When the longer nights and shorter days of winter finally descend, the thought of venturing out into the cold becomes just that much less appealing. Over the past year, we’ve all become acquainted with creating special moments at home, and the winter months are the perfect time to put this into practice once more — with a little help, of course.
‘At Home with Cloudy Bay’ is a curated and limited edition at-home experience, comprising kits designed to pique all five of the senses and enhance any planned time at home. Joining forces with four other, talented New Zealand makers, all the items in the ‘At Home with Cloudy Bay’ kits complement one another for a well-rounded offering. First and most importantly, each kit contains a bottle of Cloudy Bay’s iconic Sauvignon Blanc, and a bottle of balanced and lively Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir.
Two bespoke, mini dishes will visually enrich a platter. Created by Felicity Donaldson Smith of Greytown-based ceramic brand, Wundaire, these sweet vessels are a celebration of craftsmanship and are inspired by the Richmond Ranges in Marlborough.
‘At Home with Cloudy Bay’ kit.
And what are dishes for but to be filled with tasty morsels? Like the At Home kit’s Last Jar locally-made tomatoes and garlic in olive oil — irresistible when paired with crostini and a glass of Cloudy Bay.
Delight your ears with the sound of two Cloudy Bay wine glasses clinking “cheers” — a pair is included in every kit — and let the aromas of a custom-made dried floral arrangement by Mark Antonia Ltd. bring the winery’s Marlborough brand home, to your home. Top notes of apple blossom and saffron combine deliciously with vanilla orchid, blackcurrant and blackberry, with base notes of amber, patchouli and star anise.
Taking the overall sense of luxury yet another step further, two pairs of heavenly soft Ahi Pao cashmere socks are included, made on Waiheke Island from the finest cashmere yarn.
Whether bought as a gift to yourself, or for another lucky recipient, the ‘At Home with Cloudy Bay’ kits are filled with beautiful pieces that showcase the best of New Zealand. These kits have now sold out.
There’s been a flurry of culinary activity out east recently, we’ve noticed, and another recently-opened restaurant is adding to the increasingly superior offering for locals. Named Picco Eatery, this all-day venue is family owned and operated in Glendowie, with Mustafa Kokcu at the helm lending his years of hospitality experience to the venture.
Kokcu was the original founder of La Vista Cafe & Restaurant in St Heliers, he tells me, as well as various other eateries like the popular former eatery Greenhithe Cafe & Restaurant. For the past seven months, Picco has been his latest gastronomic adventure, offering homestyle cooking in a neighbourhood setting. His wife, Felicia, runs front of house along with his two children, making sure every diner in the 50 seat space is welcomed and looked after with aplomb.
Picco Eatery’s pan-fried Turkish sausage with egg.
Open six days a week, Picco’s breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes focus on family-oriented cooking with Turkish elements peppered throughout. To start the day, you’ll find classics like eggs on toast, granola and French toast, all served alongside Atomic Coffee. However, it’s the Sucuk (Turkish sausages) served with poached eggs and bread that we’re drawn to, or the vegetarian Kahvalti plate, comprising Turkish bread, mixed olives, feta cheese, jam and an egg cooked to your preferences.
For lunch, the grilled chicken or beef Picco Burger is sure to hit the spot, or perhaps Cajun chicken served on hummus with feta cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomato and a mint-flecked yoghurt sauce. Dinner is also a varied yet enticing affair, whether a hearty eye fillet dish is your go-to, or perhaps a vegetarian cannellini with spinach, ricotta and roasted tomato.
Picco’s beef burger.
For locals who are in the mood to eat at home but let someone else do the cooking, there is also a comprehensive takeaway pizza menu. Picco Eatery’s aim is to be a friendly local for those who crave simple yet delicious food inspired by comforting, homely flavours. Having received plenty of good feedback from satisfied diners so far, we’d say it’s well on its way.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 8am — 9pm Monday: Closed
From the very beginning, Mulberry has been a brand that stands for sustainable principles, supporting local industry and above all, longevity. Its first ever collections were made using the leather offcuts from a local factory, handcrafted around a kitchen table into a range of belts and chokers.
Indeed, in everything Mulberry does, an awareness of overarching impact seems to go hand-in-hand with a keen eye for beautiful design — the two ideas coexisting harmoniously in all of Mulberry’s coveted collections.
This year, the brand is celebrating a milestone. Fifty years of following a ‘made to last’ mantra has seen Mulberry solidify its position as one of Britain’s most covetable brands, and its handbags as some of the fashion world’s most admired. Now, the brand is turning its attention to the next 50, in order to ensure its sustainable legacy for generations to come.
Mulberry Top Handle Lily bag in Pink Tweed and Silky Calf.
Marking its half-century, Mulberry is releasing a series of limited-edition, Mulberry Editions collections throughout the year. The first of the series, ‘Icons Editions,’ was released at the beginning of this year and paid tribute to the legacy of some of Mulberry’s most influential creative decades, including Nicholas Knightly, Emma Hill and Johnny Coca. We will be watching with interest as more of these special releases drop over the course of 2021.
Not a brand to ever rest on its laurels, Mulberry will, of course, continue to focus on its mainline accessory collections, determined as ever to build on its reputation of sustainability and innovation.
For its Autumn Winter 2021 handbags, Mulberry combined long-awaited relaunches with elegant new silhouettes in a collection that felt appropriately joyful and celebratory.
Alongside the new Iris Hobo — a relaxed new addition to the brand’s Keystone Lock family — Mulberry made bold use of colour, resurrecting its vibrant, signature Mulberry Pink from the archives and placing it alongside a raft of new shades (Cambridge Green, Icy Pink, Apricot and Cloud).
From left: Mulberry Alexa bag in Cambridge Green; Mulberry Iris Hobo bag in Cloud.
Importantly, over 70 percent of Mulberry’s Autumn Winter 2021 collection was made using leather sourced from environmentally-rated tanneries (58 percent of which boasted gold standard ratings).
In addition, its Somerset factories — which are entirely carbon neutral and send zero waste to landfill — still see over 50 percent of Mulberry’s collections produced by a community of local craftspeople, a number of whom have been trained through the brand’s in-house apprenticeship programme.
While 2021 is an undeniably exciting year for Mulberry, the brand has made it clear that no matter how significant its achievements, it will continue to create collections according to its core principle, one that has underpinned all of its creations for fifty years — luxury that lasts.
Learning more about exactly where something comes from makes us appreciate it that much more, and the sentiment couldn’t be truer for honey. When you think about the fact that worker bees only produce about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime, or that, on one flight from the hive to collect honey, a honey bee will have to visit between 50 to 100 flowers, it’s pretty mind-blowing that this delicious, sweet nectar is so readily available to us.
Fostering this sense of connection and appreciation is a key part of Comvita’s newly opened Wellness Lab, a state-of-the-art, experiential retail space in Auckland’s CBD. As the global market leader in UMF Mānuka honey, Comvita is aiming to take guests on a unique, multi-sensory journey to give new depth to their understanding of honey, Mānuka and bees.
Visit the store, and not only will you be able to purchase Comvita’s exquisite honey, but you’ll be able to book a 30-minute tasting tour within the lab’s 180-degree theatre.
Hosted by beekeeper and bee-breeder Noelani Waters, the tour combines custom-designed audio-visual elements that have been designed according to neuroscience research to enhance the flavour experience and the perception of taste for the audience.
You’ll also be able to learn about Comvita’s new, limited-edition Special Reserve UMF™ 25+ (MGO 1200+) Mānuka Honey — an incredibly precious product that has been created from some of the world’s rarest honey.
Leading gastrophysicist and sensory science expert, Professor Charles Spence, was closely collaborated with for the project — previously, he has worked with Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck fame, and many other leading chefs, mixologists and perfumers.
