A lockdown baking favourite, banana bread is back on our radar with a delicious twist thanks to Amelia Ferrier from Melie’s Kitchen. Covered in both a chocolate and espresso glaze, this decadent loaf is just the ticket for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Banana Chocolate Chunk Loaf with Oozy Espresso and Dark Chocolate Glaze Recipe
Ingredients: Banana loaf 3 very ripe bananas ¾ cup caster sugar ¾ cup canola oil 3 eggs 1 ¾ cups self-raising flour 1 tsp vanilla extract ¾ tsp baking soda (sieved to remove any lumps) ¼ tsp table salt 150g milk or dark chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks
Chocolate glaze 40g dark chocolate, roughly chopped ½ tsp canola oil
Espresso glaze 1 ½ cups icing sugar 2-3 Tbsp strong black coffee ½ tsp vanilla extract
To serve Handful of chopped, roasted nuts (optional) Edible flowers (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a regular-sized loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Peel bananas and add to a large bowl. Mash well with a potato masher or fork, until no chunks remain. Add caster sugar, oil and eggs and whisk well, until combined. Add self-raising flour, vanilla, baking soda and salt measure and whisk again, until just combined. Fold through chocolate chunks.
3. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake on the lower-middle oven rack for 45-55 minutes, until golden and risen. A skewer inserted should come out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs.
4. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Once the loaf has cooled, make the glazes. For the chocolate glaze, add dark chocolate to a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst until completely melted. Stir through oil and set aside.
6. For the espresso glaze, add icing sugar to a medium bowl followed by 2 Tbsp of the coffee, vanilla and a pinch of salt (a little pinch of salt is important as this glaze is quite sweet). Whisk well until combined, adding more coffee 1 tsp at a time, until the icing has a thick but drizzle-able consistency. Be careful as it can become quite runny quite easily if you add too much liquid.
7. To assemble, spoon coffee glaze over the top of the loaf, spreading it out to the edges and corners. Let the icing drizzle down the sides of the loaf on its own. Immediately drizzle over the chocolate glaze, then swirl the two glazes together on top with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.
8. Sprinkle over roasted nuts and edible flowers, if desired.
This spring, softly woven bralettes provide intimate wardrobe support — especially when you’ve skipped wearing lingerie with lockdowns of late. Worn with colour-coordinated outfits, they allow a peep into your style prowess. Look for natural fibres, like cashmere, and wear with confidence.
Considering his father was a founder of the original Radio Hauraki in the 60s, Zane Lowe’s eventual ascent to becoming one of the leading and most trusted voices in international music feels a lot like destiny.
Passionate about the industry from a young age, the Kiwi producer/DJ/radio host has enjoyed a career that has seen him easily described as New Zealand’s most successful music export on the global stage.
From producing records and touring as a DJ in his own right, to his influential stint hosting the prestigious BBC Radio 1 (where he held the power to make or break the career of any up-and-coming artists simply by choosing to play their music), to now, having been shoulder-tapped as Apple Music’s Global Creative Director, Lowe has been placed firmly at the forefront of music’s new era — streaming.
Instrumental in setting up and now running Apple Music Radio (formerly known as Beats 1), Apple Music’s free-to-access, 24-hour radio station, Lowe’s new shows reach a massive global audience, but it’s his uniquely honest and relatable style of interviewing that attracts the who’s who of the music industry.
For them, a conversation with Zane is about way more than just the music and interviews with artists such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Kanye West often make headlines, with The New York Times last year calling him ‘Pop’s Unofficial Therapist.’
But while the accolades have certainly opened doors for Lowe, his curious and passionate approach has remained more or less the same since he picked up his first record. For him, it’s about being as close to the music as possible — and that will never change.
Zane Lowe and Justin Bieber.
Music is one of the early entry points for imagination. I was fascinated by music from a really young age and being a parent now, watching how my kids have gravitated towards it too, it really sparks a lot of colour and movement in them.
I’ve been using music my whole life to help me translate things that are too hard for me to identify. In my formative years, when I started to develop my own thoughts and my own voice, I would spend a lot of time in my imagination, creating worlds in my head, and the thing that really moved me the most was music.
It really transported me to this other place. It wasn’t that I was trying to get away from my own reality but I was definitely searching for something more. Something that didn’t have any boundaries, that wasn’t necessarily what I could see outside my window. And music really took me there.
