When it comes to putting together an elegant yet striking ensemble, the classic colour combination of black and white will never let you down. Cruella De Vil connotations aside, we suggest leaning into the notion of stark contrast with these refined wardrobe additions, from everyday staples to statement-makers.
It feels almost disrespectful (and inaccurate) to call Yu Mei’s new retail space merely a ‘shop’. Located in Newmarket, the luxury leather accessory brand opened its inviting, Knight Associates-designed brick-and-mortar lounge to pave the way for a new kind of shopping experience — one that also acts as a place to host Yu Mei’s community, and to channel the brand’s sensibility, holistically.
This is beautifully achieved through furniture, objects and even appliances that are in keeping with its wider principles of refinement, comfort and ease, and enduring emphasis on considered materials. New-season bags are displayed at the entrance portion of the space, while through glass doors is a gallery space housing a display of contemporary artworks and shoppable past-season styles.
The residential-like feeling is solidified by timeless pieces like a Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa and Frank O. Gehry Wiggle Side Chairs, both from Matisse, Nonn’s Journal coffee table by Cameron Foggo, from Simon James, and large, natural-fibre Nodi rugs adorning the floors.
A lounge area at the rear of the sizeable space is well-appointed too, housing a kitchen with brand new Fisher & Paykel appliances — all-in-all, creating a destination to return to for far more than just the beautiful accessories sold within.
It’s true what they say, you haven’t exercised properly until you’ve put yourself in the hands of a dedicated fitness expert. Not only will they help you prepare for specific events, but a personal trainer can also ensure that there’s no slacking off, you’re maintaining the correct form and that you’re truly getting the most out of your time spent at the gym.
But not all personal training sessions are created equal and, whether you’re training for the next Ironman or just need a motivational kick up the backside, there are a few things that you can do to ensure you’re getting the best out of the experience.
Go PT shopping
You didn’t sign up to your gym without checking out the market first, so why snatch up the first personal trainer you find? Head down to the gym that you use and scope out some of the trainers there. Watch how they work and see if there are any that pique your interest. Most desk clerks will deliver a rundown on the trainers available, but don’t be afraid to speak to them yourself to gain a better insight.
Do a background check
If you do find someone you think you’d like to work with, make sure they have their credentials — all personal trainers in New Zealand should be registered with the Register of Exercise Professionals.
Set goals
Establishing concrete goals is crucial for improvement, and it helps your trainer plan out the sessions more efficiently, too — whether it’s about improving endurance by a certain time or speed, losing a specific amount of weight, or hoping to tone up in one particular area.
Prepare
To make the most of your 60 minutes, ensure your body is as prepared as possible prior to the session. Have a light, energy-boosting bite about 45 minutes beforehand and try to drink plenty of water throughout the day — this should keep mid-workout, lengthy drinking breaks to a minimum.
Warm up beforehand
Similarly, try and squeeze your warm up in before the session. This allows you to crack on with the serious stuff as soon as your time begins. If you’re not sure what kind of warm-up works best for you, have a chat with your trainer — they’ll be more than happy to help.
Make notes
Whether you’re noting things down via workout apps, wearable technology or just an old school pen and paper, it’s important to track your progress. Jot down tips and tricks on everything from posture to breathing techniques — so you can then employ them correctly outside of your sessions.
Ask for a post-session recap
When each session comes to a close, be sure to request a quick progress report. Having a clearer understanding of the areas that you’re improving in, and the areas that you’re not, can help you figure out how to grow in the future.
Speak up
If you don’t feel a connection with your personal trainer, or if they’re approaching something in a way you don’t agree with, don’t be afraid to tell them. It’s beneficial for both of you to be as upfront as possible.
Ask what you can do outside of your session
Your training doesn’t have to be limited to just that 60-minute window. Ask for tips on what you can be doing once the sessions have ended, including eating habits and exercise pointers for days off.
Bridging engineering and art, Powersurge studio is an exercise in equilibrium. The team takes the elemental properties of metal and forges it into something much more sophisticated, with a lightness to its otherwise industrial look.
Powersurge’s custom designs and collection accent pieces are poised for spatial enhancement, exemplified in its newest solid brass additions. Available in customisable finishes, including brushed, blackened or light or dark antiqued, and coated in a clear satin lacquer, they can find a synergy with any space.
The Link Pendant‘s slimline structure will glide into a hallway or living zone. Suspended from the ceiling with a strip of brass with dual hex cores, it emanates light in delicate horizontal layers.
