RIP Sir Ian Athfield

It was with sadness to hear this morning that renowned Wellington architect, Sir Ian Athfield  (affectionately known as 'Ath') has passed away. He was 74 and recently knighted in the New Years Honours for his work in architecture. Over the last 40 years his architecture firm, Athfield Architects has re-shaped Wellington and other parts of New Zealand. 
The Wellington City Library, the Civic Square development, Chews Lane and the recent redevelopment of the former Overseas Passenger Terminal, now called Clyde Quay, are just a few of the significant projects that have made their mark in Wellington.
My experience with Ath is sitting with him having lunches at his Khandallah home when I worked with his wife, interior designer Clare Athfield, not long after I graduated from design school. He was down to earth and entertaining. While being such an important figure in our industry, he never took himself seriously and always had a twinkle in his eye.
His controversial home and office in Khandallah, a white plastered, Mediterranean style village studded with turrets and circular windows was declared by Ath as one of his most important works. The building is also especially significant to me and my siblings as it was here at a party that my parents met each other and went on to get married three months later.
RIP Ath - a huge loss for New Zealand and the Wellington architectural community.

 

 

 

 

 Photographs via Athfield Architects.

Loretta, Wellington

Congratulations to Wellington eatery, Loretta for being named Urbis Best Restaurant Interior 2014. Since Loretta opened in May last year, I have eaten there often and enjoy the space very much - I think it's something to do with all the lovely pale timber! It was also selected last year by Vogue as a place to visit in the capital city - what a couple of great recognitions!
The interior, like its food, is clean  and honest as well as relaxed and casual. The client, the successful team behind Floriditas, worked with Parsonson Architects (who conveniently have an office above the eatery) and were inspired by California's mid century architecture, specifically Schaffer House by John Lautner which appeared in the 2009 movie, A Single Man. They were also keen to focus on the natural and earthy pottery by Paul Melser, which is on display along the northern wall as well as the crockery the diners eat from. Read more about Loretta and the successful design process here.

Photographs by Jeff Brass.

Welcome 2015

 

Walking at Red Rocks Nature Reserve, Wellington

Good morning and Happy New Year to you all! I hope this finds you in top form after Christmas & New Year celebrations - and that your break has been fun and relaxing as mine.
Welcome 2015 - it's great to have you here and I am looking forward to the exciting adventures that will follow.
Charlotte Minty Interior Design will be back in office on the 12th - for now I am enjoying the last few days of my break which has been full of blue skies, family and friends. See you soon!

Skipping stones in Napier

Attending a wedding at Tarureka Estate, Wairarapa

Visiting a private garden in the Wairarapa

All photos by Charlotte Minty.

Colour and Pattern

It's always lovely to see a job completed and here are some details from a family home that was done today.
We had a great mix of colour and pattern coming together with the fabrics on the furniture, drapes, light shades and cushions in this family room beside the new kitchen. We also finished off the mainly white kitchen with these cool IMO Baker stools in black. Looking smart!

Photographs by Charlotte Minty.

Hexagon Marble Tiles

I visited a client's house this morning and it was great to see the Carrara marble hexagon tiles that we chose for the kitchen splash-back installed and looking amazing.
Photograph by Charlotte Minty.

Odette's Eatery, Auckland

Spotted this morning on Home NZ is this chic new restaurant called Odette's Eatery, located at the popular CityWorks Depot, a creative hospitality hub in Auckland.
A design collaboration between the seasoned restaurant owners and the team from Cheshire Architects, the result is a warm, beautiful and easy going interior. Read the interview with Clare van Den Berg here to find out how these stunning spaces came about.

Photographs via Home New Zealand.

HAY and Comwell Hotel

Here is an extraordinary design collaboration that was brought to my attention recently - in this case, it's between a hotel and a furniture brand.
Welcome to Comwell Aarhus, a hotel in Denmark whose interiors were fully designed by the internationally renowned furniture and interior manufacturer, HAY. This successful Danish design house had their hand in creating everything from the carpet and wallpaper right through to furnishing all the rooms with their well known furniture and accessories to make the Comwell Aarhus truly unique - a classic Danish design with a modern twist. I wonder if visitors who stay here try to steal anything...how tempting!