In order to make sure every detail of the Wellness Lab experience is as enjoyable and customised as possible, collaborations with local New Zealand artisans and craftspeople were an integral part of the process; from the theatre chairs, to the tasting spoons.
With a goal for the Lab to become a destination and educational hub for customers, schools and more, Comvita is helping to broaden our understanding and reverence for Mānuka honey — a golden and precious substance that is so much more than a delicious spread.
Bali Nights' tropicana-inspired interior makes for a fun, casual meal.
Clockwise from bottom left: Indonesian style chicken and vegetable Risoles; Nasi Campur Bali; Iga Bakar grilled beef ribs; Bebek Tengil fried duck; Sate Ayam; Ikan Bakar Jimbaran whole snapper.
Bebek Tengil — Half fried duck, Sayur Plecing, Sayur Urap, fried tofu with Sambal Matah and rice.
“It’s cool being able to serve people the food we grew up with, that our parents cooked for us,” says Adriana Ferdian, one of the founders of new eatery Bali Nights. Having opened the doors to its vibrant space on Williamson Ave only three weeks ago, Bali Nights specialises in the punchy yet fresh flavours of Balinese street food — a delicious branch of Asian cuisine that is far from mainstream in New Zealand.
The team behind Bali Nights also operate popular Indonesian eatery It’s Java, located nearby in Vinegar Lane. A group of six (three couples), they all bring their different strengths to the business. Adriana takes care of the marketing, while her husband Bobby is a design whiz. Executive Chefs Wawan and Dana Darmawan both have 20 years of hospitality experience, and Zemmy and Yanti Wahyudi look after operations.
Iga Bakar — grilled beef ribs with Sambal Mangga.
Bali Nights’ tropicana-inspired interior is eye-catching, cheerful and casual, with hot pink, low stools and busily patterned table coverings designed by Bobby to evoke traditional Balinese Batik fabric. Bali itself has been struggling severely over the past year due to Covid, and so Adriana says they sourced much of the furniture and interior accoutrements directly from the island in order to help support the economy.
The menu is extensive and contains some dishes and spices that you will be familiar with from exposure to other Asian cuisines like Malaysian and Thai, plus a host of others that might be wholly new. The team likes it that way, explains Adriana. “We haven’t adapted any of our food to this market, we want this market to know how it is back home — or as close as we can make it.”
While they don’t serve alcohol at Bali Nights, the restaurant is BYO (sure to be a popular factor) and offers the option to take away as well as dine in — the space seats up to 45 people.
Spiciness is the main theme of Indonesian food, although many of the dishes aren’t necessarily that spicy in isolation. It’s the addictive sambal chilli sauce, an essential addition to any Indonesian meal, that imparts a hefty lick of heat. Rice is also incredibly important, as evidenced by one of the company’s key mantras: “for some, ‘Nasi’ means rice, but for us ‘Nasi’ means life.”
Many of the dishes have several delicious elements on the plate that, when eaten together, make for varied and flavourful mouthfuls. Bebek Tengil, or half fried duck, is a must-order, as are the Iga Bakar grilled beef ribs. Sate Ayam, or grilled chicken skewers, are a familiar favourite served with addictive peanut sauce (there’s also a vegan version made with tofu and tempeh). The overall menu is around 40 percent vegan just as is, says Adriana, and rather than using faux meat substitutes, they focus on natural alternatives like jackfruit, tofu, tempeh and nuts.
Nasi Campur Vegan is a tasty plate for plant-based eaters, comprising jackfruit rendang, sayur urap (a refreshing salad with coconut), orek tempe (savoury fried tempeh), bakwan (a fried vegetable fritter), peanut cracker, and spicy fresh sambal bawang sauce on rice. A whole grilled snapper is an impressive centrepiece to any meal, fragrant with both a sweeter, soy sauce-based sambal to pour over and hot mango sambal for even more layered heat.
The team at Bali Nights is on a mission to make Indonesian food more mainstream, including that with a Balinese street food twist. Having tried a sizeable portion of the menu ourselves, we have to agree that it deserves to be much more of a go-to for New Zealanders. So, next time you feel like something with bold, fresh flavours and plenty of spice, we suggest you make a beeline for Bali Nights.
