Design Awards 2012 - the finalists

We're delighted to reveal the finalists in our 8th annual furniture and homeware Design Awards. The winner has been selected by our very glamorous judge, Christian Rasmussen of Denmark's Fritz Hansen (who was in New Zealand recently), and will be revealed in our June/July issue, which is on newsstands from Monday June 4. All the photographs are by Toaki Okano, styled by Alicia Menzies and Juliette Wanty. 

Here are the finalists, in no particular order. First, London-based New Zealand designer Jason Whiteley's 'Studio' chairs for Resident, made from blockboard wood sheets (created from the waste of other industrial timber processes).

Next, David Moreland's 'Pendant 45' light, made of spun aluminium and spun copper. 

Emma Hayes designed the 'River' print and fashioned it into silk throws, cushions and pillowcases for her firm MM Collections. 

London-based Phil Cuttance's 'Faceture' vases are made from water-based resin in a polypropylene mould, using a machine Phil made himself. Also in this shot is Design Awards 2012 finalist Holly Beals' 'Gallons' table. 

Nathaniel Cheshire's 'Oud' lamp for Resident is a homage to JJP Oud's 1928 Piano lamp, as well as incorporating references to Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion and OMA's CCTV Tower. 

Two-time Design Awards winner Jamie McLellan's 'Spar' floor lamp for Resident was designed as a contemporary alternative to Achille Castiglioni's 'Arco' light in the way it cantilevers illumination into the centre of a space.

Tim Webber's 'Y' stools are elegant combinations of wood and powder-coated, primary-coloured steel. 

Our lineup of Design Awards finalists appears to grow more impressive every year, a vote of confidence not only in the increasing appreciation for local design here in New Zealand, but the ingenuity of our designers in creating export-ready objects. Our congratulations to all the designers whose work appears in our June/July Design Awards issue. We look forward to revealing the winner to you on June 4.

We like: Cafe Hanoi

We're big fans of Auckland's Cafe Hanoi, not only for its fantastic Vietnamese street-style food, but for the beautiful interior of the building the restaurant occupies in Auckland's Britomart Quarter. When you consider the disrespect Auckland has generally had for its old buildings, it's a delight to see a 130-year-old warehouse as cleverly refurbished as this. The restaurant is featured in our current issue of the magazine. These images are from Jeremy Toth's shoot.


Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects wanted to preserve the integrity of the existing structure and the layers of history it contained. So paint was scraped back and left exposed, while the room was fitted out with paper lanterns and red-painted, reupholstered vintage chairs.


Cafe Hanoi is one of those rare restaurants where, if the need arises, you can feel very comfortable dining alone, especially if you sit at the bar with its view of the kitchen.


As the restaurant doesn't take reservations in the evening (apart from large groups - it does take lunch reservations), the bar is also the place to wait at for a table. You never have to wait for long, and the view of the bustling, beautifully decorated room makes the time seem to pass quickly anyway. We suggest you visit as soon as you can.

Our cover house - outtakes

Now's a good time to show you some of the outtakes from the art-filled Auckland penthouse on our February/March 'Art Houses' cover. As usual, there were a number of great shots by Jeremy Toth that we couldn't fit into our layouts, so it's our pleasure to show them (and the artworks they show) here. The owners of the penthouse are generous philanthropists in the art world and, as you'll see here, have a remarkable collection of their own.

In this shot, photographs by Tacita Dean at left, and a sculpture by London-based New Zealand sculptor Francis Upritchard at right.

Below this work by Gordon Walters is a table designed by Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects (who also designed the penthouse space as a whole) that appears to miraculously float, thanks to the support structure cleverly concealed within it. The bowl is by Gavin Chilcott:

Here's a view of the hearth that Nat designed that we didn't get to show in its full glory in the layout, a faceted concrete creation. The artwork is by Andy Warhol.

Here's a view of the main living space, with its clerestory window, loggia with leafy views, and an artwork by Richard Killeen in the top right of the picture (the orange work at left is by James Ross):

In the guest bedroom, a chair by Donald Judd and an artwork by Gordon Walters:

The main entrance (guests arrive in the elevator) features a neon work by Martin Creed and artworks by Tacita Dean:

And finally, this glimpse to the bathroom from the master bedroom shows two works by Gretchen Albrecht: the canvas at right, and a mosaic she designed for the bathroom: