We like: Wellington's Six Barrel Soda Co.

<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In our current issue, we visit Six Barrel Soda Co in Wellington's Dixon Street. The cafe was also designed to sell delicious soda made on the spot, in a space masterminded by Matt Smith of Wellington design firm Common. Here's Juliette Wanty's interview with Matt and some more of Russell Kleyn's photographs of one of our favourite new spots in the capital.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj8cTDjJHP-laiZiimt6wi6O9hCm_J8EkIAu5rpMm-iogRNUqxSLhPB3O0h6XCep68hT0pzgjGkNf66F79MFadrD-2Mxa2pOMpjHf25rvRRenrxKmoYzPOv1vpo6vLY16Wggp5lpoWFQx/s1600/HOME_SBSC-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj8cTDjJHP-laiZiimt6wi6O9hCm_J8EkIAu5rpMm-iogRNUqxSLhPB3O0h6XCep68hT0pzgjGkNf66F79MFadrD-2Mxa2pOMpjHf25rvRRenrxKmoYzPOv1vpo6vLY16Wggp5lpoWFQx/s640/HOME_SBSC-15.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Designer Matt Smith of Common</span></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOME What was the brief for this job?</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">MATT SMITH We wanted to create a space that could function primarily for the production of soda syrups and secondly as a cafe. The existing space [the former home of Eva Dixon's cafe] had a history of failed cafes and restaurants. We first gutted the space, removing any trace of past ventures, and unified the seating and kitchen areas by removing all internal walls and running the cork-tile floor through the entire space. We also ran a peg rail the length of the space to display items, hold customers' coats and bags, and hang utensils and baskets of fruit in the kitchen. The large central table was positioned so that customers look down the length of the table to the kitchen. A quarter of the table is utilised as the service area, so that customers are engaged with the cocktail-like making and presentation of the sodas.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYGuCxrF4LEMgQ9CoPkCum81t8xg3X06sd7w6v1-sr5d-NOv1LzinI5iCPTzVdmujV6AZgDfVmIom6KG4N6CAGSTqy7DhbgU8lpNQ7t82gPNKMAR8XSv06Ll2ZRIAnOBIobT_S82qEVMY/s1600/HOME_SBSC-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYGuCxrF4LEMgQ9CoPkCum81t8xg3X06sd7w6v1-sr5d-NOv1LzinI5iCPTzVdmujV6AZgDfVmIom6KG4N6CAGSTqy7DhbgU8lpNQ7t82gPNKMAR8XSv06Ll2ZRIAnOBIobT_S82qEVMY/s640/HOME_SBSC-23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Customers are able to view the production process in action. </i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEhM33DlfTmmnzHotYKHmLKhIxRcHojn4hrEOQtIZ9TxpsjnG8kj5Vl5e3DmbRS7fR_vHfUiu8kJ1A_hHPh-2iuGifcZXumH1Ul8vVJLibO_5dHcK4fHlAr_rWI1w6J791eHj7o-cyetQ/s1600/HOME_SBSC-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEhM33DlfTmmnzHotYKHmLKhIxRcHojn4hrEOQtIZ9TxpsjnG8kj5Vl5e3DmbRS7fR_vHfUiu8kJ1A_hHPh-2iuGifcZXumH1Ul8vVJLibO_5dHcK4fHlAr_rWI1w6J791eHj7o-cyetQ/s640/HOME_SBSC-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>You designed [with Caspian Ievers] the logo and labelling system before embarking on the design of this space. How did you want the space to feel?