Elsewhere, the Fall Coffee Table reaches visual harmony through its sleek composition, combined with the negative space beneath it, for an appreciation of minimalist balance. Even if you like your coffee table clear, it would be gratifying to place the Halo Vase on top of here. A polished take on the column form, with a geometric twist, the Vase comes in three sizes and looks especially satisfying when styled in a group of sculptural silhouettes.
To dress up other surfaces around the home, gilded trays create an elegant frame for displaying your favourite objects. The Crease Tray is folded like fortified origami, striking a balance between delicate and modern design.
Powersurge is known for its dynamic lights and mirrors, and the Lateral Light Mirror is an illuminating design in more ways than one. Crafted in a slimline style, it creates an unrestrained reflection to expand space within your interior — while the lighting embedded down the left-hand cladding elevates the mirror’s purpose and sense of presence. It’s available in three sizes, as well as custom dimensions.
If you are looking to create visual harmony in your living spaces, these versatile pieces will be right at home.
Founded in 2019 by best friends Anna Fahey and Bailey Meredith, Baina has succeeded in filling a gap in the market for bathware and towelling that is beautifully and consciously designed. Made in Portugal from 100 percent GOTS certified organic cotton, Baina towels are intended to make the ritual of bathing even more special, both visually and tangibly. The brand’s towels are instantly recognisable, yet timeless, rendered in varying prints and finishes like an eye-catching check or elegant swirled ribbing detail.
The latest collection, having launched this July, includes sumptuously deep, rich brown and black tones, and with Baina now stocked on global platforms Ssense, Goop and End, safe to say Fahey and Meredith are going from strength to strength. Here, the duo shares are a few of the things that make them tick.
What I do for a job described in one sentence:
Anna: As a director of Baina, there is no limit to what lands into my inbox. However, my focus is mainly in areas of sales and design.
Bailey: I am involved in all facets of Baina — from design through to production, sales and marketing, and business strategy. No two days are ever the same.
My personal style can be defined as:
Anna: Considered and relaxed. But as I am currently on maternity leave, my foundation to any outfit is slouchy denim, Bassike organic cotton jersey, or nice shirting.
Bailey: Functional and modern with a sartorial nod.
The last thing I bought and loved was:
Anna: My Rika Studios shirts from My Chameleon. Rika makes such beautiful cotton poplin shirts in lovely colours. My current favourites on high rotation are Rock and Khaki.
Bailey: A pair of Agmes x Simone Bodmer-Turner earrings. I am such a fan of SBT’s work so I was so pleased to discover this collaboration.
An unforgettable place I visited was:
Anna: Too many to choose. Keeping it local, is Hot Water Beach at Lake Tarawera. We recently visited on a misty day, it was so mystical and serene. There was something very spiritual and resetting about soaking in a natural spring at the foot of a dormant volcano.
Bailey: A place called Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India. It is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the founder of Jaipur, Rajasthan and was completed in 1734. The architecture and colour are phenomenal.
The next place I’d like to go to:
Anna: Back to Australia. Bailey and I started the brand in Melbourne, and it is the home of Baina. We were and still are very inspired by the design industry over there. B and I have an amazing shoot booked there as soon as the border reopens.
Bailey: New York. I’m currently in Byron Bay as I write this and while it’s been so nice to be back in Australia, I now have my heart set on returning to the US. We are starting to build a lot of traction within the market with Baina and I would love to connect with some of the creatives we have been working with from afar.
On my wish list is:
Bailey: A pair of the Jil Sander x Birkenstock sandals.
The design (building, person, item) that inspires me is:
Anna: Tamsin Johnson. She is a Sydney interior designer — if you aren’t familiar with her work, look her up. Her parents were antique collectors, which she continues to do with her mum. Her interior style is a culmination of interesting objects gathered from around the world. The result is unique to her and doesn’t feel borrowed, as sometimes it can.
Bailey: Nick Wakeman, founder of Studio Nicholson. Authentic, considered, driven. I’m a little obsessed.
When I was younger, I wanted to be:
Bailey: A fashion designer — always. I’m so grateful that I was able to have a career working with Kate Sylvester before creating Baina. To me, my role now incorporates all of the creative elements of fashion that I loved while working with a completely different medium.
My guilty pleasure is:
Anna: Trash reality shows, I’m too embarrassed to say.
Bailey: Noughties pop-punk.
I recently discovered:
Anna: The space bar on my Mac will preview any file I select. Game changer.