It was like a gateway to emotion and to things that I didn’t have the capacity to understand when I was younger. So that’s what began this deep relationship and I think it’s remained like that all the way through.
My grandfather played guitar, my grandmother loved music, my mum and dad loved music, my brother was instrumental in getting me into certain types of music because he had the record collection and he had the taste.
But I definitely think I took it to new levels personally. I was always asking, how can I get in the room where the people are making or playing music?
I was drawn more towards the experience and the process, not just the result, so that’s where, for me, it developed from an interest to a passion and from a passion to an ambition and from an ambition to a life’s work.
I was a fan first and foremost but I knew, way before I had the means or the maturity to do it myself, that music was what I wanted to do. I wanted to either be in a band or make records or produce records or talk about records. I suppose my dad’s big influence came from the radio side of it because that’s where I ended up eventually.
I started by producing records before travelling and getting myself into the best job I could find, making and presenting music TV, which led me to radio and eventually to the BBC. It was within that space that I realised I could draw on my passion for performance and being inside the process and translate that into the language of media.
I learned how to bring the energy that music gave me into the media space. So I would get on the air and throw myself into it and be passionate about it. And while my style might be divisive to some, all I needed was a few people to get it — and they did.
When you’re at BBC Radio 1 you never want it to end. It’s the dream gig if you’re a radio DJ or a broadcaster of any capacity, and I had an amazing 12-13 years there. But as that was coming to its natural conclusion, music was moving into this new, on-demand space where we no longer had to make appointments to listen to or view what we wanted, it was just there. And I was starting to see those behaviour changes occurring through my kids.
So that’s when I started looking at what could be next, and realised that subscription services and streaming were going to be the way to access the things that we loved. If I could find somewhere where they put it all in one place and I could become a part of that new experience, then that was going to be the ultimate. And sure enough, that’s what happened, thanks to a group of people at Apple who felt the same way.
Everyone I’ve ever worked with at Apple believes in the power of music, the importance of artists, the relationship between artists and fans and the privilege of being a conduit, a bridge between those two. That is the only conversation that matters and it’s something that Apple has placed at the core of what we do.
My role is to be immersed in that experience as deeply as I can be, and to be a guiding light for the artistic community to help bring them into the streaming experience, as well as evangelising our own streaming experience (which obviously, I think is the best) back to the industry.
Apple is the sum of all parts of my journey in a strange way because I’ve had to put everything I’ve learned and all my instincts to drive this new lane of communication through our radio shows and interviews.
But when it comes down to it, it’s answering the same questions I’ve always had — can I be as close to the process as possible? And when all is said and done, how many amazing experiences can I stack up along the way?
The fans are closer than they’ve ever been to the music. That door is open now and I don’t think it always was. You used to need permission to ask those deeper, more personal questions before, when conversations were more transactional. It was like, ‘if I’m going to talk to you, I have a job and you have a job and we’re here to sell records.’
But with artists using new tools like social media, direct-to-fan communication and direct distribution through streaming, that formal format has evaporated. Now, what we have is a very artist-forward future, which allows artists to hyper-focus on what they want to say and how — it’s all very bespoke.
If you’re an artist with a strong vision, you’re picking your future and you’re building it.
Zane Lowe and Kendrick Lamar.
When I was growing up, I thought a record deal was the only way to get past go. And while they still count, they’re not the only way anymore. That translates into the conversation space too. I’m seeing so much more openness and an interest in diving into new areas of the experience.
I’ll have a conversation with someone that goes pretty deep and then I’ll look at the comments and there is so much personal expression in that space from fans saying ‘oh man, that made me feel some kind of way,’ so it’s sparking this new interest in communication and I love that. But that’s only happened in the last half a decade.
If you listen to my interviews before, really up until the time I interviewed Jay-Z, it was very much about ticking the commercial boxes.
I used to do a lot of talking, but I really only just learned to listen. That’s the simple answer to why I’m able to have such personal conversations with the artists I interview now. I still do a lot of talking, but I always used to be searching for ways to insert myself into the conversation, probably out of insecurity.
A few years ago, I sat down with this great performance coach who watched my stuff and said, ‘I know you’ve been doing this a long time but there are some fundamentals here that you’re ignoring,’ and one of them was my need to always fill the pauses. So I had to learn to wait and to not be afraid of letting someone collect their thoughts. And that was a major game-changer for me. It slowed everything down and made me realise that a conversation is not a game of table tennis.
