk8mppoz1tgifQQIVomyZEWDWQ4t-rBCpGD1TIoDnDWxqAwLvGRW-6Nw9xMHAtamRl2k7Ojj6_z9E2s/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4134.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seamus in the hallway leading to the bedrooms, <br />which feature heavy velvet curtains instead of doors.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Savings like this meant that there was enough money for strategic splurges in other parts of the house. The kitchen has marble-topped benches – a luxurious addition in a low-budget house – and the bathroom is lined entirely in vivid green marble. Admittedly, Michael managed to secure most of these materials at bargain prices, but although they still cost more than more basic materials would have, these additions add a textural richness that makes the compact house feel warmer and more generous that it might have otherwise. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Q7PXLoZyCXb0ETv-D2Tg6fr74jpe0R8Adx1tCsxBSjqeDjoxZZl_vIiSSQjfPCilrMcl8OQaDqq3XxzJuc2x0q5GXG88sMRiUlpe8g54uJQd7izIrQUImsHIjL2NAGnd8rCLShSUlTQ/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Q7PXLoZyCXb0ETv-D2Tg6fr74jpe0R8Adx1tCsxBSjqeDjoxZZl_vIiSSQjfPCilrMcl8OQaDqq3XxzJuc2x0q5GXG88sMRiUlpe8g54uJQd7izIrQUImsHIjL2NAGnd8rCLShSUlTQ/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4263.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Finbar and Seamus in the tub. The bathroom is entirely <br />lined in green marble, a splash of luxury in a low-budget home.</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are other areas where Michael wished the budget had stretched. The bedroom ceilings are lined in basic pine ply, which Michael feels lacks the elegance (and is a little less forgiving of his limitations as a builder) of the cedar that the couple purchased to line the ceilings of the living area. But these are small quibbles compared to the overall satisfaction their completed home now offers – not only the space and shelter it provides for the family, but the lasting relationships this collaborative project established with the neighbours who helped Michael and Melissa out so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO9w0dh_0eOkI23Mhgh9F9JghrsMGFXhMI7uSG4d8jKcM_Gq-PQ_E7EqDNe1WxF6wcmcCz4bOVIArYoa3S-AU7QpWJKfTGRELW-oQxRx5-5HifoaLxoP9HE_nBfXZmBPbq2jalWdBIbI/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO9w0dh_0eOkI23Mhgh9F9JghrsMGFXhMI7uSG4d8jKcM_Gq-PQ_E7EqDNe1WxF6wcmcCz4bOVIArYoa3S-AU7QpWJKfTGRELW-oQxRx5-5HifoaLxoP9HE_nBfXZmBPbq2jalWdBIbI/s1600/hnz0809sullivan_IMG_4248.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A view of the home's second deck that connects to the living area and hallway.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Q+A with Michael O’Sullivan</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOME </b>Your house cost $152,000. What would it have cost if a client had to pay for a builder and your services as an architect? <br /><b>Michael O'Sullivan</b> It would easily be double that if you included builders’ and architects’ fees. It’s the labour costs that kill a project. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOME </b>If you were a client hiring an architect, what lessons would you take from your own project? <br /><b>Michael O'Sullivan</b> Engage a quantity surveyor at the outset. As architects, we are very respectful of our clients’ budgets, but quantity surveyors have skills that we weren’t taught at architecture school. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOME</b> You said that you’re not generally in favour of fixed-price building contracts. Care to tell us more about that? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Michael O'Sullivan</b> Fixed fees can be quite stifling. There’s no suspense or element of surprise, no room for excitement. The appropriateness of different materials becomes apparent as you build – quite often the built form gives clues as to what the interior finishes should be. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div>

Design Case Studies with Altherm Window Systems: the O'Sullivan Family Home

The fourth in our series of Design Case Studies visits the super low-budget Auckland home of architect Michael O'Sullivan (of Bull O...

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