</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soda bars first conjure up images of Americana, red vinyl, chrome and jukeboxes. We wanted to avoid this and focus on the freshness and quality of the ingredients, and the honesty of the production method. The colours are light and fresh yellow and green. We brought elements of the branding across, most notably Hugo Mathias' illustrations from the labels on the chalkboard wall, while avoiding creating a space that was too branded. The materials are good-quality and durable: cork, american ash and red brick. The almost-primary-school aesthetic of Six Barrel Soda Co - with its cork tiles, chalkboard, peg rail and stamps for labelling - is accidental, but often reminds people of their first encounter with sodas or 'pop'.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsvTtMT0mXF6jrwuiS8y0bGPjteyrD8qtPEm9isB5RyS8ESPn2RNG-EzkOOPJ5Gt15umkM3lN5EyVGXK_1YUpYmiO5s7Vnb8CCHE4DLSIvbyTE8y1eGStIfsbTqP_aaUg3IHSCl-sLrGl/s1600/HOME_SBSC-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsvTtMT0mXF6jrwuiS8y0bGPjteyrD8qtPEm9isB5RyS8ESPn2RNG-EzkOOPJ5Gt15umkM3lN5EyVGXK_1YUpYmiO5s7Vnb8CCHE4DLSIvbyTE8y1eGStIfsbTqP_aaUg3IHSCl-sLrGl/s640/HOME_SBSC-26.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Labels are hung on the wooden peg rail that plays both a decorative and functional role in the space. </span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJouebm7_uUV9GgYYu8nOWpyDbaTyoE5gCR2_5-bzgo1eu6mRd64EjiA2bpJFoGjrmr0Yx-4UhWuU67T9vjYnQw5LFtwOfvTBnvu6U6YPmw1KVHgGu_J-e_NTt4EP7C2039lEhHX03fja/s1600/HOME_SBSC-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJouebm7_uUV9GgYYu8nOWpyDbaTyoE5gCR2_5-bzgo1eu6mRd64EjiA2bpJFoGjrmr0Yx-4UhWuU67T9vjYnQw5LFtwOfvTBnvu6U6YPmw1KVHgGu_J-e_NTt4EP7C2039lEhHX03fja/s640/HOME_SBSC-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What has the response been like so far?</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">People seem to love it. It's been referred to as the most Instagram-able cafe in Wellington!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Six Barrel Soda Co Factory Cafe</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Level 1, 33-35 Dixon Street, Wellington</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><a href="http://www.sixbarrelsoda.co/"> www.sixbarrelsoda.co</a></i><br /><br /><i>See more of Matt Smith's work at</i><br /><i><a href="http://www.commongoods.co.nz/">www.commongoods.co.nz</a> </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZrq2WQfN1SvVxD9IID5khnIMWb0VJ6jLNmU4la7L97sCoReI83HTO6f2lZuxDzZnOhfxMAKs-EW32vVzLzRI6srbppjOZVK_2chAWDU3RZEb_Vn6i9Q1G6Kcif_S3fVI21sgzKnxOrFf/s1600/HOME_SBSC-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZrq2WQfN1SvVxD9IID5khnIMWb0VJ6jLNmU4la7L97sCoReI83HTO6f2lZuxDzZnOhfxMAKs-EW32vVzLzRI6srbppjOZVK_2chAWDU3RZEb_Vn6i9Q1G6Kcif_S3fVI21sgzKnxOrFf/s640/HOME_SBSC-2.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6l55MnlmD_psO01LTIWcPraF32H_M1P9qssPAM9G-LOAcaHTqn6pgEQMLX8p2nB0qt57HQLx6yewZSD8o-DPdt6CTTdfK3UWGJKIA1RwFpn8qu0RzwqxY8GaRnXYt6H21vEujcRu-5VI/s1600/HOME_SBSC-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div>