If I was talking to a friend or a family member who was giving me insight, I wouldn’t cut them off, so why would I do it with my guests? So I started to actively force myself to sit in the moment without trying to fill the space.
Once I started listening, I learnt so much more, and could apply those learnings to the next interview and the next one, so the conversations started changing in real time. And as I was able to open myself up, artists seemed ready to do the same.
It can be challenging when great artists get to that era of ‘no.’ They don’t want to talk to anyone, they don’t have to talk to anyone and they’re just dedicated to their craft and to their fans. And for someone in the media space like me, where access is everything, I’m like ‘what do you mean ‘no’?’ But actually, that is a beautiful place for the artist, and if you’re able to let that process play out then eventually, when they come back to you and say, ‘let’s have a conversation,’ it’s THE conversation.
It’s the one you’ve been waiting for because they want to do it and they have so much more to talk about. It might not always be me that has it but it will always be me that watches it, listens to it or reads about it because I recognise that when an artist gets to the place where they’re living and working by design and not by demand, it’s incredible. And when I have those kinds of conversations, it reminds me why I do this.
Every time I’ve spoken with Jay-Z it was like listening to this incredibly intelligent, wise empathetic and confident human explaining things in a really beautiful way. I’m not sure if we’ll ever get a chance to chat on the record again but he’s one of my favourite people to talk to. Even when I see him off the record it’s just the same — he’s got this amazing, thoughtful way of communicating.
Zane Lowe and Kanye West.
Sitting down with Kanye West was like being in a room with somebody who is just so in the moment, so hyper-present. A lot of times when you have conversations with people, there’s this dance and it’s all a bit architectural, like you know where they want to go.
And people often say that Kanye has it all mapped out and has this agenda, but that’s not the feeling I had. I just felt like I was going through each moment with him in real time, and it was one of the most spontaneous experiences I’ve had in an interview, which made it super fascinating.
The last conversation I had with Eminem was just about his cassette collection and it was one of my favourite conversations ever. Those ones are always a joy, the unexpected ones. I always get something brilliant out of them.
Last year felt like a very human year. We found this ability to open up the virtual experience and make it incredibly meaningful. At Apple Music 1, we stacked up over 100 ‘At Home With…’ shows and a lot of one-hour interview pieces and every day felt different, with such a variety of conversations.
It was probably the most fascinating year I’ve ever spent communicating with artists because it never felt transactional, it just felt very human. Of course it was also unbelievably challenging and disruptive and sad and frustrating but it also had moments that were really inspiring.
In and amongst all of the tragedy of the last 12 months, there was a lot of stillness for the artistic community, a lot of time spent not travelling or being distracted by the noise, because if you want to stay active as an artist it’s super hard work and it usually never ends. Getting observations from the artists inside that quiet place for the first time and in such succession was so enlightening.
There used to be so many barriers between artists and their audience. They needed a promoter who was going to book them, a label to put them out, someone to do their PR, a record store to sell their records. It was like a long lunch table where media, business and legal teams were sitting and artists would come up and say ‘hey can I sit next to you?’ and they’d be like, ‘well that depends.’
Now, the table is full of fans and artists and the media, business and legal teams are the ones coming up and saying, ‘hey can I sit next to you?’ and they’re saying ‘well that depends.’ That has been one of the best ways the industry has changed, in my opinion.
The way music is distributed now is incredible. Sometimes we get songs an hour before they’re available to everybody and for someone who came from radio and was used to having records for six weeks before they came out (at Radio 1 the audience relied on us to hear them before they went out and bought them) that’s just gone now.
I’m inspired by that because it really speaks to me as a fan. When I was in the middle of the Radio 1 era I felt like I held this responsibility as the gatekeeper of new music and while I loved every second of it, the whole system now is geared up to superserve the fans, which is the way it should have always been. The smartest people in the industry are the ones who recognise that.
Music has become such a hybrid culture. I grew up in a genre-fied space so people either loved heavy metal or indie music or hip hop or rock or whatever it was, and they would wear the Metallica or Britney Spears t-shirt and buy the poster and hang out with people who listened to the same things but it’s not like that anymore. Yes, there are still devout fans but most kids now are just listening to great.
The Apple transition was a sharp learning curve for me. When I first got to Apple I was asking things like ‘what do you want me to build? What is Beats 1? What is the format? What is the theme?’ And Jimmy [Jimmy Iovine, an Apple Music executive and one of the founders of Beats Electronics which was acquired by Apple Music in 2014] was like ‘it’s great. That’s the genre.’
