Interior INTERIOR_20_201606

There is, indeed, something different about the copy of Interior magazine you are holding in your lucky hand. To begin with, this issue reveals the Supreme and nine category winners of the Interior Awards – a programme that, in my (highly biased) opinion, is keeping the pulse on and predicting important personality traits of our rapidly changing cities. We were honoured by the trust imparted on us by hundreds of architecture and design firms to judge and critique their hard work. Our coverage of the process, winners and the finalists begins on page 56. We have also been lucky to be allowed into the impressive new Fonterra HQ, the new Fisher & Paykel Experience Centres and much more. Yet, perhaps the most obvious difference in this issue is our new…

SIMON BUSH-KING Writer Simon is an architect and urban designer, based in Amsterdam. He talks about working in China, pages 100-105. WHAT KEEPS YOU BUSY THESE DAYS? We’re currently working on a range of residential work, from four-storey canal houses to 50m2 apartments. It’s great working at different scales. WHAT IS YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF WORKING IN CHINA? For one project, I was tasked as an Urban Designer to create six inner-city parks in little over a week. Recently I’ve been involved in a large mixed-use development where the client thought nothing of asking me to come over for a site visit of less than 30 hours! CHINA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN... WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? You have to bet on China getting a lot…

The Palazzo Bollani overlooks a small, quiet square in Castello, amid the labyrinth of alleyways and waterways which gives Venezia such wonderful charm. New Zealand opened the exhibition with a blessing and several ceremonies, in which Maori students from Unitec offered a moving contribution to welcome visitors, and the mostly Kiwi crowd even broke out into a popular waiata. Inside, an elegant entrance lobby opens into a reading room and, also, up a staircase to the first floor, where the exhibition begins in a very large room with high ceilings and canal views. In contrast to many of the exhibitions at the Biennale, which are typically quite graphic, text heavy or structural, Future Islands is a purely experiential design and seems more like an art installation. The main room becomes…

Have you had any overseas design experience? No, but I travelled and worked in the Middle East, Europe and Australia prior to commencing my studies. I became excited about all the different architecture I saw and the way I saw it, unfiltered and through my own eyes. This experience ultimately informed my career path. What are the benefits and challenges of having your own practice rather than joining a big firm? Benefits – meeting and working with a range of people; I really enjoy this and gaining their trust as you work through a project with them. All our clients are investing a lot and we have a huge obligation to them. I like the responsibility and pressure that comes with that. Challenges – the admin side of running a…

While Frankfurt itself is somewhat of a small, friendly town, with just a smattering of skyscrapers at its centre to justify it being called a city, the scale of the Frankfurt Messe trade halls is astounding. In fact, Frankfurt’s economy largely thrives on the success of the fairs held at the halls, which cause the city’s population to double during the weeks. I arrived at Light+Building more than a little jet-lagged and found myself almost immediately in need of a place to stop and get my bearings. In the Press Centre I revised my plan for how to get around this huge exhibition. I had three days and there were 11 halls, some of them with more than one floor. There are travellators to take you from one hall to…

Former creative director for Working Style, Eddie von Dadelszen, has opened a menswear showroom in a heritage building in Britomart, where customers can purchase custom-made, handcrafted clothing and accessories. George Gregory from Cheshire Architects worked on the interior design for the store, which is minimalist in nature, but has an essence of regality and drama. “We pursued a spatial experience that would manifest and amplify qualities of darkness, strength and sensuality. Someplace sparse and raw and brave and refined all at once.” Dadelszen and Gregory wanted to create a space that was almost temple-like in its atmosphere. Gregory: “This is about drawing minimalism and luxury from the humble and the found.” SOFITEL WELLINGTON A new Sofitel is set to open in July in the capital, with views of the Wellington…