NZ Design

The talented folk at Home Base Collections are at it again with a wintery range of sheepskin cushions backed with their fabulous printed fabrics. Not only that, but they have also created a sheepskin rug 'inspired by the classic peggy square, from 50 pieces of New Zealand grown short clipped wool'. Snuggling up with these beauties on a cold and rainy weekend would be divine!

Click here to contact Home Base Collections for more information.

photography Home Base Collections

Lock Saturday the 24th of July into your calendar for the inaugural Auckland Art & Craft Fair as this is an event not to be missed! 
Organiser Jessica Whiting takes time out of her busy schedule to give us the ins and outs of whats involved, and how it all came about.

What made you decide to launch The Auckland Art & Craft Fair? With running the Auckland Craft Collective it was a natural progression, the Collective is all about raising awareness of handmade to the public, assisting sellers with practical support and increasing the value of handmade products as opposed to mass produced. We wanted to do something in Auckland, as there wasn't anything on this scale here — one of those "why don't we have something like this here? Lets just do it ourselves!" moments.

Is this project along the lines of things you have done before? Absolutely not, haha, it's been a steep learning curve that's for sure! Because I already have experience in the craft industry and have been making my own work for nearly 2 years, it's definitely something that I felt I knew enough about to try my hand at it and so far I haven't been proven wrong...

Was it a bigger undertaking than you thought? It has been quite a mammoth project! Because it's not a straight market, it's more like the craft/handmade equivalent to NZ Fashion Week I would say, we have a VIP guest list, goodie bags for our guests, a limited edition artist catalogue I have designed and printed and of course the venue (Auckland Art Gallery, Art Lounge) is one of the best in Auckland — it really shows the caliber of the event and it's quite special. The event has required a lot of attention to detail and with having two people organising it, it has worked to have specific tasks with each of us and means there is a strong voice and continuity across the Fair.

The Fair will be on in the Art Lounge of the Auckland Art Gallery

What binds all those involved together? Each of our vendors make everything that they have at their space themselves, they all create work of the highest quality and we feel that what they create is unique, clever and just generally really awesome!

Will this be an ongoing event? Absolutely, we are planning on having two a year, one in Summer and one in Winter. We tentatively have the Summer one penciled in for the beginning of December.

Tell us about the market money, where did the idea come from? I can't imagine many people wanting to part with it! It really is beautiful, it's going to be hard to hand it over! Similar concepts have been done at other events. Due to the 'plastic' age that we live in not everyone has cash so by providing 'market money' it enables people to get 'cash out' that they can spend with our artists. The idea to have it specially designed was one of the first things I came up with! I think we even had Illustrator, Sarah McNeil on board before the venue was confirmed! Each Fair we will be commissioning a new artist to design our money — the Fair is all about showcasing amazing talent, why stop at the tables when we can showcase it everywhere!

Sneak peak of the market money designed by Sarah McNeil

Frankie Magazine is a great sponsor! How did you get involved with them? I contacted Frankie co-founder, Lara Burke as she had recently featured my own work on the Frankie blog, I told her about the event and she was really keen for Frankie to be involved — we are really lucky to have such great sponsors on board with the likes of the Auckland Art Gallery, Base FM and of course the Auckland Craft Collective — they really identify with our event, it's a match made in heaven!

You have a great line up of vendors? Did you have to turn anyway? I know, right? They are an amazing group of individuals and we are so proud to have each of them as part of the first event. Narrowing down the list was by far the hardest part, we had to turn away so many people it was heart breaking. Still, we're hoping that with the summer one, we will be able to have more space and can say yes to more people.

Will you have a stand? Because of the size of the venue and the limited space we had available, we thought that taking up a table each would have been a little mean! There will be so much happening on the day, I don't think we will have time for selling — I am planning to however, have a few of my own things for sale off to the side and of course some information about Foxes, my new store launching the day after the Fair.

 
We wish you the best of luck and can't wait to hear how it goes! 

We've been fans of Katydid's Gocco Print cards for a while now, and have featured them a couple of times in the magazine. But now there is even more to browse over on her site, as she has opened an online Emporium of paper goods! Katydid stocks a handpicked selection of new and vintage goodies, both locally made and from overseas. We noticed a few of our favourites that have been popping up in design blogs around the place recently, including cards from Darling Clementine and paper straws. Click here to pop in and have a look around.