So it was a couple of years of swimming in the deep end, trying to build a radio station with a few people and expanding that to 60-70 people across three countries and three studios and something that had to exist on 24-hour time in all time zones.
What we did with Beats 1 had really never been done before and the whole thing was so intense and the stress levels were high, but they should have been. We were building something new and trying to establish a radio station on a streaming service in a really competitive space. So it was about doing whatever we could do to make sure that it actually took off.
Five years later, Beats 1 became Apple Music 1 and we added Apple Music Country and Apple Music Hits.
I definitely have my issues with anxiety there’s no doubt about that. And it’s something I have to constantly monitor. It’s really important that I find a balance between how much I’m willing to throw myself into work versus how it affects me on the back end of the day, because when I’m in it I don’t think about it.
Also suffering from OCD throughout my life as a byproduct of all of that gives me this focus, but there have been times where I don’t read the signs and I come out of a period of work and feel knocked out.
Being a father is something that keeps me vigilant about overworking. My kids are 15 and nearly 13 now and I want to set an example in the way I manage my work and my lifestyle. Although I love my job, nothing is more important than my family. I love what I do but never at the sacrifice of them.
I’ve listened to more music being at a streaming service than ever before. At the BBC it was difficult because we were so focused on our playlists and I was doing a number of jobs and touring a lot, so my music time was split across different things.
When I came out to California and decided to focus entirely on Apple, not only were my kids developing their own taste in music and turning me onto things, but I was suddenly driving again, and it’s like, what else is there to do in LA traffic but listen to music? So it restarted the passion for me and I’ve been loving it outside of work in the strongest way.
I’ve been obsessed with making playlists and I recently started collecting vinyl again. When I pull out a record and hold it in my hands, it’s like an event. It’s this incredible commitment — Side A to Side B all the way.
Zane Lowe and Billie Eilish.
As I move forward in my career I’m becoming closer to music, not further away from it. I’m as excited now getting a record in the post or going record shopping as I was when I was a kid and I don’t know if that’s my midlife crisis or whatever but going record shopping for me is such a great way to spend time.
It’s all a byproduct of moving into this space. I use streaming in the way that it’s supposed to be used. I share a lot of music, I make a lot of playlists, I’m inside the process, I’m malleable with the music, I manipulate it and move it around. It’s tactile to me even though it’s in my phone.
The idea of success has changed throughout my life. At first it was about proving something about my ability (probably to myself). And then it became more competitive around whether my show was bringing in the numbers and hitting all the targets. But coming to Apple was freeing because I wasn’t brought on board to worry about any of that other stuff. I just had to make Beats 1 fantastic and that’s what we set out to achieve.
I had always craved that freedom to build my show however I wanted, and with Apple, it went from a show to a station, and it went from a country to the world. So when I think about what success is to me now, I just have to ask, am I still enthralled by the opportunity?
Am I still excited by the idea of sharing music and of discovering new artists? Do I still get a huge kick out of interviewing Elvis Costello or Barry Gibb or Cyndi Lauper? Hell yeah!
Do I love waking up on the 5th of January and having someone play me ‘Driver’s License’ and realising that a brand new superstar is here? Do I love sitting on a mountain in the most obscenely amazing environment having this great conversation with Billie Eilish? Absolutely.
Am I looking forward to talking to St. Vincent tomorrow? More than I ever have, and I’ve talked to her heaps. So as long as I’m still feeling that excitement and enthusiasm, that is success to me.
I’m not hung up on the competitive side of it anymore. I’m still hungry but it’s not the driving force. I just want this experience to have a really great arc. I don’t want to burn myself out to the point where I feel that I should have stopped years ago or I should have done something else.
I want my life to have a great cadence where it’s like, wow I learnt a lot, my family is healthy and I’ve had all of these amazing experiences and lessons — the ups and the downs, the challenges and the triumphs, a full life lived.
There are no scenes in music anymore, it’s all thriving! Dance music is going to be massive again. And meditation music is about to go through the roof too. Everyone will want to either stay calm or dance, that’s what it’s going to be like.
Expect more festival shit, rock music, a lot of amplification and guitars coming back, and rap music will be stronger, bigger and bolder than ever, there are some unbelievable voices coming through in that space.
