If a spare wall is looking too sparse, we suggest turning it into a curated display of special objects and curiosities with some wide-set, carefully-painted shelves.
Designed to show off anything that would be wasted behind closed doors, a good display case will add dimension and intrigue to your space.
If you are curating your display from scratch, we suggest taking care to make sure there is some cohesiveness between the objects and artworks on show. They may all be completely disparate, but perhaps a somewhat consistent palette, or aesthetic, will help tie everything together.
Painting the shelves to match the wall behind it, as in the project pictured above by YSG Studio, will highlight your chosen objects further, allowing them to take centre stage and enhance the space.
Now you’ve created your display wall, consider these beautiful, design-led functional pieces and objet d’art for filling those shelves.
Whether you’re commuting, cleaning or simply chilling out, a good podcast never goes amiss. From fashion and comedy to current events and pop culture, these picks are sure to find a place on your playlist. You never know, you may just discover your new go-to.
Chanel Connects
A new podcast from the legendary Parisian fashion house, this series focuses on culture by uniting a number of inspiring, creative minds from the arts, fashion, architecture, design and film to engage in interesting conversations around topics such as portraiture, heroines and untold fashion stories. An homage of sorts to the brand’s founder Coco Chanel, whose love of culture and of creative minds was well-documented and whose own innovative mind changed the landscape of fashion, this series taps into the house’s uniquely creative community.
Meeting Tom Cruise Actors Jeff Meacham and Joel Johnstone are obsessed with Tom Cruise. But they’ve never met him. On a mission to make it happen, the two have launched a podcast in which they speak to celebrity guests who share their own funny and incredibly personal stories about when they met the legendary actor — never losing hope that one day, it will happen for them too.
Your Broccoli Weekly While news and current affairs move at such a pace that it is often impossible to keep up, this podcast offers a welcome simplicity. Taking three of the top stories from a week and giving them each a brief but thorough run down, this is the kind of pared-back news we need right now.
Invisibilia An exploration of the invisible forces that shape our behaviour, this fascinating podcast combines stories with science to tackle subjects like hacking, biological anomalies and immortality.
Back Issue Telling the stories behind formative moments in early 2000s pop-culture, hosts Tracy Clayton and Josh Gwynn dive into nostalgia to explore and dissect the Zeitgeist asking ‘why do we still love this?’
The Treatment Film critic Elvis Mitchell hosts in-depth conversations with a range of impressive, influential figures in the realm of movies and entertainment. A master at extracting insights and delving into the minds of his guests, Mitchell has created a truly fascinating show.
Dare To Lead with Brené Brown Based on her New York Times bestseller of the same name, Brené Brown’s new podcast offers a guide for leaders at every level and comprises a mix of solo episodes and riveting conversations with change-makers and innovators.
Things You Can’t Ask Yer Mum Best friends (and social media influencers) Lizzy Hadfield and Lindsay Holland host this laid-back, relatable podcast in which they discuss the topics you really don’t want to bring up with your mum and offer sage, friendly advice.
As autumn’s inclement weather sets in, we turn to food to make us feel good. And in Auckland, we truly are spoiled for choice when it comes to dishes that inspire a change in mood (particularly when grey skies are getting us down). From melt-in-your-mouth meat to perfectly-charred vegetables to moreish sweet treats, here are eight dishes offering us the kind of comfort we need right now.
Sticky Date Pudding from Hotel Ponsonby There’s sticky date pudding and then there’s this sticky date pudding — an unapologetically indulgent take on the dessert we all know and love. Served with custard designed to be poured over the top, this sweet and warming dish is the perfect end to any meal at Hotel Ponsonby, although we would argue that it’s good enough to go for alone.
The Lodge Bar & Dining’s Gunner Game Pie.
Gunner Game Pie from The Lodge Bar & Dining
Is there anything better than a hearty pie on a cold day? We don’t think so. Neither does The Lodge Bar and Dining at Commercial Bay, whose Gunner Game Pie is not only a signature dish but is quite possibly one of the best iterations of the classic meat pie we have ever had. With a rich and decadent filling of game meats, delivered in a mouthwatering casing of house-made flaky pastry, this pie is comfort food at its finest and is best when enjoyed with a glass of pinot noir.
Euro’a Spicy Pork Bo Sam.
Spicy Pork Bo Sam from Euro Bar and Restaurant
Set to add some spice to your life, this slow-cooked, smoky barbecue pork belly is served with a line-up of tasty accoutrements, crisp lettuce and warming rice. Designed to share with friends and best ordered slightly ahead of time, this exquisite rendition of pork has our tastebuds tingling
From left: Culprit’s Brussels Sprouts and Green Onion & Goat Feta Souffle.
