We like: Gisborne's PAULNACHE gallery

Gisborne's PAULNACHE gallery proves that you don't have to live in one of the main centres to enjoy regular visits to top-notch dealer galleries. Matthew Nache (below left) and Gene Paul set up PAULNACHE over five years ago, and now boast a roster of artists that includes Joanna Langford, Ben Pearce, John Walsh, Robert Jahnke, James Ormsby and Dion Hitchens. Many of the artists have connections to the East Coast themselves, so their presence on the walls of this gallery makes even more sense. Check it out if you're passing through the first city of the sun this summer. The photograph is by Paul McCredie.

We like: Dunedin's Modern Miss Vintage Clothing

There are many good reasons to visit Dunedin. One of them is Modern Miss Vintage Clothing, the store run by Violet Faigan (below) at 21 Moray Place. Violet's impeccable eye and excellent connections have resulted in an ever-changing collection of vintage gems that has won her fans from the fashion and art crowds from all over the country. So when you're in Dunedin, be sure to go and browse. The photograph is by Graham Warman. You can also sign up on Modern Miss' Facebook page.

We like: Garth Chester chairs

We are excited to feature these chairs (designed by Garth Chester) in a photo shoot tomorrow, they will appear in the Feb/March issue of HOME New Zealand magazine - our art-focused issue. They are part of the Douglas Lloyd Jenkins collection, to be auctioned at Art+Object auction house on Thursday 24th February 2011. We've borrowed a few other goodies to shoot as well, so look out for it in our first issue next year (which is on sale on February 7)!

See the Art + Object blog here.

We like: Sunday Painters restaurant

You just can't help but love Sunday Painters restaurant in Auckland's Ponsonby, which featured in our October issue. It opened earlier this year, complete with a whimsical interior that features a mural by James Kirkwood, one of the restaurant's owners. (We should add at this point that the French-style food is very good, too, as is the service).


The name Sunday Painters comes from the occasional dinners James and his co-owners Esther Lamb and Isobel Thom liked to throw for their art-school friends in RSA Halls around Auckland. The old halls didn't allow for decorative schemes as lavish as this.

Among the Cubist artworks on the walls are these plates, made and hand-painted by Isobel, an artist who also runs the Sunday Painters kitchen. We've always been suckers for a bit of Willow pattern, and think Isobel's take on it is fantastic.

The restaurant is at 185 Ponsonby Road - we highly recommend you visit, but book beforehand as it has been very popular. The number is 09 360 2001. These photographs are by Patrick Reynolds.

We like: Home Work (subscribe to HOME and get a free copy)

We like Home Work, a new book that invites readers inside the homes of twenty New Zealand architects - the rules being that the architects must have designed their homes themselves and still be living in them.

It's a fantastically eclectic selection of houses, from 1950s classics to contemporary extravaganzas such as Neville Price's Northland home on the cover. (We've run an excerpt from the book about Tony Watkins' house at Auckland's Karaka Bay in our current issue).

The photographs, we're proud to say, are by HOME New Zealand contributor Patrick Reynolds, with erudite text and informative interviews with the architects by John Walsh, editor of Architecture NZ.

The good news is that if you subscribe now (or renew your subscription) to HOME New Zealand, you'll get a copy of Home Work (worth $75) absolutely free. You can do so by visiting www.magshop.co.nz/home. An ideal Christmas gift, we suggest? You can give somebody a subscription and keep Home Work for yourself...

We like: Federal & Wolfe cafe

One of our favourite new Auckland cafes is Federal & Wolfe, which features in the 'Greenhome' section of our current issue. We like their focus on organic produce and the 'gate to plate' philosophy of the menu of chef Holly Shaw (below left, pictured with Johnny Potiki Hartnett and Jeremy Turner in a photograph by Todd Eyre).

As well as the food, we like Federal & Wolfe's easy-going approach to interiors, which involved ripping out some of the old fittings of the previous occupant (a restaurant named Rice) and replacing them with a very casual mixture of trestles, benches and old chairs. Those in the food biz will also know Jeremy Turner as the co-owner of Parnell's Cibo restaurant, a job he's still doing along with overseeing Federal & Wolfe.

Federal & Wolfe is, as the name suggests, on the corner of Federal & Wolfe Streets (one block back from the lower end of Albert Street in the central city). It is open weekdays from 7am to 3pm, and NOT weekends as our article erroneously states (for which we offer our apologies).

We like: Brian Brake's book

One of our favourite Christmas gift ideas this year is a new book from Te Papa Press featuring the work of the late photographer Brian Brake.

Brake explored the world as a star contributor to LIFE, National Geographic, Paris Match and other publications in the golden age of photo magazines from the 1950 (his 'Monsoon' series, an image from which is featured below, became perhaps his best-known works); later, his images showed New Zealanders a dazzling, cinematic version of their country. His world-wide success (including his acceptance into the renowned Magnum agency) made him a household name at home, and to some extent, a tall poppy. The book has an accompanying exhibition is at Te Papa that runs until May 8, 2011.

Our only (very minor) quibble with the book is that it doesn't show images of Brake's very well-known house in the bush in west Auckland, designed by architect Ron Sang. We were lucky enough to have our Home of the Decade award announcement at the house in 2005. It's a magical box that appears to float over the surrounding greenery while the city glimmers in the distance. Its owners at the time had great respect for the home's pedigree, and had kept it in impeccable condition (they have since sold the house to new owners).

These photographs of the house were taken by Becky Nunes. The view here is from the home's tatami room, looking over the magnolia branches to the main deck and living area. It's a significant New Zealand house and was a homecoming of sorts for Brake, as it was the place he settled back in New Zealand after many years abroad.