Zane Lowe and Lady Gaga.
My advice to young artists is listen to your instincts and do your due diligence. Trust your gut, if you believe what you’re making is great, it is. If you’re not sure why people aren’t connecting to it, do the work. It’s not about the quality of the music if your instincts are telling you that this is the most honest reflection of who you are as an artist, you have to work to find your audience.
Music should come naturally but the audience takes work. So go and find your people. The good news is that you have every tool at your disposal now.
You have your own social media handle, your own distribution model, the ability to create your own artwork, do your own videos and create your own music with a fraction of the money it took to do those things 10 years ago. All that stuff is laid out.
So the only question you have to ask yourself is whether this is what you really want? And if you want a life in service to your art and your music, then wow, what a time to be alive.
Because it’s all right there. And by the way, I’m still here and I can’t wait to hear your music. I can’t wait to play your song on the radio, or talk to you about your music. So the opportunities are bountiful, but the principles are the same. Believe in yourself and do the work.
The genius of Frank Gehry is immediately apparent to anyone who has visited the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain or the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, but it’s just as easy to appreciate by taking a seat.
Frank Gehry
Before the blockbuster buildings, Gehry’s fascination with unusual materials hit an early high point with the Wiggle Side Chair. Take a look back at something worth looking down on, in the nicest possible way.
1929: Frank Gehry is born in Toronto and, after working as a radio announcer and truck driver, studies architecture at the University of California and Harvard in the fifties.
1969-1972: Having established his own firm in Los Angeles in 1961, Gehry saw a pile of corrugated cardboard outside his office and started to experiment. Inspired by a childhood spent exploring his grandfather’s hardware shop, Gehry set about creating the Easy Edges furniture series, highlighting the strength and versatility of cardboard.
“I discovered that by alternating the direction of layers of corrugations, the finished board had enough strength to support a small car, and a uniform, velvety texture on all four sides,” he told The Christian Science Monitor in 1972. “I found I could cut these edgeboard sections into geometrical forms, or bend them into sculptural, ribbon-candy folds.”
The shape is reminiscent of Verner Panton’s 1960 fibreglass Panton chair. Gehry’s cardboard pieces were originally designed for artist Robert Irwin’s studio but become popular when produced for the public.
1973: With the ever-growing popularity of the Wiggle Chair, Gehry was worried that it would overshadow his reputation as an architect and stopped production of the Easy Edges collection.
1982: Gehry stopped producing the noise-reducing and environmentally sustainable cardboard furniture, ceding the rights to Vitra. It was a fortuitous relationship with Gehry going on to design the Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, Germany, which opened in 1989.
Ivanhoe Home by Doherty Design Studio
Today: The Wiggle Chair is in New York’s Museum of Modern Art and continues to be used by interior designers to add impact with its unique silhouette and immediate aesthetic integrity. It is available in New Zealand at Matisse.
To design something that endures, that transcends tastes and trends over time, is almost impossible. But in 1966, that’s exactly what American designer Warren Platner did, creating a collection of furniture for renowned brand Knoll that, since its release, has not only never been out of production, but has become a cornerstone of modernist design, its ubiquitous pieces catapulting their creator to the lofty status of ‘icon’.
Warren Platner studied architecture at Cornell University before working with the likes of Raymond Loewy (the ‘father of industrial design’), Eero Saarinen (known for his explorative and experimental architecture and famous for designing the Gateway Arch and the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport) and I.M. Pei (the iconic designer who conceived the Louvre pyramid). Eventually, he set up his own studio and went out on his own, producing a number of formidable designs. But although his CV read like a who’s who of modernist design, it wasn’t until his collection for Knoll that Platner’s independent vision was given a global platform.
Not afraid to colour outside the lines, Platner’s particular brand of modernism marked a change in the aesthetic from something that was often stark, rigid and minimal to something that didn’t shy away from the ornate. In fact, it was the designer’s ability to balance these two opposing ideas that made his collection for Knoll so successful.
At the time, Platner said, “I felt there was room for the kind of decorative, gentle, graceful design that appeared in period styles like Louis XV… but it could have a more rational base.” As such, the designer’s seminal collection was sculptural and sinuous, with pieces fashioned from hundreds of thin, nickel-plated steel rods, seamlessly manipulated to form fluid shapes and intricate, cylindrical bases in a delicate combination of practicality and polish. And while the collection as a whole has been hailed as a triumph, it is the Platner chairs — the Easy Chair, the Lounge Chair and the Dining Chair— that have perhaps achieved the most recognition.