We like: Wellington's Six Barrel Soda Co.

In our current issue, we visit Six Barrel Soda Co in Wellington's Dixon Street. The cafe was also designed to sell delicious soda made o...

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Outtakes: Concrete house by Simon Twose

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of our favourite images from our current issue is this one by Paul McCredie of a house in Kelburn, Wellington, by Simon Twose (the house was originally commissioned when Simon was working at Warren & Mahoney's Wellington office). This view looks from the home's bedroom wing across its courtyard, through the living areas and out to Wellington Harbour. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsjCqqTpL0QrJs1AXVd3opa3BAYH3_W5kHD2_wbj1yhNUHY7QlztrvJ1Bijy43PBnzBdJwonTjiYGxKjiMAb0kinbyqvqMyaI1SAFpI72FCOQG5sC2HcY3khLLkFDkandgYgfMQC32CCI/s1600/Mainey33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsjCqqTpL0QrJs1AXVd3opa3BAYH3_W5kHD2_wbj1yhNUHY7QlztrvJ1Bijy43PBnzBdJwonTjiYGxKjiMAb0kinbyqvqMyaI1SAFpI72FCOQG5sC2HcY3khLLkFDkandgYgfMQC32CCI/s400/Mainey33.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The home's owner, Brett Mainey, is also a builder - and a man who likes a challenge. So he asked Simon to design a house "that would be difficult to build". What resulted was a long, involved and ultimately rewarding collaboration between architect and client. As you can see in Paul's shot below, the house really stands out in its street of villas, its concrete facade demanding a response. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3riIl4xqUdWdgGW3DJ2lmecW1Z9aoW_x4xBlwHXQ-FX9lazIP6Wr1tsZgcP04y0T5yY38cwUblnfdbTijwpxRAceTgRHsJmhmRoVRbGUcsieE_B2gly62-9F3hg2SvYe4flbpcGp8Hcg/s1600/Mainey1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3riIl4xqUdWdgGW3DJ2lmecW1Z9aoW_x4xBlwHXQ-FX9lazIP6Wr1tsZgcP04y0T5yY38cwUblnfdbTijwpxRAceTgRHsJmhmRoVRbGUcsieE_B2gly62-9F3hg2SvYe4flbpcGp8Hcg/s400/Mainey1.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9KqpybIOQfjQXBgEAU0w1TOcDh6-gmY9IZc8-R22iF_wBvMilYV9toVLvGXrptu1MX_Z0-nqBIbvr_150x6nH_nQbjTDetWJKtBkYD8QEiIRH7HcJn8oTe4rZzXad6jVb57u7qwHMcjU/s1600/Mainey10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9KqpybIOQfjQXBgEAU0w1TOcDh6-gmY9IZc8-R22iF_wBvMilYV9toVLvGXrptu1MX_Z0-nqBIbvr_150x6nH_nQbjTDetWJKtBkYD8QEiIRH7HcJn8oTe4rZzXad6jVb57u7qwHMcjU/s400/Mainey10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The home's entrance is set a little below the street, a sheltered spot out of the wind that opens onto the navigational fulcrum of the house - left to the bedroom wing, right to the living area. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ7U8vjUp09tY8FHKI5GIR9ZeQ8fg4H0yghK5j00FW5qLkYPnWhOZT7TrKOeHdMYmuJxgXyPLFH6BaSTyx09b30nvl-jRRmfEaPE1fEqxGd6S42yYuNSDeM2vLIDOUe7hL2q-OXOhH1Ra/s1600/Mainey3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ7U8vjUp09tY8FHKI5GIR9ZeQ8fg4H0yghK5j00FW5qLkYPnWhOZT7TrKOeHdMYmuJxgXyPLFH6BaSTyx09b30nvl-jRRmfEaPE1fEqxGd6S42yYuNSDeM2vLIDOUe7hL2q-OXOhH1Ra/s400/Mainey3.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the left of this photo (below) you can see the home's central courtyard. Rather than leaving a small amount of space around the perimeter of the property, Simon designed the house so it pushed to the edges of its boundaries and concentrated this space in its courtyard instead. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tKulmLLqPCVFIZjiyORiPDl6mKA7R6qMNG-sYDk8iEJIbqHTIWrI-pS3ZlI2A0Ja0sXNTHu9Nszw_Iap16-UrHGlJjjikdDI1ePNmCpXg5_qEFQw6nAMJFPaeQpzdBHqN_JpXCd5uCPb/s1600/Mainey13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tKulmLLqPCVFIZjiyORiPDl6mKA7R6qMNG-sYDk8iEJIbqHTIWrI-pS3ZlI2A0Ja0sXNTHu9Nszw_Iap16-UrHGlJjjikdDI1ePNmCpXg5_qEFQw6nAMJFPaeQpzdBHqN_JpXCd5uCPb/s400/Mainey13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgkdaY4tYU5EyT0bgS2Eyueu9evfmhLGiGn1eeN6dbgKcfb-OwOBchXAKyIxzA7DGKwADqPVgq6niqAkGFpj-dmr4vthfKMNAcORbdboSlHB3ScpNZd_mzq2MdW4dMrymtZ7oBfM_bC-L/s1600/Mainey19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgkdaY4tYU5EyT0bgS2Eyueu9evfmhLGiGn1eeN6dbgKcfb-OwOBchXAKyIxzA7DGKwADqPVgq6niqAkGFpj-dmr4vthfKMNAcORbdboSlHB3ScpNZd_mzq2MdW4dMrymtZ7oBfM_bC-L/s400/Mainey19.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgphRbKzzsa_94zqPRQ8epm8Be9-aW4EkOVNgpdd0GbGICmIO8T9UOOTtpxcb-HiASY0783iHrv_5UGY7RqkUAMh1ADDRA7-KplLEFaNCMpixlv7EpqyhrrgFt2q1zk3iiRajDGG9pM1mu/s1600/Mainey29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgphRbKzzsa_94zqPRQ8epm8Be9-aW4EkOVNgpdd0GbGICmIO8T9UOOTtpxcb-HiASY0783iHrv_5UGY7RqkUAMh1ADDRA7-KplLEFaNCMpixlv7EpqyhrrgFt2q1zk3iiRajDGG9pM1mu/s400/Mainey29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>

