Tag Archives: Design

Herbsts rule

Written by . published on February 18, 2012. Filed under Blog post, Magazine article. Tagged , , , , , , . No comments.
Herbst-Architects-Timms-Bach-4

A couple of stories I wrote on that great kiwi institution, the bach, have been posted on the Australian Design Review site, including one from my favourite practice, Herbst Architects. They have a way of recreating the camping experience — setting up a half-in, half-out adaptable group of spaces with lots of air and natural light, all arranged around the food prep area (an obvious priority) — that reminds me of all the holidays my family took in our mustard-orange 1960s VW Combi in South Africa when I was little. More….

On the cover…

Written by . published on February 5, 2012. Filed under Blog post. Tagged , , , , , , . No comments.
HOME cover Feb 2012

Out this week, HOME magazine’s art issue. The cover story is the first from the European trip I did at the end of last year with Emily Andrews, and features a house in France belonging to the former Auckland art dealer Anna Bibby. Also inside, the Brooklyn apartment contemporary artist Martin Basher and his partner, the TV producer Martha Jeffries, have made their home. Stay posted for more stories from the trip over the next few months….

The magazine is on newstands Monday the 6th February. BOOM.

Low-fi goodness

Written by . published on December 8, 2011. Filed under Blog post. Tagged , , . No comments.
PO18830

London: Last week I met up with the talented and hilariously deadpan Phil Cuttance in his Kentish Town workshop. Emily Andrews photographed him with his new range of Faceture vases, and the hand-made roto-molding machine he’s taking to Milan as a street installation. You can see a short film of the process, here, and more of Emily’s pics of Phil after the jump. More….

Written by . published on November 29, 2011. Filed under Blog post. Tagged , , , . No comments.
Friel

South London-based Helen Friel had to create a new job description for what she does. The term “paper engineer” sounds surreal; against the images of heavy duty machinery and algorithms the word “engineer” conjures up, paper is a contradictorily throwaway presence. However, Friel’s craft-based design process, where she cuts and assembles paper to create inventive images for Tatler and Vanity Fair, and a range of commercial clients, is pretty straightforward.

More….

The Vitrine

Written by . published on May 17, 2011. Filed under Blog post. Tagged , , . No comments.
vitrine

The Vitrine is the work of New Zealander Amanda Spiers and Julien Thery, who developed his savvy ways with furniture restoration at the Paris flea markets. The two are importing antique and industrial chairs, tables and lighting, mostly sourced in France, Belgium and England, through Julien’s contacts, and selling them at their rambling, atmospheric warehouse space hidden around the back of Auckland’s Great North Road. More….

Well, that’s the last time they ask for my opinion…

Written by . published on April 18, 2011. Filed under Blog post, Magazine article, Web article. Tagged , , , , . No comments.

A rambling column written on deadline and captured for posterity in print and now online. This is what happens when you have too little time, an open brief and too many ideas jostling for attention, and end up overshooting your word quota by oh, about 1,000.

Idealog

Written by . published on March 21, 2011. Filed under Blog post, Web article. Tagged , , , , , . No comments.
Idealog

A couple of links here from my recent stint covering the deputy editor’s job on Idealog magazine.

First, a short feature on John Gow, a very cool philanthropist doing great things with public art. And secondly, the story of Nathan Goldsworthy’s recent re-brand and his new self-assembled furniture, including The Adjutant desk, which will feature in my dream study, once I can afford it. Once I can afford a study, actually.

Regarding working in an office again, despite my fears about returning to a 9-5 routine after a year of early mornings and weekend work — and 3pm breaks for a swim or a nap, in case I’m misrepresenting the freelance lifestyle in any way — it was pretty invigorating to be part of a highly creative, and often also highly amusing, team again. Big ups to the new art director, Charlie McKay (ex-Metro), whose hilarious re-takes on cover lines caused me to accidentally snort-drink my coffee on more than one occasion. (Would Liz Lemon called that “sninking”? I’d like to think so.)

Make Something

Written by . published on December 10, 2010. Filed under Web article. Tagged , . No comments.
web

Indesignlive is running a short piece I wrote on the recent Make Something exhibition in Auckland.

New site for ProDesign

Written by . published on October 22, 2010. Filed under Blog post, Web article. Tagged , , . No comments.
web

Great to see the new ProDesign website up and running – and that they’ve got one of my New York stories, here.

Down to business

Written by . published on October 21, 2010. Filed under Blog post. Tagged , , . No comments.
favourite cards - web

These are my favourite bits and pieces of printed cards – plus a menu and bar of soap – gathered while on the road. Business cards caused me a few headaches in the States. First, I forgot to take mine. More….