So what is it about these chairs that, despite decades having passed since their release, have seen them remain staples of interior design? For one, there is a beauty in the way that their simple curves and sleek, understated presence belie their incredibly complex construction. For some versions, more than 1,000 welds are required and nowadays the Platner chairs are available in a wide range of base and upholstery options, including a special, 50th-anniversary version that was released in 2015 with rods plated in 18-karat gold. For another, Platner designed these pieces to look as impressive with a person sitting in them, as they did standing alone, ensuring each would catch the eye without ever taking over a space, or being louder than their users.
“It is important that if you design a chair, you produce something [that] enhances the person in it,” Platner said of his creations, “because the basic premise [of a chair]… is ridiculous from a visual standpoint. I think that’s why chairs are so difficult to design.”
Since their release, the Platner chairs have found a universal audience — from design enthusiasts to interior experts to those who really know nothing about their history beyond the way they look — which, unfortunately, has also resulted in their frequent replication. That said, none are ever as good as the real thing, which (luckily) is available to us locally via the clever design specialists at Studio Italia.
Of his designs, Platner once reflected that “you hope to produce a classic. A classic is something that, every time you look at it, you accept it as it is and you can see no way of improving it. You can refine something forever, but you reach a point where you’re moving backwards…” Indeed, from their enduring nature to the way they can be made to suit any space, the Platner chairs exemplify this idea of the ‘classic’. It’s easy to say that they were ahead of their time, but really, if their decades-long lifespan says anything, it’s that they are truly ageless.
Around the world, September is the biggest month for fashion — with New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks unfolding one after the other. As the rest of the world returned to the street style schedule, there was a rambunctious range of looks that celebrated being able to dress up again. While we prepare our wardrobes for a return to outings and outfits (soon) we are inspired by the low-key yet luxurious looks that show an assured appreciation of style.
From Christopher Esber’s effortless dresses (available from Muse Boutique) to Chloé’s cult-status Woody tote (now online at Workshop) some key pieces are already on our shores. Snap these up from Auckland’s foremost, forward-thinking boutiques, and thank yourself later.
Right: Kat Collings wears Christopher Esber, brand available at Muse.
From left: Chloé Woody Tote available from Workshop; Filippa K Hutton Trouser available from Workshop.
Aissata Kourouma wears Ganni, brand available at Workshop.
From left: Nanushka Idris Twist Shirt available from Muse; Tibi Suit, brand available from Muse.
Designed, as its name suggests, to be a seat more suited to special occasions (and not to be exposed to the eroding effects of everyday use) the occasional chair is a thing of beauty. Sculptural and serene, it sits in the centre of the living space, or in the corner of a bedroom as a perpetual reminder to pick up that book you’ve been meaning to finish and put your feet up — even if it is only once or twice a week.
From sensual curves to jutting angles and delightfully awkward structures, the occasional chair comes in a variety of shapes and finishes, suitable for any kind of space. Here, we round up the 10 we’re coveting at the moment.
Long beloved for its ability to add sumptuous texture to an interior arrangement, velvet furniture is still making its presence felt — literally — with tactile charm. Double down on the sensory effect with a piece like Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofa (pictured below); already distinctive for its bunched fabric rolls, the addition of velvet takes it to another level.
From top to bottom: Amsterdam sofa from BoConcept; Marenco sofa by Mario Marenco for Arflex from Studio Italia; Bowy sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina from Matisse.
From left: Togo Fireside Chair by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset; Healey Chair by PearsonLloyd for Walter Knoll from Matisse.
From top to bottom: Pukka Armcahir by Yabu Pushelberg for Ligne Roset; Utrecht Armchair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina from Matisse; Ruché Armchair by Inga Sempé for Ligne Roset.
She’s been called New Zealand’s ‘encyclopaedia of design’, and working with a leading supplier of world-class furniture, Matisse, means Caroline Montague is a wealth of knowledge and style. We took the chance over lockdown to quiz her on her current inspirations and frequent fascinations.
My personal style can be defined as: Ironic Havelock North.
The last thing I bought and loved was: The austerely plain Lemaire low heels from La Garçonne.
An unforgettable place I visited was: The giant Sequoia forests in Northern California (currently a fire hazard).
The next place I’d like to go to: Anywhere with snow.