Green Onion & Goat Feta Souffle (and Brussels Sprouts) from Culprit
We know that this is technically two dishes, but they’re both part of Culprit’s ever-changing Trolley Derby menu and equally as comforting in our books. The souffle is twice-baked and served with a reduced cream sauce with toasted walnuts, shaved pear and quince jelly to make it savoury tasting and texturally intriguing, while the Brussels sprouts (nothing like the ones your mum made you eat) are charred to perfection and served with jalapeno yoghurt ranch and Lowbrow’s ‘O.G spice’ vinegar.
Candela’s Burnt Basque Cheesecake.
Burnt Basque Cheesecake from Candela
Even if you aren’t a cheesecake lover, this delicious iteration is honestly one of the best things we have ever eaten — browned on the outside, smooth and creamy with every bite and served with a tamarillo sauce that cuts through the richness of the dish. Despite arriving in a portion size that lends itself to sharing, don’t be surprised if the next time you dine at Candela, you order one to yourself. We certainly aren’t judging.
Wagyu and Pork Bolognese from Non Solo Pizza
House-made, al dente pappardelle is slathered in a mouthwatering First Light wagyu and pork bolognese to create a dish that never fails to hit the spot. Warming, satiating and with some superbly balanced flavours, this reimagining of the classic bolognese has become our antidote to autumn.
Grand Harbour’s Dim Sim.
Dim Sum from Grand Harbour
When it comes to Grand Harbour’s famous Yum Cha, it’s impossible to whittle it down to a single dish. There is something so comforting about heading into this Viaduct Harbour favourite on a crisp day with friends and family and ordering towers of dim sum until you feel like you can barely move. The more the merrier, we say.
Siso’s Lamb Shoulder.
Lamb ‘kleftiko’ Shoulder from Siso
Taking the idea of a classic roast and giving it a tasty upgrade, Remuera’s hottest new spot is serving up expertly-cooked lamb shoulder, served practically falling off the bone alongside preserved lemon and garlic baby potatoes. An enticing prospect on any day but particularly in this blustery, autumnal weather, this is one dish we’re prepared to cross town for.
Founded in Switzerland in 1860 and still family-owned today, Chopard is a jewellery house of immense pedigree. Its clients, over more than a century, read like a who’s who of historically and culturally significant figures — from members of royal dynasties to members of Hollywood’s glitterati — and it’s a history that has made Chopard’s jewellery and watches some of the most sought after in the world.
Recently, Chopard announced a new ambassador for its Happy Sport watch, and in our opinion, the pairing solidifies the brand’s status as an undisputed icon. In shoulder-tapping renowned actress Julia Roberts to be its new face, Chopard is not only speaking to its own, deep-seated attachment to cinema but has found the perfect person to embody the spirit in which this watch was created.
First conceived in 1993 by Chopard’s Co-President and Artistic Director, Caroline Scheufele, the Happy Sport stands for joie de vivre and a free-spirited charm, both qualities that Roberts has in spades. (Lest we forget the actress’ unforgettable red carpet moment at Cannes Film Festival in 2016, where she walked the carpet in an elegant black dress, an eye-catching 52.76-carat emerald necklace and matching ring by Chopard and no shoes.)
As Scheufele herself said, “it could be nobody else! Julia Roberts was the only person I felt could convey the spirit I see in Happy Sport.”
Having matched icon with icon, Caroline Scheufele has launched new versions of the watch that has endured for decades, even pairing Roberts with inimitable film director Xavier Nolan to bring the campaign for ‘Happy Diamonds’ to life. It really is a testament to the timelessness of Chopard that its pieces can speak to the same level of luxury this brand has stood for since its inception, while still feeling entirely at home in a contemporary context.
Available locally from Partridge Jewellers, Chopard is a mainstay for any lover of jewellery or arbiter of luxury. And whether Julia Roberts’ new role has inspired the desire for a watch upgrade, or you would simply like to experience the irresistible energy of Chopard for yourself, we highly recommend a trip into Partridge, where we promise you’ll fall in love with the simple, enduring elegance of this historic brand.
In a post-Coronavirus world, technology that streamlines consumer experiences — emphasising contactless systems over those that might have previously involved shared payment facilities or queues — will prove invaluable. And if Kiwi tech entrepreneur Will Chomley’s recent triumphs are any indication, it would seem that demand is already starting to heat up.
The Founder and CEO of New Zealand-based tech company Imagr, Chomley is making waves globally with technology that is promising to revolutionise the grocery shopping experience.