With the recent release of their highly-anticipated third album, Californian Soil, British band London Grammar are well and truly back on the scene with their hypnotic electronic-pop sound — and it’s already blasted to number one in the Official Albums Chart. Comprising lead vocalist and songwriter Hannah Reid, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dot Major and guitarist Dan Rothman, London Grammar’s unique sound is largely thanks to Reid’s distinctive contralto voice, and it shines on Californian Soil.
In this album, Reid has stepped more fully into her power, channeling her experiences as a woman in the music industry — many of them challenging — into honest lyrics and soaring vocals. Catching up with Reid on the eve of the album’s release, she shares her musings on the journey her songwriting has taken over the last decade.
“When you make your debut album, you never think anyone’s going to listen to it, so it was really easy to absolutely put my heart and soul on a plate,” she says. After the success of If You Wait, an overwhelming tour schedule and continuous press, Reid has been open about a loss of confidence she experienced, which was reflected in more guarded lyrics on their second album Truth Is a Beautiful Thing. “There are parts of it that I absolutely love, but it’s a little more like I’m hiding things behind a lyrical wall.”
On Californian Soil, she has been much more direct. “It did take a bit of a turning point for me, when I was like ‘I don’t have anything to lose’”, she says. “You’re never going to make anything that’s worth anything if you’re not putting yourself at risk a little bit and exposing parts of yourself. I found a way to find that vulnerability again.”
Starting out in the music industry, Reid says she was shocked to be constantly surrounded by only men. It was an uncomfortable dynamic, and one that has led to negative experiences in her career. “I felt like it was much more of a battle for me than it was for my bandmates,” she says. “Those little experiences every day added up to quite a profound experience, I think, and I did lose a lot of confidence.”
This challenging period also had a direct impact one of her most precious assets — her voice. “I’ve learned that there is such a mysterious connection with the voice and what you’re going through subconsciously or emotionally,” says Reid. Making London Grammar’s second album, she experienced pain and problems with her vocals, but Californian Soil was different. “Throughout this album, throughout writing those songs and then talking about the experience, I feel like… it sounds so cheesy, but I literally got my voice back and it sounds different now. I feel like now it’s got the strength that it had when I was 21, again.”
The trio have honed the way they make songs together throughout the years, and in creating this third album, Reid says they’ve finessed how they work best together. “We tend to work best in pairs when it comes to the writing,” she muses, “[and] we work best as a three when it comes to the production. Also, we don’t do well, necessarily, being in all the big fancy studios.” A lot of Californian Soil was made in a home studio, which led to some beautifully intimate moments.
Clockwise from left: Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman, Dot Major
All My Love, for instance, is one of the album’s most stripped-back songs, and one Reid says she thinks has the best vocals — but this isn’t down to expensive, state-of-the-art equipment. “We wrote and produced that whole song in Dan’s really tiny loft studio, that you had to get to via some secret stairs in his wardrobe, it was just the most bizarre thing,” she says. “You can hear birds in the background of that song because the window was open. We were just making music, but it sticks out to me because that song proves that it’s not about being in the expensive studios. It’s about the emotion, and if you capture that, then it doesn’t really matter, I think.”
Having recently announced a tour in New Zealand and Australia for February and March 2022, Reid says she’s extremely excited to be over on our shores with London Grammar — for more reasons than just the rush of performing. “The food and the coffee is so amazing in Australia and New Zealand,” she enthuses. “I just always feel really energised when I’m there.”
In the more immediate future, Reid is excited to finish London Grammar’s fourth album which, according to her, sounds completely different again from Californian Soil — “we’ve got loads of new material, so hopefully there won’t be as long a wait between records anymore.”
Ultimately, says Reid, she and her bandmates are interested in staying power, a fundamental marker of success in a notoriously fickle business. “It’s very easy to have a successful first album and fade away, it’s a really tough industry for that,” she says. “I think me, Dan and Dot want longevity more than anything else.”