Bailey: Magpies feel grief and hold funerals.
The last meal out I had that truly impressed me was:
Anna: The Sawmill Brewery and Smoko Room near Matakana. There have been very few meals out in the last three months (nearly none), but my husband took me to the Smoko Room on Mother’s Day, and if you are up those ways, it is perfect for a meal and beer, brewed on-site, and it’s family-friendly.
Bailey: Mr Morris. Michael Meredith is a genius. I highly recommend sitting up at the bar to watch the staff in the kitchen. I wish I could say we were related…
In my fridge you’ll always find:
Anna: Meredith Dairy goat cheese. If you haven’t, you must. Find it at Farro.
Bailey: Expired milk.
The podcasts I listen to are:
Anna: Tracks to Relax. While I’ve never heard a whole episode, in this instance that is the idea. If you are having trouble sleeping or just want a really deep restorative sleep, I highly recommend this.
The beauty product I can’t live without is:
Bailey: A face mask. My current favourite is the Lesse Bioactive Masque. Top tip — keep it in the fridge.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is:
Bailey: While it might not be considered advice, my mum has always helped me get through challenging times with the words “this time shall pass”. I think of her and these words whenever I need strength.
In life, landing on the perfect culinary pairing can be transcendent. It might be a slice of the most exquisite cheese on freshly-baked bread, or perhaps a juicy, fresh strawberry drizzled with cream; a plate of pasta washed down with a glass of red wine or a glug of high-quality olive oil on piquant rocket leaves.
In the spirit of excellent food pairings, Captain’s Bar at Park Hyatt Auckland has just launched its new Rum & Chocolate Experience, which centres on an experiential journey through a suite of Caribbean rums — perfectly suited to New Zealand-based chocolate makers Foundry Chocolate.
The ongoing offering is in keeping with the venue’s focus on fortified spirits — in particular, rum, which Park Hyatt Auckland Executive Chef Brent Martin developed an affinity and understanding for during his time living in the Caribbean.
Captain’s Bar boasts 60 varieties, and within the Rum & Chocolate Experience is the opportunity to try several different renditions of the spirit, each unique and distinctive in its own right. Start with a palate cleanser cocktail of Flor De Cana Extra Seco Four Year Old rum, and move through a suite of combinations, discovering how the intense oak, fruit and spice notes in the rums enhance the characteristics of chocolate.
From Mount Gay Rum Xo New Edition paired with the warm spices and exuberant flavour of Foundry’s Anamalai Estate, India 70% chocolate, to Brugal 1888 Rum with the fruity tang and warm, silky nuttiness of Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico 70%, each sip and bite will take you on a journey.
Whether booked to kick-off (or round out) a romantic date night, or chosen as the activity of choice for a friendly catch up, this unique experience promises to transport the tastebuds to faraway isles — a sensory escape we could all surely do with right about now.
Rum & Chocolate Experience
$112.00 Per Person
Available Monday to Wednesday
4pm — late
With the opportunity to travel to far-flung European destinations still off the agenda, on a seasonably crisp evening in early July, Denizen gathered together a small group of adventurers, eager for a sense of freedom in two of Europe’s most desirable destinations.
With no passport required, just a requirement to dress for a glamorous night of European-style indulgence, the group arrived in Rome for aperitivo hour in Bulgari’s Queen street boutique where a selection of exquisite high jewellery had been flown in especially for our guests. From there, chariots in the form of a fleet of Maseratis transported the revellers to the cobbled streets of Paris’ Rue St Honore, where at Euro a seated, French-inspired banquet paired with French wines was enjoyed.
And as most evenings in Europe tend to unfold, Champagne flowed and dancing ensued until the wee hours, and successfully reminded us that while we still can’t travel further afield, there is plenty of beauty and decadence within reach on our very own doorstep.
Joining northeast Auckland’s ever-growing community, Kneads All Day is a brand new daytime eatery specialising in unique brunch fare and house-made baked goods.
The latest hospitality proposition from the team behind several successful ventures including Parnell’s Winona Forever, Rude Boy Deli in the CBD and Just Like Martha in Three Kings, Kneads All Day has harnessed the same formula of tasty, of-the-moment dishes and a contemporary, design-led interior — evolved in its own distinct way for this new addition.
Kneads All Day’s menu takes recognisable brunch fare and pushes it to a new and inventive dimension, helped along by the cafe’s in-house bakery where diners can witness loaves and pastries being crafted. While those familiar with the stacked cabinets of the other cafes will know they have a hearty emphasis on decadent sweets, Kneads’ selection skews more towards the savoury, with plenty of healthy takeaway options like salads, quiches and sandwiches.