An idea initially born from Chomley’s distaste for waiting in line, Imagr’s seamless system of smart carts utilises the world’s most advanced image recognition tech to offer an adaptable and user-friendly end-to-end autonomous system. And it’s a world first.
Simply put, the Imagr technology creates models of products using lightning-fast imaging. Those products are put into a store’s database. A shopper will then connect their phone to one of the store’s smart shopping carts, which will use Halo technology to register every item placed in the cart, connected to a running list on the shopper’s phone.
Imagr’s smart cart.
When they’re finished, the shopper can skip the traditional checkout by paying through an app. No lines, no card-swiping, no barcodes. And while Chomley’s original incentive for creating Imagr still holds (after all, who wants to queue?) his technology has been imbued with a whole new meaning in light of the conditions this pandemic has placed on people’s daily lives.
“The pandemic has put more pressure on retailers to provide low contact solutions for checkout,” Chomley says, “and with Imagr, retailers get to own, operate and scale the solution themselves.”
Recently, it was announced that Imagr had partnered with Japanese H2O Retailing Corporation to implement its technology in one of the chain’s Osaka supermarkets. The 9,000 square foot store was equipped with Imagr’s smart carts, and instantly became the largest, vision-only, autonomous checkout deployment of its kind in the world.
At the moment it’s just one supermarket, but all going to plan, Chomley hopes to have Imagr implemented in more of H20’s 152 stores.
Beyond its implications for social distancing, Imagr’s technology is unique for the way that it is encouraging rapid innovation in a sector where systems have remained largely unchanged since their inception. If Chomley’s vision is to be fully realised, it will mean a complete overhaul of the way we shop — and if you ask us, it’s about time.
Now seeking to raise $25 million through a private investor pool, Chomley has his sights set on further international expansion, a promising horizon for this Kiwi trailblazer.
Greenwashing; when a company tries to portray itself as more environmentally minded than it actually is, has intensified in recent years as consumers have warmed to sustainable and organic products and services. Brands, trying to capitalise on that trend, often try to outdo one another with eco-credentials.
But in the rush to be seen as green, companies often exaggerate claims, or simply make things up. Ecostore Groups CEO, Pablo Kraus gives his insight into the local greenwashing game and what we as consumers can do to be more aware of it.
“In the self care aisle of the supermarket we are bombarded with countless ways to save the planet, to the point that it’s becoming difficult to find a product that’s not pushing an ethical claim.
Driven by consumers keen to do their part, the green space has become a highly profitable arena, but we need to be doing more than just buying bottles featuring pictures of happy healthy critters or smiling babies. It’s up to individuals to be more informed about what they buy, and why.
A recent study showed that New Zealand is globally well ahead of the game, with 30 percent of us wanting to buy sustainable, responsible products. In Australia it’s 30 percent of consumers are thinking green and surprisingly China has the largest group of conscious consumers, at more than 600 million people.
Ecostore Groups CEO Pablo Kraus
Many companies see this as a tantalising opportunity, which has led to a significant rise in greenwashing, where brands provide misleading information about their products’ environmental impact.
Ultimately the choice to go green is in the hands of you, the consumer. By arming yourselves with more information, you can make the right choices for the betterment of both yourself and the planet.
To determine if a brand is legitimately ethical, it comes back to authenticity and credibility. Whether brands are being transparent. Do they for example disclose all of their ingredients? Can they back up their claims? Where was their product manufactured? Where and how do they source their ingredients? And do they have a clear purpose as a business and a brand?
Understanding which companies have a clear purpose should drive purchasing decisions’. Do their ingredients contribute to making safer products? Are they sustainable and renewable, making products safer for our environment? And does the company have a transparent supply chain?
Ecostore was founded on the precautionary principle 27 years ago. If there is any doubt about an ingredient, a material we use, a company or a service we use, we will find a safer alternative. Today we continue to proudly develop, manufacture and pack our home, body and baby care products at our own carboNZero certified factory in Auckland and share them with the world.
Ultimately the environmental responsibility is in the hands of the consumer. By understanding and recognising the red flags of greenwashing, and choosing products that can actually back up their bold claims, manufactured by companies that are genuinely committed to the eco cause, consumers endorse brands that are doing the right thing for us all. This choice impacts the future of our planet and will reverberate through generations to come.”
The 5 Sins of Greenwashing
1. Compostable Packaging The intention may come from the right place but consumers need to refer to the packaging and either dispose of this in a home compost, or seek out a commercial composting facility.
The most important thing for consumers to understand is that compostable packaging cannot go into your recycling bin, because if it ends up in landfill it releases methane gas, which is 80 times more potent than CO2, a key contributor to climate warming.