Californian Soil is out now, and find tickets to London Grammar’s 2022 tour here.
Winter’s not all bad — cosy clothes, warm houses and comforting food are all good for the soul. It’s around this time that our tipple of choice starts to change, too, moving on from the white wines, chilled reds and rosés of summer to full-bodied red wines that bestow a little more richness to our palate. If you are looking to replenish your home cellar, these delicious and varied red wines could be just the bottles to kick off your winter collection.
Butterworth 2018 Pinot Noir A blend of only the vineyard’s best Pinot Noir vines, this unfined wine has a spicy palate with great length and Te Muna road’s signature minerality through the middle. Notes of aromatic rose petal, wild raspberry and blackberry, cinnamon and nutmeg spice precede lavender and earthiness in this distinctive, satisfying drop.
Chateau de la Cour Saint Emilion 2016 Grand Cru This sophisticated, polished wine is from the medieval town of St Emilion, South-Western France. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc results in an intense and structured character, while also bestowing a wonderful mouthfeel and delicious flavours of ripe red fruit, blackberry and oak. Serve with a roast leg of lamb, with plenty of thyme and garlic, and you’ve got yourself the ultimate winter pairing.
Mills Reef Elspeth 2018 Syrah Brimming with intense flavour and complexity, this Syrah from the Hawke’s Bay winery’s Gimblett Gravels vineyard is a superb example of the style. Luscious boysenberry, white pepper spice and liquorice are displayed, along with a beautifully refined palate. The stony soils of the warm, inland district make for both fine Bordeaux-varietal reds and Syrah, and while this wine will certainly sing if enjoyed now, it’ll also respond wonderfully to longer-term cellaring.
Vino di Anna 2019 ‘Palmento’ Rosso From the volcanic, mineral-rich soils of Sicily’s Mount Etna, this juicy drop makes for exceptionally easy drinking. Vino di Anna is a family-run vineyard, specialising in natural wines that are farmed organically and tended by hand, and this wine is predominantly Nerello Mascalese grapes with small quantities of some other endemic varieties in the mix. While this is a dry, fresh wine, notes of red cherry and strawberry keep it juicy and an underlying minerality makes for an exquisitely interesting drop.
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Selection Crozes-Hermitage ‘Silene’ Juicy, ripe fruit is balanced by a hefty dose of structure in this Syrah made by the biggest name in Northern Rhone — Jean-Louis Chave. Showing plum, black pepper, pencil lead and warming spices, this distinguished yet attainable wine is perfect for a cold winter’s evening, matched with a hearty and comforting meal.
It’s that time of the year again: we’re thinking about our cold-weather wardrobes, and how we can update them. The natural inclination is to first focus on outerwear — after all, a great coat will pull together any ensemble no matter how low the mercury drops. From simple and sophisticated, to oversized and cocoon-like, these coats will keep you cosy in style.
As founding partner and creative director of Inhouse; an Auckland-based boutique graphic design studio established in 1995, Arch MacDonnell is regarded as one of the foremost figures in his field, thanks largely to his lofty collection of awards. Continually recognised both locally and internationally for his work, MacDonnell has served as a judge at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and has had his work exhibited at San Francisco’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art.
After 20 years of operating from Auckland’s CBD, MacDonnell set up shop in what he describes as a mid-century modern tramping hut. Renovated to his exacting standards and nestled deep within the bush of Birkenhead, with daily visits from neighbourhood kererū, the tranquillity he says, is the panacea to a working life of short-lead stressful deadlines. Here MacDonnell shares insights, observations and enthusiasms from the last twenty-five years of practice.
1. Good work begets good work We worked with Pip Cheshire a long time back when it was just Jane (my wife) and I, and he was still part of Jasmax, I remember him casually saying that ‘good work begets good work’. Not a difficult concept to grasp by any means but it had a particular resonance. It was like a little finger in the ribs, probably because we were doing a fair bit of horrible commercial work at that time. I knew he was right, and it was a catalyst for us ditching some clients. Whilst financially risky, it allowed us to focus on the creative work. We had to cut down on paninis and bowl lattés (it was the 90s) but we got to work on the NEW Gallery’s identity.