An object I would never part with is: My Andy Warhol silver Elvis Cowboy vase.
On my wish list is: An industrial/hospital-style bathroom.
When I was younger, I wanted to be: A cartoonist.
I am inspired by: Youtube declutterers.
My favourite app is: RNZ for the Concert Programme.
My guilty pleasure is: You can’t have too many furniture books.
My secret talent is: A well-placed backhand.
Private residence in San Sebastian, designed by Andrée Putman in 2005.
My favourite cultural/style icon is: Andrée Putman (French interior and product designer).
The best book I’ve read in the last year is: Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee.
I can’t miss an episode of: University Challenge, UK Version — Work that cardigan!
In my fridge you’ll always find: S.Pellegrino and not much else.
I recently discovered: I am more likely to show up for a personal trainer.
My favourite website is: 1stdibs.
From Left to right: Zissou in his Tire-Boat, 1911 and Bouboutte, Rouzat, 1908 by Jacques Henri Lartigue.
If price were not an issue, the one artist whose work I would collect is: Jacques Henri Lartigue.
The last meal out I had that truly impressed me was: Amano — Lamb shoulder with roast potatoes, then rice pudding — an actual proper dinner.
The podcasts I listen to are: Matt Bradshaw’s Coffee Break Tennis.
The best gift I ever received was:Either a hardback set of Proust with the original Enid Marx covers or my apartment.
The latest music I’m loving is: I love Baroque Opera, especially Rameau and Handel — those very weird, avant-garde French and German productions add another layer.
Left to right: Aluminium Group chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller; Alanda Low table by Paolo Piva for B&B Italia, available from Matisse.
I’m obsessed with the work of: Konstantin Grcic (German industrial designer).
My favourite piece of his work is: Table B Concrete for BD Barcelona.
The one thing people should invest their money in when it comes to furniture is: What they absolutely love and cannot live without. I recommend always buying authentic, original furniture that can be used for a lifetime then handed on. Matisse, of course, has a superb selection of both classic and contemporary designs to meet your requirements.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is: Comfort is a visual thing.
The word ‘takeaways’ conjures different associations for different people. For some, it’s pizza that gets them daydreaming of dinner, for others, perhaps burgers. For those who immediately start craving a selection of dumplings or a warming, fragrant curry; fresh noodle salads or salty, spicy kimchi, these are the places you should be ordering from.
Saan.
Saan Should a craving for authentic Northern Thai cuisine hit you, look no further than Saan on Ponsonby Road. Offering its fragrant tiger prawn Pad Thai, Mussaman lamb curry, crispy pork belly, and wok-seared eggplant and tofu (to name a few), both contactless pick-up and delivery via Uber Eats are available. Saan’s opening hours for this service are Wednesday to Saturday, 4.30pm to 8.30pm. Order online here.
Hello Beasty Viaduct Harbour’s Hello Beasty melds Japanese, Korean and Chinese flavours in its punchy, clean and vibrant dishes, and has a take-home menu of dinner packs for between two and four people, which include all the dishes you could desire for a scrumptious feast. Receive a delicious main like chargrilled Sichuan lamb shoulder with sides like broccolini, spring onion flatbreads and rice. Vegetarian options are available, plus individual dishes and sides like karaage chicken, sticky pork buns and chicken katsu sandos. Order online here and follow @eatupbeasty for updates.
Azabu Those with a hankering for Azabu’s supremely fresh Peruvian-Japanese fare will be pleased to hear a selection of its most popular dishes will be coming to a plate near you. Find sushi and sashimi, Nikkei steak, free range chicken karaage, crispy pork belly, prawn dumplings and more, available for pick-up from Azabu’s Ponsonby and Mission Bay locations. Order online here.
Ghost Street.
Ghost Street Recently-opened, subterranean Chinese eatery Ghost Street is all set to bring its flavourful fare to your dining room. A curated menu is available for both pick-up and on Uber Eats for delivery, including delicious dumplings, noodle and rice-based mains, dishes like soy-braised dong po pork belly and fried organic chicken leg with sweet soy black vinegar sauce, plus vegetables and even sweets to finish like Hong Kong-style egg tarts. Available Wednesday to Saturday, 4.30pm to 8.30pm. Order online here.