2. Natural packaging Natural materials used alongside conventional packaging, such as a bamboo lid on a plastic bottle, can create the illusion of eco credentials. These products contaminate the recycling stream and divert straight to landfill with the rest of the plastic attached to them. Instead, look for fully recyclable, reusable or closed loop products.
3. Where is it manufactured? Products produced internationally have a far greater carbon footprint than locally-made NZ products. If the product is produced by a third party manufacturer, which may make products for companies that test on animals, you could also unintentionally support something that doesn’t align with your values.
4. You get what you pay for Good quality is never cheap and cheap quality is never good. Making products that are better for the environment is not easy nor is it cost-effective. Any brand claiming to look out for the environment, at a much lower price point, should be treated with suspicion. Either it doesn’t actually work or it could be using a harsh natural chemical that’s bad for your health and the planet.
5. The natural tag Just because a product claims to be natural, doesn’t make it environmentally friendly. As an extreme example, oil comes from the ground and is therefore natural, however when it’s released into the environment the impact can be severe.
When it comes to household cleaners and cosmetic products keep an eye out for Benzalkonium Chloride, a chemical used for its antibacterial properties. This organic salt is highly toxic to aquatic organisms, a cause for concern considering these products are often washed down the drain. At Ecostore, we eliminate the need for harmful Benzalkonium Chloride by formulating our products with a low pH to provide anti-bacterial/disinfection.
Another example, Cocamide DEA/MEA, is derived from the reaction of coconut oil and an organic chemical compound and can be found in many shampoos and cosmetic products. It is also a skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant and classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
At Ecostore we prefer to use APGs, Sodium Coco Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Amphoacetate as our surfactants, which have comparatively milder effect on the skin and your health.
Having become an unexpected high-fashion hero, the sweater vest is the perfect trans-seasonal layering aid to invest in right now. For styling inspiration, look to street style snaps from the contingent of Scandi-cool girls, plus the collections of Dior, Gucci, Ganni and more.
Whether worn oversized as a solo statement piece on a warmer day, or layered over a shirt and under a coat for when the chill sets in, a sweater vest is no longer the domain of your granddad’s closet — it’s a bona fide styling staple.
Landing a coveted spot on The New York Times bestseller’s list would be a career highlight for any author. Achieving this with a debut novel at the age of 21? Sounds like fiction. Unless, of course, you’re Chloe Gong, a Pennsylvania-based student and writer who grew up on Auckland’s North Shore.
Her novel These Violent Delights debuted at number three on the Young Adult Hardcover bestseller’s list last November, solidifying her as well and truly one to watch in the international literary world. Gong was, rightfully, “super thankful and pleased’ with this result.
“When I set out to be traditionally published, all I wanted was to reach as many readers as possible—reach the teen readers in particular who wander the shelves of their library like I did, looking for some new world to sink into,” she says.
“I’m so happy that word-of-mouth travelled so well in the weeks leading up to release and helped the book shoot up to number three on The New York Times list. Of course, it’s set high expectations, so I can only hope to keep working hard and writing good stories from here!”
These Violent Delights is a reinterpretation of a classic. Having always adored the themes and language of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Gong had wanted to do a blood-feud-meets-rival-gangs story for her first novel.
“I only really delved into the play after deciding I would do a reimagining,” she says. “Knowing that the story I had in mind was way too similar to the very touchstone text that’s foundational in Western literature as the original blood feud story—Romeo and Juliet—I decided to embrace approaching Shakespeare’s original themes, but with an entirely new lens.”
Set in 1920s Shanghai (Gong’s city of birth), These Violent Delights centres on 18-year-old Juliette Cai and her first love and rival Roma Montagov. Imaginative, vivid and fast-paced, the book has garnered widespread fans and praise from readers.
“Though the setting changes and the characters are altered in These Violent Delights, Romeo and Juliet’s original themes about daring to love in a place filled with hate remains, and I wanted to bring these ideas into the stories I was telling,” says Gong. “Plus, some of Shakespeare’s lines in that play are just so beautiful, and I wanted a go at weaving it into my prose.”
Having written the book in about a month during a summer break back in New Zealand, Gong then signed with an agent and the manuscript was sold at auction to Simon & Schuster. She worked with her editor to separate it from one manuscript to two — and the sequel has already been announced. Named These Violent Ends, the second of the duology is coming this November.
Until then, Gong will be graduating this year from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is double-majoring in English and international relations, and while she would usually be returning to New Zealand during her breaks, says that will be difficult this year. “So I guess I will see wherever the wind takes me…”
One major lesson Gong has learned throughout the whole process is to take all writing-related advice with a grain of salt. “Especially online, there are a thousand different people trying to offer a thousand different perspectives, and a lot of them will try to claim that their way is the only right way.”