This work led to more projects with Auckland Art Gallery, dealer galleries and artist monographs. We’ve seen this play out in other fields also, working with the New Zealand Institute of Architects for many years led to opportunities to work with individual architecture practices. Having early success in wine label design means we have a winery client in the mix more often than not. So there was a second lesson — be brave enough to turn work down. While good work begets good work, mediocre work will also attract more of the same.
2. Build a team My dad would always say, ‘hire the best people, and the rest takes care of itself’. So building a team with different skill sets to mine — people who are better than me at many things — has always been my strategy. When we first started Inhouse back in ‘95, we did absolutely everything end-to-end on every job, as well as juggling babies and a mortgage. I learnt so much in those first years but feared heading down a creative cul-de-sac.
So we grew and soon discovered that building a team of curious, like-minded people, with the right amount of difference makes the studio an exciting place to turn up to everyday. And the work benefits. There’s more discussion, debate, analysis, and points of view. And the right team can expand what you take on as a studio; design a bespoke typeface; build a website; animate a logo because we have those skill-sets inhouse. I can’t do any of these things in practice but can stay intimately involved with their creation because we’re not always having to outsource them.
Working with my creative partner, Toby Curnow, has allowed the studio to shift gear and take on more significant projects. But we’ve always known we never want to get too big. The limitation of size allows me and Toby to keep involved in the physical nature of making the work — and we like that.
ECC branding by Inhouse Design.
3. Build lasting relationships While a lot of our work is project-based, it’s the long-term relationships and collaborations that form the studio’s spine. Working with new clients on a challenging brief, a bit of anxiety and fear comes along for the ride; fear of failure; of mediocrity; of getting paid — all kinds of fruitless worry. With the long term clients, because we’ve been through the design process several times together, there’s way less of that.
There becomes a shorthand way of working, a mutual understanding of the process and the expectations. It also allows you to try stuff you may not have otherwise. We’ve worked with the inimitable Thorburns — Mike and now son Richard at ECC since we rebranded them in 2006, and fifteen years later we’re pushing the original logo around in a new and playful way. That’s pretty cool.
4. Keep it simple Simplicity; clarity; integrity; honesty, are inherent in our approach to graphic design. We like to take a reductive approach to a task or brief — we like simple, but not simplistic solutions. ‘To distill something to its essence, the essential’ is a modernist ideal that still rings true but we don’t believe there should be a total lack of emotion or sentimentality in the work. We talk a lot about successful work having ‘spirit’ — an enigmatic quality, an energy.
5. Ask questions There’s a joke that we designers like…
Q. How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. Does it have to be a lightbulb?
As designers, we are hard-wired to find efficient solutions to any given problem or brief. But at the early, investigative phase of the project, it’s best to ask a heap of questions. It’s how we are going to unravel the complex, and try and simplify it.
John Reynolds’ Blutopia. Book by Arch MacDonell, John Reynolds and Laurence Simmons.
6. Can we find new forms? It’s a popular misconception that graphic designers just ‘love’ what they do, that it’s all fun and games — like a hobby. This can be true of parts of the process but it’s simply not the case for me. It’s hard work; it takes relentless effort; we are continually tasked with finding a new way at something — to present something that hasn’t been seen before. I’m not sure that’s even entirely possible in today’s world where we overdose on visual communication.
The desire to find new forms is why I enjoy working with John Reynolds. His signature handwriting and energetic mark-marking, rambling and bristling demands to sit centre stage within any given output because it is unquestionably its own thing. The book we made together, Blutopia has unique covers hand-painted by John, so no two are alike, a looping visual schema of over-drawing and painterly play.
The Boneline by Inhouse Design.
