Table of contents for December 2019 / February 2020 in Interior

Julie Stout Architect and Urbanist Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects Julie is a principal of Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects in Auckland and a Professional Teaching Fellow at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland. Her work, including the design of art galleries, schools and houses, has won many awards. A career highlight was being part of the team chosen to curate New Zealand’s first official entry at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2014. She regularly champions the long-term legacy and vision for Auckland’s waterfront and harbour. She is one of the NZIA’s ten Distinguished Fellows. Kate Rogan Director Rogan Nash Architects Kate is an architect and director at Rogan Nash Architects, a multi-award-winning architecture and interior practice. Its work has been widely published and broadcast. Kate…

Winner Best Restaurant Design Designer Hassell Location Melbourne, Victoria Jury comment — Where much hospitality design these days relies on nostalgia for bygone eras, Di Stasio Citta, on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, looks boldly forward. As much art installation as dining room, this project is so unique that the jury posits it will be impossible to imitate. The restaurant’s striking minimalism combines with modern uses of technology and a remarkable level of restraint. There is no signage on the exterior and blank stucco walls have no switches, power points or control panels. The bar hides all working areas and speakers are integrated into the window frames. This is a design aesthetic that prioritises what is not seen, with guest experience the most important factor. For all of these reasons,…

Winner Best Hotel Design Designer Richards and Spence Location Fortitude Valley, Queensland Jury comment — The Calile Hotel in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley is a prime example of a large budget put to fantastic use. The design works to conjure an impressive sense of luxe escapism, creating a resort atmosphere despite its intensely urban location. Every space is well considered, both materially and functionally, allowing an effortless flow between public, semi-private and private spaces. Its white brick, stone and expressed concrete structure and restrained colour palette are so unique and striking that it already has a sense of the iconic. The hotel is inviting to the public while maintaining the required sense of exclusivity for registered guests, adding remarkable value to the broader neighbourhood and city. The attention to even the…

What is this place? Our goal was to create a space for young people where normal rules didn’t apply. We wanted a non-traditional space: a world away from the classic classroom, that would pluck kids out of their everyday lives. We wanted it to instantly prompt stories, ideas and freedom of thought. The final design turned an 1830s’ heritage-listed cottage – formerly a family home, lolly shop, and real estate office – into a fluid, continuous space called the Dream Lab. What was the concept behind the design? The architectural concept was to connect four separate rooms with a continuous blue splash or ribbon, so as to awaken imagination with non-linear design. Spatial continuity is realised with a series of free-flowing timber elements, which meander through the space and create…

How did you become interested in Auckland and in this particular site? Frank Xu (FX): Our director is a long-term developer in Shanghai but his family has been in Auckland for nearly 20 years so he knows the city very well. So, once the company decided to focus its business here, in Auckland and in New Zealand, the strategy was on premiere locations. Is your business model one of ‘build and sell’ or ‘build and hold’? FX: It is a combination. We don’t want just to flip land. We want to be a long-term and high-end developer. We normally buy the land, then we engage the best consultants available and then we design it and build it. We have the brand San He Yuan Hotels in Shanghai – that’s our…

MELANIE MCDAID Writer Melanie McDaid is the founder of Sloane & Peach. Alongside managing her cross-disciplinary firm, Melanie writes for leading industry publications and advocates on flexible working. For this issue, she wrote about Qb Studios Christchurch (page 56). What interested you most about Qb Studios Christchurch? The increasing provision of curated and shared workspaces is interesting to me. The rise in what seems to be a more project-based, nomadic, highly individualised working culture (particularly in urban environments) makes me curious about the spaces we design for these transforming working practices. Tell us about your advocating for flexible working conditions at your own firm, Sloane & Peach. I love the idea that our lives and leisure can be integrated with our working lives. I think Ian Sohn, president of the…

Winner Best Café Design Designer Studio Esteta Location Mont Albert, Victoria Jury comment — There are a lot of bold choices in the design of Via Porta, a café and deli in Mont Albert, an eastern suburb of Melbourne. Yet, the result is a space that is inviting above all else. “It’s the kind of place you could really settle into,” one juror said. Meant to evoke the narrow alleyways of Italy, the floor is paved in stone offcuts procured from various suppliers and painstakingly fitted to create a unique and textured warmth. The sandy stones set the tone for the space’s lovely earth-hued palette, creating a feel that is tactile and intimate. There are materials employed here that are uncommon in contemporary interior design, such as the thick glass…

Winner Best Hotel Design Designer Multiplicity Location Port Fairy, Victoria Jury comment — Drift House is a boutique hotel in Victoria’s Port Fairy whose design impressed the jurors with its intimacy, its emphasis on pared-down, natural materials and its striking sense of place. Encompassing a double-storeyed Victorian bluestone house, an adjacent single-storeyed Edwardian home, and a newly built garden pavilion and reception centre, the project uses reclaimed wood and stone from a local quarry to create a subtle sense of luxury, which also reflects the town’s hardscrabble history. Communal spaces are cleverly designed to be adaptable, transforming from dining room to lounge area to event space. These spaces invite a sense of home and camaraderie that’s rare in any hotel setting, encouraging guests to intermingle or retreat to the secluded…

