STYLE CITY : AUCKLAND

[SYDNEY]

A thread to showcase local talent that are having a major influence, both locally and Internationally, on Auckland. Personally I have noticed a huge leap in design over the past few months and we can now compete with the best of the best.

SIX BARREL SODA CO.

This is a NZ boutique soda brand, Six Barrel Soda Co., whose name, labels and packaging, cafe interior - every element of the brand - was designed by Common Goods and the photos here are from Urbis, by Jason Aldous

Local Stockists:

Flotsam & Jetsam (Retail)
86 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
www.flotsamandjetsam.co.nz/

Little & Friday
12 Melrose Street, Newmarket
43c Eversleigh Road, Belmont
www.littleandfriday.com

Mojo Garage
110 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket
Auckland
www.mojocoffee.co.nz

[SYDNEY]

FRED L'AMI

Responsible for Kiwi Company - ICEBREAKER - campaign.

[SYDNEY]

DEPOT

Fast becoming a favourite for International celebrities and winning restaurant of the year .....

"We would like to join the chorus of approval for Al Brown's Depot in Auckland's Federal Street. The pleasingly rustic interior, designed by Charlie Nott, feels as if it has always been there; the food is easy-going and excellent, and the service impeccable. These photographs are by Florence Noble. We wish the eatery was a bit closer to work, as we'd go there even more often."

[SYDNEY]

WAIHEKE ISLAND HOLIDAY HOME

The Waiheke Island house by Fearon Hay Architects (photographed by Patrick Reynolds) creates a powerful paradox between a camping experience, with all the outdoors roughness it implies, and the luxurious elegance of a holiday home, to resolve it in a striking chef-d’oeuvre. At first sight, to reach for tent and camping metaphors in an expensive holiday home seems to flirt with absurdity. But here, the house and the environment enhance themselves in beautiful contrasts. If you set the luxury trappings aside, there is still something fundamentally camp-like about the experience of being in the home. In the living pavilion, light flows freely through the space thanks to the fixed floor-to-ceiling panel windows that make up an entire wall. On the other side, glass doors open to blur the space with the lawn outside.

[SYDNEY]

PIHA BEACH HOUSE | HOME OF THE YEAR 2012

South African immigrants designed this beauty Our Home of the Year 2012 by Herbst Architects, a marvellous structure amid a pohutukawa grove at Piha. The photographs are by Patrick Reynolds

[SYDNEY]

Annual Design Award Winner

Congratulations to Phil Cuttance, whose 'Faceture' vases are the winner of our 2012 Design Awards. The awards recognise excellence in New Zealand furniture and homeware design. This year's judge, Christian Rasmussen of Denmark's Fritz Hansen, praised Phil's creations for the way they blur the boundaries between digital and hand-made objects by creating an interplay between craftsmanship and technology. "They feel like something special that I haven't seen before," Christian said when he examined the vases on a recent visit to Auckland. The vases are made from water-based resin using a polypropylene mould. You can see Phil make them on a machine he created in the short film below.

[SYDNEY]

Auckland Art gallery wins global design award

image hosted on flickr

03 SEP 11 15°C by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr

The Auckland Art Gallery has taken out another prestigious design award - the first time a New Zealand building has won. The newly developed gallery won The Royal Institute of British Architects International Award for Architectural Excellence. The awards are given to only 12 buildings annually and recognise some of the world's most imaginative, dramatic and eco-friendly buildings. Other winners this year include the world's tallest building, the Guangzhou Finance Centre. From this round of winners, a visiting jury will select the winner of the prestigious Lubetkin Prize. "We set out to develop a world class gallery and FJMT+Archimedia's elegant and considered design has been instrumental to achieving that goal," gallery director Chris Saines said.