7. Never stop designing We’ve been discussing this a lot in the studio lately. The importance of pushing and making changes to the work, even late into the job, is never off the table. One of my favourite Inhouse projects was for a new wine brand in the Waipara Valley. We helped name The Boneline in reference to the nearby K—T Boundary line that defines the extinction of the dinosaurs. Up the valley, it’s Canterbury Gothic; shadowy hills and murky corners. We had a great rapport with the client, a compelling story and had produced some beautiful visual assets.
All the stars had aligned but late in the process we thought the work could be better. We made a simple but significant change — a dramatic scale shift had an activating effect and everything fell into place. Like it was always meant to be this way.
8. Love print We believe the role of print in people’s lives is changing as part of a reaction against being continually online and connected. The increasing need to take time out from screens means the role of print is becoming more valuable. We have more books on the books than ever. While our print work has certainly diminished, there’s almost an obligation to make the work that is printed, a bit special. Corporate stationery is practically obsolete now. The business card is sometimes the only artefact so we like to get all American Psycho on those.
Tatau by Inhouse Design.
9. Make stuff to last After a few years working in Wellington advertising agencies, I developed a love for moving type around. It was physical, mechanical work; adjusting type sizes on a bromide camera or Letrasetting a headline. Back then everything went to print and even the artwork itself was a physical thing. With the world becoming increasingly digital, we’ve had to adapt and learn new designing methods for this media. They all present new opportunities but you can’t escape the fact that you’re trapped in the flat visual plane of a screen.
So making things that live in the physical world, like books is really important to us. We love designing books, especially ones that contribute to the understanding of the culture. We love that they tend to stick around and have an ongoing impact. But we also believe that in general, good design lasts, well-designed things tend to be kept and are less likely to be replaced or redesigned.
10. Help the aged I spent a lot of my early career typesetting blocks of text in 5-6 pt. Tiny. I loved the way it looked on the page. For this, I now apologise. My defective visual perception i.e. deteriorating eyesight, has afforded me empathy with those who suggested I increase the point size. I was recently revisiting a book I’d designed back in 2006, and you were right — it’s fucking hard to read (sorry). Current design work is now reassuringly readable.
11. Have the right amount of wrong Graphic design doesn’t always have to be beautiful. I like work that can appear a little awkward, a little off. Something that makes you look twice. It could have something to do with an odd scale shift, something off-balance, or just a super-fruity typeface.
The Inhouse studio in Birkenhead Point. Photo: Mary Gaudin.
12. Obsess about other stuff Being a graphic designer and running a short deadline-driven practice means a lot of time at the studio, and a lot of time on the computer and a lot of fucking emails. So it’s imperative to have some design projects off the computer and unrelated to Inhouse work. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten a bit obsessive about designing and planting native gardens.
About three years ago, we returned to our Inhouse roots, relocating from a downtown Britomart warehouse to the leafy suburb of Birkenhead Point. A humble 60’s structure situated high in the canopy of established native bush backing on to Le Roy’s Reserve. I have been re-wilding the back and turning the old front lawn and entrance into a Japanese-inspired native garden. Such pleasure in exchanging fonts for flora, the garden is the slowest design project I’ve undertaken — there will be flower cycles and trees that will display spectacular transformational performance. And creating a little zen-like haven for the studio has acted as an antidote to the studio’s daily demands.
Photo: Dean Foster.
13. Take a look in the mirror I have a curious habit of reviewing work in front of the mirror. I’ve done it since university days. I’ll take a mocked-up book cover, bottle of wine, whatever, and assess its reflection. Seeing it in mirror-image somehow highlights imperfections in much the same way that inspecting type kerning by looking at a printout upside down does. You can also observe how your ‘whatever it is’ looks in the hand and whether your bum looks big with it.
“We want the community to use this as their local, and come in a couple of times a week,” says restaurateur Amanda Frecker. The owner of recently-opened Bucklands Beach eatery Bucks Bistro is well-versed in the nuances of what it takes to establish and run a successful venue — her inner-city restaurant Rice was a must-visit in the early 2000s, and since then she’s been entrenched in various facets of the food industry before the pull of owning and operating her own place once again become too strong to ignore.
