Denizen was built around the inherent philosophy of celebrating the best of the best, shining a light on those dedicated to a particular cause and drawing attention to notable up-and-comers across a range of industries.
Aiming to lift people up and keep our readers abreast of the seemingly endless pool of talent we have on our doorstep, we have never been (nor do we ever intend on being) a platform that criticises or passes judgement.
Denizen’s Winter issue unveils the Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express winners, runners up and top ten of each of the award categories — as voted by you — our food-savvy, enthusiastic readers. Once again we celebrate and honour the dedicated people who keep us satiated and drive our hospitality industry forward.
Elsewhere, we delve into awe-inspiring design, the best forward-looking fashion, the newest trends and treatments to know about in wellbeing and a comprehensive cultural guide on what to read, watch and listen to while tucked up on the couch.
We also garner exclusive access to inspiring people including renowned interior designer Virginia Fisher (who delivers a fascinating masterclass), former ‘it’ girl and prolific writer Garance Doré, lauded radio DJ and Apple Music’s Global Creative Director, Zane Lowe, and rugby great-turned-entrepreneur Dan Carter.
And with the forthcoming season likely to see you heading south to our own version of wonderland, we have curated a concise edit on the very best places to wine and dine in the Queenstown region this season.
Ever since Precinct Properties opened Commercial Bay last year, the development has had a significant impact on the vibe and character of downtown Auckland. Packed with premium retail and hospitality, Commercial Bay has become the elevated, one-stop-shop for discerning Aucklanders seeking dining and shopping experiences that feel more aligned with the kinds they might have had overseas.
Now, Precinct (the country’s largest owner and developer of premium, city-centre real estate) has announced that the second stage of the development that began with Commercial Bay, is set to commence construction shortly. The One Queen Street redevelopment will take up residence on the floors above Commercial Bay, and will comprise Auckland’s first InterContinental hotel alongside 14,000 square metres of premium office space and a variety of exceptional food and beverage outlets, including a spectacular rooftop bar on Level 21.
Welcoming such a globally-renowned accommodation offering as the InterContinental is certainly an exciting prospect for Auckland. The hotel itself is designed to be fully integrated with Commercial Bay and will comprise 139 rooms across floors 6-11. Its enviable position will not only allow guests unprecedented views across the Waitematā harbour, but will place them squarely at the heart of Auckland’s bustling waterfront and give them direct and easy access to some of the best restaurants, bars and retail this city has to offer.
“We are absolutely thrilled to announce the construction commencement of this flagship project,” says Precinct’s Chief Executive, Scott Pritchard, “as we continue to play our part in the creation of a world-class waterfront destination.” Indeed, the construction of One Queen Street will mark the completion of Precinct Properties’ $1 billion Commercial Bay development and solidify the mixed-use, urban precinct as a destination of international quality, matching the increasingly cosmopolitan demands of this City’s residents.
In early 2020, up-and-coming New Zealand painter Grace Bader held a solo exhibition that showcased her unique métier of layered, textural paint, confident colours and experimentation with form, and set a precedent of success for the young talent. (It was a sell-out.)
Now, the artist is back with another solo exhibition in which she continues to play with perception, creating works that balance abstract ideas and shapes with simple figures, objects and tones. The female form, specifically, is explored, alongside a range of everyday objects, as Bader delves into the dichotomy between intimacy and separation, and how our internalised view of ‘self’ impacts our external presence and surrounding environment. As in her first exhibition, Bader has again employed colour in a bold, unapologetic way, giving substance, tension and depth to her tableaux via a clever use of contrasting and complementary tones.
Speaking to the simple beauty that can be found in everyday life, this body of work sees Bader seeking out moments of peace, which translates into a sense of overarching calm and stillness that reaches out from the canvas between the undulating, dynamic forms.
Opening tonight at Melanie Roger Gallery on Karagahape Road and running until the 12th of June, Bader’s new exhibition is (if her last one is anything to go by) set to be hugely popular, and we would advise anyone interested in picking up a piece for themselves to hasten along (lest you miss your chance).
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.
There’s nothing quite like a long, hot bath to shake off a stressful day, or to counter the chills that come with the onset of winter. Essential in any master bathroom, a large, luxurious tub — whether tucked away in a nook or positioned front-and-centre — will (we promise) revolutionise your after-work routine.