"Judged on the response of the near 600,000 visitors to date, this heritage restored and expanded building has become a flag-bearer for the city's architectural and urban design future." The development of the gallery was commissioned and project managed by Auckland Council and included a series of emblematic, sculpted tree-like canopies cut from massive Kauri trees that enclose the forecourt, atrium and gallery areas. The award comes within a month of the gallery also winning the supreme award, the New Zealand Architecture Medal, at the New Zealand Architecture Awards and the highest accolade as the country's top commercial property development for 2012 at the annual Property Industry Awards.

[SYDNEY]

Air New Zealand Clothes Hangar

Project name: Air New Zealand ‘Clothes Hangar’
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Client: Air New Zealand

Design Team:
Clark Pritchard – Design Director Gascoigne Associates
Theresa Ricacho – Designer Gascoigne Associates

Design Firm:
Gascoigne Associates Ltd who consulted with Saatchi Design Worldwide to ensure tie in with ‘the common thread’ sub-brand idea and on the design of the wall decals, wallpaper and ‘pictures’.

[IThomas]

Great idea open this thread. Was missing this genre

[RHarris]

Yes great idea. A showcase of whats great in the city. Easy to not know about some of the great things here.

[RHarris]

I always thought we should have a design district in Newton similar to whats in Helsinki. Another creative hub. Good design is underappreciated.

[drosophila]

Is that airnz place for staff to get their uniforms?

[IThomas]

Originally Posted by RHarris

I always thought we should have a design district in Newton similar to whats in Helsinki. Another creative hub. Good design is underappreciated.

It would be nice to have a BIG FASHION DISTRICT, with a concentration of all the international brands + NZ famous brands. The neighborhood, from the urban point of view, should be designed so chic, and include street furniture, sculptures, and everything I need, with a modern, metropolitan, tech, cutting edge and unique. In short, must leave a mark. It may also become a popular place and immediately recognizable to foreign eyes. Furthermore, the outer areas, shall be designed and organized so as to accommodate temporaneee exhibitions of contemporary art. Surround, beautiful and amazing lights at night.

[drosophila]

I think in many ways Britomart is becoming Auckland's chic quarter for fashion, if the planned conversion of all the streets in the area to shared spaces takes place it will start feeling very European which will be great. High Street is starting to feel tired, in part because of the botched street upgrade a few years ago which consisted of repaving the already narrow footpaths. The only way to recussitate this area is to pedestrianise the whole area to create a point of difference.

[IThomas]

I believe that it will take many more fashion stores, and also much courage to have a design much more appealing and in line with what I said before ... However I think it's a good beginning, that of Britomart, mainly because it is located in the CBD

[Bealzebubbles]

High Street will be amazing when it is pedestrianised. I also think that all shop frontages that are recessed should be brought forward to the existing line of the street. This would constrain the street and make it look a lot smarter.

[SYDNEY]

Stoked that you all like this - there is so much great talent in NZ ... It looks as if high Street is going to get the "shared space" treatment .... definitely the wrong move imho - I can't stand them (only because the cars don't obey the rules and I hate having a car on my heels).

We already have a precinct for local fashion designers (Osborne and Teed Street in Newmarket have art works, street furniture etc.). Nuffield Street is also a fantastic High Street with a great mix. Britomart is definitely downtown's answer to Osborne Street.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by RHarris

I always thought we should have a design district in Newton similar to whats in Helsinki. Another creative hub. Good design is underappreciated.

A design district is taking shape in Newton, around the St Benedicts Street area. The problem is that we have many design districts but they are scattered all across the city. It would be ideal if they could all consolidate into one area

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by drosophila

Is that airnz place for staff to get their uniforms?

Yeah it is

[KLK]

Originally Posted by drosophila

I think in many ways Britomart is becoming Auckland's chic quarter for fashion, if the planned conversion of all the streets in the area to shared spaces takes place it will start feeling very European which will be great.

Conversion to shared spaces is the only thing holding Britomart back. Otherwise, its brilliant. Was down there recently at a little laneway off the side - seriously cool couple of bars there.

Is the shared spaces plan set in stone?