From left: The signature seafood platter; Bucks Bistro is located on The Parade.
A five year search for a beachfront spot ended, successfully, with Frecker striking gold at the charming corner site where Bucks Bistro can be found. Gracing The Parade at Bucklands Beach, the ocean is always in view no matter where you’re seated and on a good day the sun streams in.
Working with architect Tim Dorrington and designer Sam Elliot, Frecker has created a light and bright yet cosy and welcoming space, with a palette of white, ash woods, pastel leathers and granite that perfectly complements the coastal surroundings. A chic fireplace bestows its warmth in winter, while the restaurant’s front doors and windows can be thrown open to embrace the summer months.
The menu centres around fresh, seasonal bistro food with seafood at its heart. Bucks Bistro Head Chef Tom Loose creates visually stunning food that’s even more of a joy to eat — having come from a senior position at O’Connell Street Bistro, his pedigree is impressive indeed, and his focus on creating interesting, delicious dishes is geared towards that same attitude of welcoming the same people multiple times a week (as well as one-off diners, of course).
Find delights such as oysters, whole yellow belly flounder, tuna tataki and salt baked beetroot risotto on the menu.
If you’re a seafood fan, it would be a travesty to overlook Bucks’ signature seafood platter — the abundant arrangement can be ordered with or without grilled crayfish tail, and comprises baked tiger prawns, tuatua, pipi, cockles, tempura soft shell crab and green-lipped mussels with various delicious sauces.
Tuna tataki is perfectly seared on the outside with sesame seeds, coconut and wasabi peas, puffed rice and borage cress, while a whole yellow belly flounder is delicious in brown butter, with capers and chervil.
Salt baked beetroot risotto is a lovely vege option, with pickled turnips adding contrast to the flavours, and a parmesan custard that can be left off to make it a vegan dish. On the other end of the scale, pan-seared eye fillet is exquisitely cooked with zero chewiness, paired with Jerusalem artichoke, kumara crisps and courgette. The desserts are just as delicious, with a dark chocolate pannacotta arriving with chocolate soil, buffalo yoghurt and pickled blueberries.
The interior is by architect Tom Dorrington and designer Sam Elliot.
Being an asset to the neighbourhood is of utmost importance to the team and Frecker says they are constantly taking their diners’ feedback on board. “We’re invested in this community, and are aware that if we’re going to stick around, we need to do what the community wants.”
Not to be everything to everyone, she says, but taking into consideration people’s wants while providing top quality, well-priced food is the goal. Both Frecker and Loose say they have been slightly surprised by the prevalence of plant-based eaters that come to dine with them, so have expanded the vegetarian and vegan offering even further for their winter menu.
Most of Bucks’ staff are locals (chef Loose is based in Cockle Bay and Frecker in Sunnyhills), and there’s a strong emphasis on supporting quality suppliers like Clevedon Buffalo Company, and Fin and Leaf Aquaponics. Frecker has dynamic plans for the bistro, with the space available to hire for events, and a take-home meals arm to come for families in the area, plus fresh fruit ice cream in summer.
From left: Dark chocolate pannacotta dessert; Pan-seared eye fillet.
There are plenty of carparks and, for those who sail in or come over from nearby islands (quite a common occurrence, apparently), two moorings and a water taxi are available for booking. Bucks is a 10-minute boardwalk from the Half Moon Bay passenger ferry, or a short ride with local, on-demand shuttle service MyMobigo.
Whether you’re a local of the area or are looking for somewhere great to eat next time you’re out that way, we highly recommend letting the team at Bucks Bistro take care of you with warmth, finesse and — most importantly — delicious food.
Opening hours: Monday: 4PM — late Tuesday to Friday: 11AM — late Saturday to Sunday: 8AM — late
Bucks Bistro 23A The Parade Bucklands Beach (09) 2158435
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