Table of contents for URBIS_88_201510 in Urbis

THE GREY TONES of winter skies are slowly being replaced by blue and yellow hues, as well as springtime morning mists. Even local produce seems to be shedding its deep-green winter sameness and emerging with colourful vitality. Tangelos, yams, rhubarb and all manner of berries come into season during these months. To coincide with that explosion of vibrant food, this issue focuses on all things kitchen-related. From well-considered storage spaces to desirable islands, from imaginative use of colour to materials we find alluring… we consulted and critiqued to find out what turns a kitchen into a contemporary expression of individuality in this food and design-centric era. Likewise, we turn our attention to another hard working room: the bathroom. This once-hidden space has gone from utilitarian (with certain Victorian moral undertones)…

KITCHEN KULTURE Gestalten, $110 The excellent preface for this book recalls the time when Nikita Khruschev and Richard Nixon inaugurated an exhibition in Moscow by posturing in front of a mock, American suburban kitchen. What became known as the “Kitchen Debate” (1959) is remembered as a reflection of the two countries relations at the time. “Kitchens mirror the societies they were built in like no other space in a household,” claims the author. It is hard to argue with that statement. As such, this book tours contemporary kitchens (mainly in Europe and North America) while getting a glimpse at the state of the local foodie cultures they inhabit. It is a deliciously well photographed and curated serving of cooking spaces and products. It delves into all manner of elements (kitchenware,…

URBIS: How was the process of filming Grand Designs? CHRIS MOLLER: It’s been a big learning curve, but everyone has been so incredibly wonderful and supportive dealing with my total lack of experience. I’ve learnt to laugh at myself in new ways and I guess everyone who watches will have a laugh, too. It’s also been a roller coaster of discovery, I feel like I’ve come across a parallel universe – diving into the world of television, getting to know so many different people from all walks of life across the country, people realising their dream homes, builders, architects, and sub contractors, and then of course there are the incredible film crews, the soundies, camera guys and gals, directors, editors, producers, and all their support staff. I feel immensely fortunate…

FOLLOWING THE TREND of an American initiative in the 1960s, which created entire estates of modernist housing in California, Merchant Builders introduced architecturally designed project homes to Victoria. These were modernist homes that related to the Australian lifestyle and landscape, and they are still revered today in the Melbourne real-estate market. The house pictured on these pages is a Merchant Builders home built in the 1980s, but over the years it had seen some action and had fallen into disrepair. Despite this, interior designer Fiona Lynch was adamant the owners should keep the beautiful, curved bones of the existing house and go for a renovation. “Sometimes it is good to work with what you have, rather than starting from scratch, and the homeowners had fallen in love with the curved…

RUSSELL KLEYN A frequent contributor to Urbis, Russell photographed foodie Unna Burch, featured on page 44. Unna’s got chooks, beehives, organic veggies… do you aspire to that sort of out-in-the-countryside lifestyle, or are you a city dweller at heart? I will probably end up on a bit of land out of town, I hope sooner rather than later. You just have to look back one generation to see where the fun is being had… they’re all in their gardens! My dad is enjoying a second career as a garden designer and walled garden restorer in the UK. My feeling is that if we city dwellers embraced the countryside and regional areas earlier in life, New Zealand would become a happier and more balanced country. DANNY HERBERT Danny is Urbis’ main…

URBIS: What took you to the other side of the Tasman? GEORGE HARPER: I spent a few years in England in the mid-late 90s and Melbourne was an extension of that ‘overseas experience’. I never quite made it back to New Zealand. U: What are your favourite timbers? GH: American oak for its strength, pronounced grain, colour and suitability for staining. Tasmanian oak because it’s nice to have a local timber in the mix and the lineal straight grain really suits some pieces such as our new Tana Shelf. American walnut because it is such a classic. U: Who is the target audience for your designs? GH: We’ll always be a niche brand, however I think our furniture does have a broad appeal because we strive to make beautiful furniture…

AESTHETIC INDULGENCE We turn our attention to epicurean and gourmet delights in this issue – sharing new venues for food and drink, and exploring finely designed objects and furniture for the kitchen. This image comes from Kitchen Kulture, an inspirational book, full of design-conscious kitchens from across the globe (page 18). Plate it up We’re not the only ones who love Felicity Donaldson’s handmade Wundaire pottery – Unna Burch (p.43) is a fan, and so are the folks at Auckland’s Dear Jervois café and Lyttleton’s Henry Trading. Donaldson uses traditional methods with a focus on slips, underglaze and pitfire techniques. wundaire.com MAISON & OBJET One of the stand-outs for us at Masion et Objet 2015 was this sculptural coffee table by Danish design company &tradition. The Palette Table combines the…

THE TWO-HOUR DRIVE FROM the owner’s Lower East Side home in New York to this holiday house in Connecticut takes you through farms delineated by rock walls that have been there, beside a sinuous dirt road, for hundreds of years. One must cross old wooden bridges above the Housatonic river and through open meadows, all of which change dramatically according to the season. “It has been the quintessential congregational village of the northeast,” says architect Joeb Moore, who was granted a 2015 Housing Award by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) for this project. He describes the region as “popular with the local intelligentsia of New York and Boston from the 30s to the 60s”. It was in this bucolic landscape that Moore was charged with building “a house that…

TAKE A LEFT off SH2, meander through a forest, swerve to avoid the odd chicken and you’ll arrive at Unna Burch’s Lower Hutt home. This sylvan setting makes perfect sense when you meet the food photographer, stylist and author of My Garden Kitchen, a cookbook based on the organic vegetables, honey and poultry from Burch’s property. “The view from every room is one of trees and native plants,” says Burch. “It fits perfectly with our ethos of living off the land as much as possible.” For her, that means growing veggies, keeping chooks and beehives. Future plans include building her own home and selling honey. It all sounds very Good Life, and it is. Burch, her husband Aaron, and their two children moved into the rented property five years ago,…

URBIS: You set up Studio 106 in 2009, is this your first foray into working for yourself? DION GOSLING: During my sporting career I did contract work for the flexibility it offered. That gave me the opportunity to work on a whole range of projects. There was a connection between sport and architecture initially. Then there was a transition to doing retail and a bit of commercial or office buildings relating to those sports-aligned organisations. Through those networks, the residential commissions started coming in. U: How would you define your architectural practice? DG: I wanted to create an environment that was really flexible. We’ve ended up with quite a flat organisational structure and, being small, we can work that way. It’s been positive for everyone’s interest, rather than getting stuck…

COLOUR BY NUMBERS “We love experimenting with tiles in our projects and try to feature them throughout all spaces. The introduction of an interesting shape, pattern or texture helps to layer the palette and bring a new dimension to each space. Even on a tight budget, something as simple as experimenting with the layout, while still using a simple tile, can transform a surface. Grout colour is crucial and can often be overlooked. A cleverly selected grout colour can add just as much interest as the tile itself.” Doherty Design Studio SOFT & SOOTHING “Our general palette includes natural materials – mostly timbers – and treating them really cleanly, keeping junctions simple. We use materials that are durable, but that may wear or age as a result of use. I…