Mr Hao Known for its sharing plates and spice-centric fare, look to the level 3 offering of this modern Chinese eatery to impart a kick to your dinner. Mr Hao has come up with a set of ‘comfort meals’ for pre-order, a combination of dishes that are designed to feed either two-to-three or three-to-four people. Dishes on offer include Hao’s spicy chicken wings, fried noodles, dumplings in spicy broth and more. Delivery is available from either of the Dominion Road or Albany locations. Order and see all delivery and payment details here.
Gochu Attention Gochu’s many fans, the Commercial Bay Korean eatery has two of its most popular dishes available for you to eat at home. Order Jason’s Fried Chicken and four-packs of the signature Milk Buns, both designed to reheat and enjoy within your own abode. You can pick-up from a collection point on the ground floor of Commercial Bay or arrange for delivery to selected suburbs. We’ll take ours with a Gochu x Checks t-shirt, thanks. For availability, delivery zones and ordering click here.
White & Wong’s Modern Asian eatery White and Wong’s has its Viaduct and Newmarket location open for contactless pick-ups. From dumplings to warming soups, starters like Peking duck, mains like curry and BBQ’d meats, and much more, you’re in for an at-home feast thanks to the restaurant’s extensive menu. Or if you would prefer to stay at home, you can find them on Uber Eats. Order online here, in person or over the phone.
1947 Inner-city Indian favourite 1947 Eatery has got your curry cravings under control, with a menu full of its most popular dishes available for pick-up and delivery via Uber Eats. Try something from the tandoor or the famous bang bang butter chicken — and the street samosa chaat and garlic naan is a must. Order online here.
Ebisu.
Ebisu Britomart’s elevated Japanese restaurant Ebisu is offering a curated range of its signature dishes including the Ebi Mayo roll, sashimi and sushi platters and the tuna ceviche roll for contactless pick-up online. There is also a new selection of Omakase (chefs choice) set meals, and a range of bottled cocktails, sake, Champagne and wine to add to your order. Children will be well looked after too, with the kid’s sushi platter also available. Order online here.
V.T Station Should a hankering hit you for Indian dishes that pack a punch of flavour, we suggest making Newmarket’s V.T. Station your first port of call. V.T. Station melds fresh ingredients and a street-food sensibility to create its moreish fare. Already adept at serving takeaways, choose from its substantial eat-at-home menu that you can order online for pick-up or delivery via UberEats. Order online here.
Bali Nights A culinary trip to Bali from your bubble just became possible thanks to Bali Nights’ level 3 menu — order delicious street food-style dishes such as beef rendang, nasi goreng and more online and over the phone for contactless pick-up. The team are also working on deliveries, coming soon. Bali Nights’ sister restaurant, Indonesian eatery It’s Java!, also has online ordering available on its website, plus deliveries through Delivereasy and Ubereats. Order Bali Nights online here. And It’s Java! online here.
Ginger When it comes to takeaways, Thai is one of our favourites for fresh and flavoursome fair. Ginger in Remuera is offering contactless takeaways and deliveries on its colourful menu — from classic ka ree puff and tom yum soups to sweet chilli snapper and papaya salad. The team encourages placing orders ahead for the following day, to avoid long expected wait times as its locals rush back. Order online here, or over the phone on 09 523 2626.
Gaja.
Gaja Ponsonby Central’s popular new Korean eatery has a delicious menu available for contactless pick-up. Find a takeaway-friendly selection of its moreish modern Korean fare, including kimchi and tofu or beef brisket Mandu (Korean-style dumplings); various renditions of Korean Fried Chicken; Dupbap bowls; noodles and more. The takeaway service will be running 7 days a week, 12pm — 8:30pm. Order online here or phone 09 600 3466.
Cafe Hanoi A hankering for the freshness and flavour of Vietnamese food can be satiated thanks to Cafe Hanoi’s at-home menu, available for pick-up from its Britomart premises or delivery via Uber Eats. On offer are fresh rice paper rolls, main dishes like wok-seared market fish and roast duck, curries and vegetable dishes, salads and more. Available Wednesday to Saturday, 4.30pm to 8.30pm. Order online here.
Ockhee Open for both contactless pick-ups and delivery within a 3km radius from its base, beloved Ponsonby Road Korean spot Ockhee has us sorted with its flavourful dishes — from rice-based Dubbap and Bibimbaps, to that moreish fried chicken, noodles, sides and delicious soup kits. The level 3 offering is available Thursday to Sunday, 5pm — 9:30pm with last orders at 9pm. Order online here or call on 09-217-2020.
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