When we visited Neudorf Hall in the Upper Moutere, Nelson we knew we had found our cover home for our winter warming issue - June/July. The redesign of this former school hall, by Architectural Designer Brian Johns' won the category for Residential Alterations and Additions in last years ADNZ awards. The judges appreciated the way the design transforms the old building into a series of generous new spaces that retain sound references to the older fabric; the final result is a warm and inviting family home. The stunning house is home to Michael Macmillan, Jackie Crow and their daughter Poppy. Operating as their family home and a bed and breakfast, the beautiful chalet style and open fire provide the perfect spot for enjoying winter.

Take a sneak peak inside Neudorf Hall below, and for more check out our latest issue on sale nationwide on Monday! Enjoy.
 

"Home Maid" aprons in 100% drill cotton, with designs by Fane Flaws & Dick Frizzell for Esther Diamond. Perfect for Mother's Day (or any other day) both designs are available in red & black, RRP $125. Visit Esther Diamond for stockists.

Urban street and contemporary culture meets customary Maori tradition in a new exhibition of graduates from Massey University's School of Maori Visual Arts, showing at Bartley and Company Art in Wellington until May 8th.

'Tuku iho' features a diverse range of artwork including graffiti painting, photography, cast bronze and multi-media objects by four recent graduates: Reweti Arapere, Erena Baker, Liz Grant and Kylie Tiuka.

The notion of tuku iho is central to the kaupapa of the School of Maori Visual Arts at Massey University. It is an expansive concept, which embraces the innovations afforded by changing times and technology. As Maori responded to the materials brought by early settlers to develop new styles of figurative painting, so today do young Maori artists look for new ways of expressing timeless ideas and values. The work of all four artists engage with the meeting house and speak to the use of carving, decorative patterns, figurative painting and photography on the marae.

 

The cover home of our April/May issue draws on notions of quintessential Kiwi living. Designed by Tushka Glintmeyer and Nathan Rooney of Space Architecture, simple lines and an efficient floor plan create a stunning but practical modern living area. Drawing on the native bush and beach setting, subtle colours and textures are combined to create a affordable and comfortable family home on the Kapiti Coast. Photographed by Erin King and styled by Art Director Alice Lines we are loving it and hope you will too!
Heres a sneak peak of this home, for more see our latest issue on sale nationwide today.

Beautiful bathware producer Methven has won a highly prized Red Dot Product Design Award at the 2010 competition in Germany, for their Methven Shower Infusions; a world first which turns an ordinary shower into a personal home spa system.

The New Zealand owned designer, marketer and exporter of beautiful, water and energy efficient bathroomware, was awarded an honourable mention and the right to use the sought-after Red Dot seal of quality on its collateral to signify that the product design and innovation behind Methven Shower Infusions are among the "best of the best" in the world.
Congratulations!

 

ecostore, the plant-based household and personal care products we know and love, are now available in the city that never sleeps – New York. Duane Reade is the biggest drug store chain in New York City boasting more than 250 stores and is a popular one-stop-shop for local Manhattanites stocking up on health, beauty and convenience needs.
Founder of ecostore Malcolm Rands says: “With a 50-year history in the most exciting city in the world, the Duane Reade is the place where many of the world trendsetters shop.  And ecostore is being promoted as the cutting edge eco option.
“With 150 stores on Manhattan Island alone, providing effective, healthy home products to city dwellers in such an iconic setting is very exciting for us. “Where else in New York would you want to be?”says Rands.

 

 

This is the last week to catch the Design Make Sunlounger exhibition at the Waiheke Art Gallery.

Eight designers from around the country including Marion Courtille, Andy Halewood, Roger Kelly, Edward Prince, Tom Kerr, Don Stodart and Paul Rhind contributed new concepts for Sun Lounger designs, and Hawkes Bay designer Chad Heays was announced the winner with his Sahara sun lounger.

Sponsored by Design Denmark in Auckland, the award was judged in Denmark by the design team from leading Danish furniture brand, Skagerak Denmark. The judges commented on the high standard of New Zealand designs “I’m truly impressed at the high level of both the design and craftsmanship,” Director, Trip Trap Denmark, Anders Bundgaard, said.
"As a design item made for outdoor use it (the Sahara sun lounger) has several important and valuable qualities. It has sculptural form giving the lounger a distinct expression and makes it at piece of furniture that’s both functional and holds high aesthetic value.”

There are so many New Zealand designers doing innovative work out there at the moment, and this is another great example in the field of furniture.