Outtakes: Concrete house by Simon Twose

One of our favourite images from our current issue is this one by Paul McCredie of a house in Kelburn, Wellington, by Simon Twose (the house...

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We like: Hometown Boomtown

<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preservation arguments are raging in Christchurch right now, which makes this very interesting clip from the documentary <em>Hometown Boomtown</em> from NZ On Screen all the more pertinent. It examines the major changes to Wellington's cityscape (many of them made in the name of earthquake strengthening) in the 1970s and 1980s, includes interviews with many of the major players of the time (including Bob Jones and then-mayor Sir Michael Fowler), and has heaps of amazing demolition footage. Worth a look!</span><br /><br /><br /><object height="358" width="410"><param name="movie" value="http://www.nzonscreen.com/nzonscreen-player.swf"> </param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> </param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> </param><param name="flashvars" value="c=3774&v=5635"> <embed src="http://www.nzonscreen.com/nzonscreen-player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="c=3774&v=5635" width="410" height="358"></embed></object>

We like: Hometown Boomtown

Preservation arguments are raging in Christchurch right now, which makes this very interesting clip from the documentary Hometown Boomtown ...

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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.<br /><br />The Auckland Style Safari is taking place on Friday February 28, while the Wellington one will be held on Friday April 30.<br /><br />You can visit <a href="http://www.ticketek.co.nz/">www.ticketek.co.nz</a> 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.

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 store...

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Opera in a Days Bay Garden

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWGzmTTGd_7UfH_-NIyBR1OKlfzpSGbIsOckNgNQ2CTBJsvY-QOiRUYSIf-074YHX4yi2knjHYHT5XvcNbj5T_O3x1xdC-pT72CkocyyZAH-_Dcq5fncD-8_C6CidfFzh1dg4ib6qsKlr/s1600-h/Rhona030.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438980163111446178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWGzmTTGd_7UfH_-NIyBR1OKlfzpSGbIsOckNgNQ2CTBJsvY-QOiRUYSIf-074YHX4yi2knjHYHT5XvcNbj5T_O3x1xdC-pT72CkocyyZAH-_Dcq5fncD-8_C6CidfFzh1dg4ib6qsKlr/s400/Rhona030.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>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.)<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Tickets are $50 (and include a glass of Seresin Estate wine), and can be booked at <a href="http://www.daysbayopera.org.nz/">www.daysbayopera.org.nz</a>

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 ...