This appliance selection of fully integrated and black appliances is perfect for a clean, minimal aesthetic – ideal for both compact spaces and larger, open-plan living areas. The selection of Fisher & Paykel’s integrated appliances offers true design freedom, backed up by high performance and functionality. Fitting flush with your cabinetry to create consistent break lines and a seamless finish, the appliances can be customised to suit any kitchen design or cabinetry style. In response to demand from the design community, Fisher & Paykel created the Minimal Style to be as discreet as possible, removing accents and trim. This almost allows the appliances to disappear into a kitchen, if required, or to coordinate perfectly with other materials, accents and colours used in the overall design. Complemented by a range of…

Interior magazine’s editor, Federico Monsalve, has been tasked with helping judge the awards at the Inside World Festival of Interiors, scheduled to take place in Amsterdam during the first week of December 2019. The event forms part of the World Architecture Festival and consists of conferences and an awards programme aimed at selecting winners in nine categories (eight commercial and one residential). “The personal connections and lessons from the event will be invaluable, both to understand the New Zealand context better through a global lens and to continue to improve our own Interior Awards programme,” said Monsalve. “It is a great opportunity and a privilege to help judge some of the most exemplary built projects from around the globe.” Twenty New Zealand projects have been selected as finalists at the…

Once the headquarters for Wattyl paints, this robust 1967 building in Newton, Auckland, is now the studio for JKW – an interior architecture and design firm – where the team of seven considers paint but also so much more. “Often, interior design is pushed to the side as ‘fluff’– just the curtains and colours – but, if interiors are integrated with the architecture from very early on, how much better is that?” asks director and designer Janice Kumar-Ward. When Janice, her husband Julian and another couple bought the mixed-use building four years ago, it was an opportunity to showcase this in action. Original steel windows and doors were restored, asbestos floor tiles removed and a suspended ceiling, coated in yet more asbestos, taken down to reveal a ribbed concrete subfloor.…

Winner Best Bar Design Designer The Stella Collective Location Mulwala, New South Wales Jury comment — There is a beautiful simplicity to the design of Blacksmith in Mulwala, New South Wales, and a sophistication that is all the more exciting given the venue’s regional location. The proportions of the indoor/outdoor space are well controlled, with the palette and materials showing incredible restraint and elegance. This restraint allows the few pops of whimsy to have greater impact: vintage-style pink patio umbrellas might be lost in a busier design but, here, they evoke 1970s’ Southern California, without devolving into cliché. There’s a flexibility to the multiple spaces and configurations that is quite clever, and the designers specifically worked to create a plan that might easily expand as the business grows. It is…

Winner Best Retail Design Designer Hecker Guthrie Location Collingwood, Victoria Jury comment — The Collingwood outpost of popular gelato shop Piccolina showcases an approach that makes wonderful use of the raw materials with which the designers were presented. Elements of the historic building were defining factors for the overall design of the project: original interior brickwork was exposed, as well as layers of light green, cream and brown paint, which became the inspiration for the colour palette of the shop. Original terrazzo floors and a pressed metal ceiling were also restored, giving the space an authentic vintage feel, while clean lines in the gelato counter, seating and signage modernise the space. The result is understated but beautiful, and evokes Southern Italy – a specific request of the client – without…

What is the purpose of the apothecary? Our inspiration did not come from the fictional world of humans. The apothecary primarily provides a fantastical front for the story destination. We wanted to create an immersive theatrical experience for all of our customers and provide excellent customer service for magical beings and the odd human. We created the Apothecary to the Magical, where immortals and beings of the magical persuasion can purchase all their ready-made ingredients and potions, including Extract of Genius, Success Stimulant, and Human Blood, Sweat, and Tears. How does the writing centre differ from the storefront? This is a place where young people experiencing chaos or disruption in their lives can shake off the experiences that block their imaginations and obstruct learning. By the time young people arrive…

Where are you eating? Kylie Willett (KW): Baby for coffee and Modicum for lunch – Jenny makes the most amazing banana loaf, sandwiches and wraps. For dinner, it’s always Japanese. You will find us at either Tanpopo eating ramen or, just down the road from our house, surrounded by sashimi, aburi salmon and sake at Auckland’s best-kept secret, Icco Sake Bar. What are you listening to? Borijan Milic (BM): A mix of genres, from electronic to jazz. Some artists that I like are Tourist, Pnau and Four Tet’s back-catalogue. When I’m in the car, I listen to audio books at 1.75 speed. Recently, I’ve been listening to The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. What are you reading? KW: Boz (Borijan) bought me Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk for my…