There is no right way, she says, only a way that works uniquely for every different person. Evidently, Gong has tapped into a way that is working very well for her.
Chloe Gong is participating in the Auckland Writers Festival this May, within the 2021 Schools Programme. Find more information and tickets here.
For chef Croydon Cole, one of the joys of cooking for people is seeing their faces when they try something new, or something extraordinarily delicious. At Smokin Cole BBQ, his Grey Lynn eatery that specialises in the irresistibly charred flavours of American-style BBQ, chances are he sees these expressions a lot.
Located at the intersection of Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road, Smokin Cole opened in December 2019 and has been bringing its smoky charm to the neighbourhood ever since. Cole’s experience is vast and varied, having worked in kitchens for around 30 years both in New Zealand and abroad.
Spending 15 years as a private chef aboard super yachts, Cole has travelled widely, indulging in the cuisines of more than 80 countries. A solo motorcycle trip across the United States provided the opportunity to sample the delicious BBQ joints from South Carolina all the way around the southern part of the country — “I went up and down 14 different states just eating, basically”, he laughs.
Having been approached to help out some friends who owned the site where his venue now sits, Cole saw the opportunity for what he originally thought would be a pop-up. However, when a huge woodfire cooker and smoker became available through a friend, he couldn’t let the opportunity pass — thus, Smokin Cole was born.
Left: Buffalo chicken wings.
When asked what appeals to him about the style of cooking, Cole says one of the best things is it’s a labour of love. “It’s all about the time you put into it. I love how you can turn something that’s really tough to eat, into something that people drool over.” There are no shortcuts with these meat cuts, with most of them being cooked and smoked for several hours. It also takes skill to get it right, he says. “You can’t hide anything behind it.”
Working with his ‘pit master’ Ants Tutavake, Cole creates a menu of varying meats and vegetable-centric sides that can be mixed and matched depending on what the diner feels like eating. “A lot of places already have pre-made platters for BBQ, but I designed my menu so you design it yourself.”
Left: Chef Croydon Cole; Right: A selection of Smokin Cole’s slow-cooked meats and sides.
The meats are all offered by the 100-gram, and overall the menu is brilliant for sharing — hot tip, come with a bigger group as you’ll want to sample everything. From Memphis ribs to beef short rib; pulled pork, Buffalo chicken wings and Cole’s signature ‘meat candy’ (pork jowl, smoked for up to eight hours and served with pickled kamo kamo), the offering is a carnivore’s heaven.
Surprisingly, Smokin Cole does actually cater quite well to vegetarians too (just maybe not vegan eaters) with jackfruit options like loaded nachos, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese or cauliflower cheese, smoky corn, slaw, fries and more. Everything is also gluten free (aside from one or two pasta dishes).
The eatery is fully licensed, with Asahi beer on tap and Jess Farrelly taking care of thirst-quenching cocktails and front of house. With its backyard BBQ vibe and excellent culinary offering, we suggest you make Smokin Cole a priority on your foodie hit list.
When you really think about it, your bed is the piece of furniture on which you will inevitably spend most of your time. Too often, we wax lyrical about the importance of a sculptural sofa or an eye-catching coffee table when really, we’ve been neglecting the piece that (because it’s usually hidden away in a bedroom) is given far less attention. And it’s a crying shame.
In considering which bed to buy, practicality is (of course) an important factor. After all, a comfortable slumber is crucial if you’re to tackle your days with aplomb. But it’s not the only thing to think about. Here, we would like to argue that alongside comfortability and structure, style should be as high on your list of bed criteria as anything — and these impressive beds from Sarsfield Brooke are proving why.
Sheila bed by Opera Contemporary.
As the central piece of the bedroom, a well-chosen bed will set the tone of the entire space. For those with more decorative tastes, beds like the 9639 model by Angelo Cappellini of Italy with its ornate, geometrically patterned headboard will prove the perfect piece to rest weary heads.
Whereas those wanting something more contemporary might instead opt for a piece from the Opera Contemporary of Italy range, like the Alba bed with its sleek double headboard detailed with leather cords, or the Dorothy, with its unmissable, quilted headboard that extends beyond the bounds of the bed’s structure.
If you’re after something that combines sumptuous details with a more modern feel, look no further than Opera Contemporary’s Sheila bed, with its subtle diamond quilting and bold, unapologetic shape.
Whatever your taste, Sarsfield Brooke boasts a wide range of unique, carefully designed beds to suit any kind of space, with most available in a variety of fabrics and finishes. So if you’ve been considering a bed upgrade, don’t sleep on it.
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