When considering a new bathtub, it is to the experts at Victoria and Albert that you should turn. For decades, this beloved British brand has dedicated itself to creating some of the most exquisite, freestanding baths we have ever come across, cultivating a global reputation for its pieces that balance beautiful design with practicality and a focus on high quality. With most of the brand’s tubs made from its specially-created QUARRYCAST™ material, a unique blend of Volcanic Limestone and high-performance resins (and each one coming with a 25-year guarantee), it’s hardly surprising that Victora and Albert has become the go-to for anyone seeking to step-up their bathroom game. Lucky for us, the brand is available locally from Robertson.
So, without further ado, we present some of the spectacular bathtubs that have caught our attention of late. Oh, what we would give to be able to post up in one of these with a good book and a glass of wine.
In this decidedly cute new cafe, located on Khyber Pass Road (with another entrance from the base of the SKHY Apartment complex) incredibly fluffy bread and expertly-roasted coffee take centre stage. Started by partners Kayla Nong and Michael Nguyen, Fluff is the result of a passion project that grew out of the former’s penchant for baking uniquely soft, fluffy bread over lockdown and the latter’s years of experience in hospitality as a barista. Opening a cafe had long been on the cards for the duo, and now felt like the perfect time.
As you have probably already guessed, Fluff’s name was conceived to reflect its food offering. “I wanted to focus the menu around our special, fluffy bread,” Kayla tells me, which she explains, is the opposite of the classic sourdough we’re used to. “It’s soft like a pillow,” she says, “like a mixture between Japanese bread and brioche, so you have a bit of that sweetness, similar to a brioche, but it never feels too much and it works as perfectly with savoury dishes as it does with sweet.”
From left: Inside Fluff; The Gogi.
Fluff’s menu is a tasty, daytime affair (thanks to experienced Chef Jason Meng) where classic, Kiwi brunch dishes meet Asian-fusion flavours in a delicious mix of sweet and savoury. The Smashing, for instance, is an interesting twist on traditional smashed avocado, with edamame, free-range egg, tomato, coriander and lime juice on (you guessed it) fluffy bread. In fact, most of Fluff’s dishes are served as tasty mixtures of meats and/or vegetables on thick slices of the good stuff.
The Gogi is a highlight, where Korean bulgogi beef is served with kimchi, mixed slaw and candied sesame; as is the Chick Flick, with fried chicken, sriracha mayo, radish and fried basil. And for anyone with a penchant for sweet, we’re predicting that the Frenchie, with fluffy French toast, lemon curd, seasonal fruit, hokey pokey and maple syrup (and bacon if you’re feeling particularly naughty) will be an instant hit. Those with dietary restrictions should also note that despite Fluff’s bread-centric menu and meat-based dishes, there are still plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options available.
From left: The Frenchie; The Smashing.
Alongside the food, Fluff is offering a range of specialty coffee from the beans of Kayla and Michael’s own roastery — Sorted. “Michael is very precise about our coffees and how they’re made,” Kayla tells me, “our long blacks, for example, are all brewed from single-origin beans, which taste totally different from a normal blend… they produce this very fruity, juicy flavour.” Cold-brew and batch-brew options made using Sorted beans are also available, as are a variety of non-coffee options, including pressed juices, smoothies, housemade sodas and teas, ensuring that there really is something to quench every kind of thirst.
Stepping into Fluff, it becomes clear that the name relates to more than just the bread alone. With pops of yellow, pink and blue and an eye-catching neon sign to offset the exposed concrete, the interiors of this cafe (which were finished with the help of Spaceworks and The Fitout Company) embody the light-hearted ethos of its food.
Fluff’s entrance from SKHY apartments.
“One day we would love to have a production kitchen so that we can sell our bread wholesale,” Kayla tells me, “and we also want to grow our roastery and maybe open a few mini espresso bars around town where the focus would be on our coffee.” For now, however, Fluff is open from today and will stay open every week, from Monday until Friday, 7am until 2:30pm (with the possibility of weekend hours in the near future). Whether you’re looking for a tasty bite or a delicious coffee to kick off your day, Fluff is a great place to start.
Sparking wonder and bringing boundless joy, a bookshelf with plenty of good books is fundamental for building small imaginations. From humorous to insightful, these new kids’ books are to be cherished.