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Thursdays at L'affare

A reminder to all you Wellingtonians that the eminent architect and raconteur Roger Walker will be giving a talk tomorrow night (Thursday October 8) at 6pm at Caffe L'affare. Entry is free and so are the drinks. Come and join us for what will be a fascinating and entertaining talk. There's more information on the website of the Architectural Centre, the nice folk who helped us put this event on: <a href="http://www.architecture.org.nz/">www.architecture.org.nz</a>. Hope to see you tomorrow! And thanks to Caffe L'affare for hosting us.

Thursdays at L'affare

A reminder to all you Wellingtonians that the eminent architect and raconteur Roger Walker will be giving a talk tomorrow night (Thursday Oc...

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City Bach

More cleverness from our new issue: David Melling's City Bach, a tiny home in city-fringe Wellington with a big heart and, more importantly, a big barbecue area on the roof. Paul McCredie took the shots - you can check out plenty more of them when the mag hits newsstands on Monday June 1. And for those of you who are wondering, David Melling is the son of Gerald Melling of Wellington's Melling Morse Architects, who won our Home of the Year award last year. Architecture definitely runs in this family.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341118377608797426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwGJEJrKuhdv8IAokzbOe6wQGHxIiXLVDr9UKL7mtw2eB7gOG5_G_816XQB0I9AzryH_HC1fz0ImfhGSPnet35sbQYgfQDTWozIVERz36j2zUFh_2zkMK0dAIBV81SZWVLh1QbojAsC4c/s400/Citybach+spread.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />

City Bach

More cleverness from our new issue: David Melling's City Bach, a tiny home in city-fringe Wellington with a big heart and, more importan...

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What to keep?

<div>Renovations are always a question of what to throw out and what to keep. Some architects seem to advocate a sort of scorched-earth policy that negates almost all the aspects of the original building. But sometimes the most successful projects are the ones that incorporate aspects of the original structure, giving a home a rich combination of old and new aspects.<br /><br /><div></div><div>A good example of this is a renovation by Stephen McDougall and Lauren Wong of Wellington's Studio of Pacific Architecture in our latest issue. The home is located above Oriental Parade on Mount Victoria in what is designated a character area by the city council. The original 1950s concrete building was already very different from the timber villas that surround it, and it took the architects a long time to persuade the council that it was more appropriate to continue this modernist aesthetic than to make the building look like the villas around it. </div><br /><div></div><div>Inside, though, much debate ensued over whether to keep the home's strong concrete columns and ceiling supports. The original idea was to create an uninterrupted open-plan space, but the structural solutions required to create this turned out to be highly complex. Retaining the columns and beams initially felt like a compromise, but now everyone involved with the renovation thinks it was a terrific outcome, as the columns and beams provide a helpful delineation of the different living zones. </div><div></div><br /><div>Paul McCredie's photographs give a good idea of how the columns and beams work in the space:</div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328067050189836850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeT52T_9WJ8jZ1UVKJgXTyDzJzkkdllEdpzfPlOm1o27m-4Ajf-7NbDPYUlQaQrhXEce5Rki4l6mXTxzNOIzNVyQEU8C2syBIIejPQlOM7iRMsOm7u0spP_21ZnOQfOOcgdIFJbTsU5TD4/s400/Small+kitchen+and+dining.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></div></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328067373221965458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_K9e1w9E_lU08CX0Ee8RWywX-v2NmjbL6jYsh1Ny7G4iO7fqRQNVNahTAoBrstXlrLAPiEnJIPL38GxVqqjdCeBxNzV1oZd2m3HP5We9EcU2oLMf2A5i1qiP6MtgSocw6gOZHqg5Cvhs/s400/Small+living+room.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />Thanks to the retention of the columns and beams, what could have been a blank space belonging to any era now carries a strong sense of its 1950s origins, and the home is better for it.

What to keep?

Renovations are always a question of what to throw out and what to keep. Some architects seem to advocate a sort of scorched-earth policy th...

Read more »