According to owner Sam Raina, a West Harbour local himself, the offering of Kneads All Day has been designed to cater to Hobsonville’s diverse community, with fusion touches throughout the menu, and a consciously comprehensive selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes.
We’re told the vegan toast is a highlight, encompassing Sichuan-spiced mushrooms and pumpkin, smashed red beans, a sesame crust and cashew pesto. On the opposite end of the scale, there is a stout beer-infused eggs Benedict, and a buttermilk fried chicken with caramelised onion aioli and coleslaw with gridded “hashtag” fries.
Creamy mushrooms are served on house-made, fermented oat sourdough, topped with a hazelnut and macadamia crumb and poached egg; while a dish of smashed peas is colourful and textural with the addition of pumpkin puree and spiced seeds, creme fraiche and grated parmesan, all served with toasted sourdough.
Local studio Millé, which specialises in hospitality design, was inspired by Hobsonville’s history as the previous site of one of Auckland’s biggest ceramics and brick-maker companies (the founding family of which later moved to New Lynn to create Crown Lynn ceramics). The team harnessed a softened industrial feel when it conceptualised Kneads’ interiors, with tiles, terrazzo and timber. Saturated blue tables and purple walls punctuate the space and recycled terracotta light fittings echo the clay ovens within which the bread is baked fresh each day.
Seating 65 inside and 24 outside, Kneads All Day is in a prime spot for all-day sun, and with its comprehensive and thoughtful offering throughout, we suggest you make haste to go and check it out for yourself.
Is there a new opening you believe should be on our radar? Let us know at [email protected]
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 7am — 4pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am — 4pm
After winning fans world-over by competing in RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Anita Wigl’it is entering an entirely new kind of drag race this Restaurant Month — with Culprit’s Trolley Dollies.
The game-changing restaurant is welcoming back some of Auckland’s finest and most fabulous drag queens with a special trolley service inspired by their favourite dishes. Anita and friends will welcome guests with a fizzy and fruity drink on arrival, before rolling out five trolley bites that are fun and full of character, like the queens themselves. Towards the end of the evening, wrap your lips around a delicious shared main, before something naughty and sweet to finish.
Trolley Dollies is one of the most exciting and experimental events on the Heart of the City’s Restaurant Month calendar. Culprit and its queens will be serving innovative plates, as well as stunning looks, over the two-hour dining experience like no other, so make sure you get in quick to secure your seats. As Anita says: ‘It’s time to Wigl’it!’
To celebrate Culprit’s unmissable Trolly Dollies event, we are giving one lucky Denizen the chance to win a table for two.
This competition has now closed.
Trolly Dollies at Culprit
Wednesday, 4th August
Available in two sittings: 5:30pm-7:30pm or 8pm-10pm
$195 for a 6-8 course degustation meal, with a side of light entertainment.
Strictly R18
Tickets available online now
Since 1976, outdoor furniture brand Devon has held key tenets of style, comfort, colour and durability at the core of its sensibility, and its new Rere Collection is no different. Encompassing a comprehensive range of beautifully crafted pieces, this latest release is set to elevate outdoor spaces with the ease and sophistication the brand is known and lauded for.
Designed in New Zealand by Devon Managing Director Matthias Strickett, the collection makes a feature of gently rounded edges, inspired by the soft, natural beauty of rocks worn over time by the elements. In fact, the name Rere is taken from Gisborne’s Rere Rockslide, one of Aotearoa’s most beloved and breathtaking nature attractions.
The full collection caters to all manner of exterior arrangements, whether you intend to entertain with dining settings, bar leaners and bar stools, or if lounging is the top priority, sun loungers and a lounge chair, or a two-seater, will facilitate this in style. A side table and coffee table complete the offering, which utilises mixed materials in all of its framing — aluminium, teak and hand-woven marine rope.
All the Rere tables are available with a full teak top, or teak with ceramic inlay, and while the collection has been designed with smaller balconies and courtyards in mind, it is equally at home in more generously spaced surroundings. With an emphasis on indoor/outdoor flow of utmost importance within many a contemporary, design-led home, Devon has made sure to craft its Rere pieces with such consideration that they would look as elegant inside as they do out.
With current lead times of six months, we suggest you get onto ordering your Devon Rere pieces if you intend to enjoy al fresco living as much as we do this summer.
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