G My Name Is Girl by Dawn Masi Celebrating girls around the world, this joyful, A-Z picture book depicts 26 girls from different countries and shines a light on their empowering traits. It is a reminder that we are all connected, and even includes a map at the back in which little readers can point out all the countries mentioned.
My Monster And Me by Nadiya Hussain & Ella Bailey Written by a former winner of The Great British Bake Off and a woman who herself has struggled with anxiety, this heartfelt tale offers subtle tools for children and their parents to deal with feelings of worry and anxiety, ensuring no one must suffer in silence.
No Pants! by Jacob Grant In this riotous book that will have you and your wee one laughing out loud, Pablo and his dad are getting ready for their day when Pablo proclaims that he won’t wear pants. A warm-hearted depiction of a father-son relationship, Pablo’s dad must learn that sometimes, pants aren’t for everyone.
Milo Imagines The World by Matt de la Pena Set to become an instant classic, this poignant book follows young Milo as he rides the subway with his sister, studying the appearances of those around him and picturing what their lives are like. It isn’t until an unexpected traveller gets off at the same stop as Milo, that he realises you can’t judge a book by its cover.
My Elephant is Blue by Melinda Szymanik and Vasanti Unka A warm, hopeful and humour-filled story about a child who is stuck carrying around an elephant, this insightful and empathetic book is about having the blues, and was written to help little ones who might be dealing with sadness, to identify and manage those feelings in a constructive way.
Where’s Brian’s Bottom? by Rob Jones In this ‘veeerrry long fold-out book’ Brian the sausage dog has lost his bottom and needs the help of little readers to find it again. Is it with Alan the hamster? Or Derrick the duck? Entertaining and interactive in equal measure, this hilarious book is suited to curious young minds and is designed to teach them about the different rooms of the house, various animals and the different sounds they make.
The Rock from The Sky by Jon Klassen This new work from celebrated picture-book creator Jon Klassen is a meditation on friendship (between a turtle and an armadillo), fate, shared futuristic visions and that feeling you get when something just isn’t right, and is full of wry wit, deadpan humour and visual suspense. This is one that you’ll enjoy and cherish just as much as your child.
In the 1950s, India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, a man with ambitions to propel his country into a new era unburdened by its past, commissioned Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (also known as Le Corbusier) to create the master plan for a new, utopian city, the like of which had never been seen before.
It was an investment — both figuratively and practically — in the promise of India’s future and became Le Corbusier’s most ambitious undertaking. Called Chandigarh, the project saw monumental architecture, cultural growth and significant modernisation and comprised a number of residential, commercial and industrial spaces including the now-famous Capitol Complex (which housed the city’s governmental buildings).
Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex.
Pierre Jeanneret’s original chair.
Recognising all of his groundbreaking architecture would need to be furnished with pieces that were in sync with his vision (and being decidedly less interested in dealing with the residential side of the city), Le Corbusier called on his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, to aid in the design process, which included creating the city’s furniture. Jeanneret conceived a number of chairs and tables to fill the spaces of Chandigarh and had them made by local artisans out of inexpensive Burma Teak that was resistant to both the humidity and the bug population of the area.
The sturdy Committee chair was one such piece that was constructed in large quantities, its distinctive V-shaped legs lending it a solid aesthetic that was destined to be its defining feature (and one of the reasons it would eventually become so widely sought-after).
Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.
As is the case with many things ahead of their time, Chandigarh, which was mostly completed by the early 1960s, fell victim to changing tastes and by the 1980s, Jeanneret’s distinctly modern designs, including a significant number of Committee chairs were being cast aside in favour of furniture that was considered far more à la mode.
Oblique House by Studio Niels.
But in the early noughties, furniture dealers began circling Chandigarh, in particular, Eric Touchaleaume, Francois Laffanour, Phillipe Jousse and Patrick Seguin, who saw value in Jeanneret’s discarded chairs before anyone else did, buying up a number of the original pieces.
Alcázar de Toledo by OOAA Arquitectura.
Obumex by Joseph Dirand.
Inevitably, Jeanneret’s chair (among his other Chandigarh furniture) was revived and found global recognition as an iconic piece of design. Favoured by acclaimed aesthetes including the likes of Belgian interior designer Axel Vervoordt and French architect Joseph Dirand, the chair attracted such steady and consistent demand that since 2011, a rule has been in place stipulating that none of the original pieces still in Chandigarh are allowed to leave India without approval from the country’s Ministry of Culture.
Two of Pierre Jeanneret’s chairs sit in Kourtney Kardashian’s home office.
Kourtney Kardashian’s dining room also features Pierre Jeanneret’s chairs.
Jeanneret chairs in both original and restored condition still attract record prices at auction and adorn the homes of renowned designers and celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian.
More recently, acclaimed Italian furniture brand, Cassina, created a series of chairs and tables it dubbed the ‘Homage à Pierre Jeanneret’ collection, paying aesthetic tribute to the original designs via simple modernist shapes, distinct V-shaped constructions and woven detailing. Comprising the Capitol Complex table, and three incarnations of the Capitol Complex chair (a luxuriously-upholstered armchair, a simple office chair and an armless dining table chair) the collection capitalises on the demand for Jeanneret’s pieces and brings those infamous designs into a contemporary context.
Cassina’s Capitol Complex chair and Capitol Complex office chair from its Hommage á Pierre Jeanneret collection from Matisse.
Today, Chandigarh is considered one of the few master-planned cities in the world to have actually succeeded and still has around one million residents living within it’s stoically curving concrete walls. And despite it being over 50 years since the city was conceived, the iconic legacy of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret lives on in these chairs — reminding us of one the most significant architectural undertakings the world has ever seen.
Cassina’s Hommage á Pierre Jeanneret collection is available locally from Matisse.
Andrew Maben has been the proprietor of popular Herne Bay bookstore, Novel, for 30 years. In that time, he has come to stock some of the most sought-after publishers and coveted coffee table books in the world — often exclusively. So who better to turn to when a coffee table makeover is on the cards? According to Andrew, “a book must look good, of course, but the content has to match the cover… the best ones are like works of art.” Here, Andrew rounds up some of his favourite coffee table books, from weighty travel tomes to limited-edition collectibles.
A very special edition... “Books in Assouline’s The Impossible Collection are hand-crafted and meticulously put together. This one about whiskey, for instance, comes in a wooden case, is sold with white gloves and most of its images have been individually inserted. It retails for about $2,000. It truly is one of the most spectacular books that Assouline publishes and lucky for me, I’m the only distributor of Assouline in New Zealand.”
An ode to the Big Apple… “I ordered about five of these books before Christmas last year and they all sold out within a week. New York books always do well but this one goes into detail about the history of the iconic city with fascinating archival images and big beautiful photos that almost transport you there. Since selling out I’ve had so many enquiries about this book, so I’ve had to order more in.”
A travel substitute… “I had one customer buy about $6,000 worth of these books at once, as well as an interior designer who came in and bought piles of them for seven of her clients. They are definitely best sellers, I think because people love the covers but then the content is really beautiful as well. At the moment, travel books are so important. I recently had a customer call me to say that these books were saving her, because when she felt sad about not being able to travel, she would just open one and feel nostalgic and hopeful about getting overseas again.”
A bible of design… “This Lisa Perry book is another Assouline one that I love. How great is that cover? It’s just a really cool exploration of design through the eyes of a woman who is known for her eccentric pops of colour and creative flair. I think people find this one inspiring, especially if they love design.”
A book of beauty… “One of the most beautiful fashion books I think I have ever stocked is this Zuhair Murad. It just blows me away. The attention to detail in every photo is exquisite, I love the careful way each garment is made and how the reader is able to see every pattern and every bead up close.”
A portrait of an icon… “This is my favourite book in the whole shop. I’ve sold close to 600 copies of it in different editions, and when the photographer died last year, Taschen did a special edition to commemorate his life. Peter Beard was regarded as the best-looking man in his day, and he had such an interesting life, all the stars used to go and stay with him. I’ve had this book (in various versions) in my store for 15 years and I’ve never grown tired of it.”
While it’s true that leather is timeless, it’s also true that compared to other fabrics, it has been subject to a huge number of reinventions — always morphing at the behest of designers who recognise its potential. Now, leather is being given a somewhat softer treatment, fashioned into elegant silhouettes and form-fitting shapes that stand at odds with the textile’s tough-guy history.
From dresses that cinch cleverly at the waist to pieces that proffer the material in lighter tones and weights, the leather of the season is distinctly ladylike, and we’re all for it. Here are the pieces, both traditional and faux leather, to add to your wardrobe now.
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