Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Coming soon: The Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival

HOME is delighted to support the Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival, which hits screens in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin in May and June with a lineup of the best architecture and design films you'll see anywhere. 

Here are the dates. Mark your calendars!

Rialto Cinemas, Auckland: May 9-22
The Embassy, Wellington: May 23-June 5
The Rialto, Dunedin: June 6-9

For those who can't wait to inspect the programme, you can visit the link here. (Wellingtonians: the festival will screen at The Embassy in your town, so the programme is at the Event Cinemas website here - they haven't loaded ticket booking capability on there yet, but we're assured they will soon). 

One of the films we're looking forward to in the festival is Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line. Charles Renfro was a member of our Home of the Year jury in 2010, and we adore him and the firm's work. In our current issue, we feature an interview with the documentary's directors, Muffie Dunn and Tom Piper, which we're also pleased to share with you here:

Image courtesy of Checkerboard Film Foundation, photos by Iwan Baan. 

HOME What made you choose DS+R as the focus of your documentary? 

MUFFIE DUNN, Director I’d wanted to do a film on Diller Scofidio + Renfro ever since 2002 when I first set foot in New York City’s Brasserie restaurant. At the time, though, they didn’t have enough built work around which to focus a film.
TOM PIPER, Director At Checkerboard [Film Foundation] we’d been doing a series of architecture films begun in 2006. Subjects were chosen in conjunction with Suzanne Stephens, deputy editor of Architectural Record. Once the High Line and Lincoln Center were underway, she rightly urged us to move forward with DS+R. 

Elizabeth Diller (left), Ricardo Scofidio (centre) and Charles Renfro. Photo by Peter Ash Lee.

HOME What did you learn about the principals of the firm by working with them so closely?

MUFFIE DUNN Having made 11 architecture films prior to DS+R, let’s just say we’d become accustomed to a certain personality profile. But Liz, Ric and Charles were incredibly open and willing to share ideas right from the start, which we think is apparent in their work as well.

HOME What effect has their work had on New York City, where they're based?

TOM PIPER One of the ending lines of the film is from critic Martin Filler, who says they’ve had a “euphoric effect” on New York. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find disagreement with that. 
MUFFIE DUNN I would add that their work is inviting. They’ve removed the fortress-like elements at Lincoln Center and implemented design that beckons people of all walks of life to mix and linger. The same can be said for the High Line.

The High Line in New York City. Photo by Checkerboard Film Foundation.
HOME What’s your favourite part of the film? 

MUFFIE DUNN We both love the Blur Building sequence. I find the ethereal nature of what they built breathtaking. 
TOM PIPER The combination of Jeremy Linzee’s music for that scene and the video footage we were able to locate from within the structure really creates a moving surrogate for having been there.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Subscribe now and get a genuinely great free gift

We're hoping that those of you who aren't already subscribers to HOME might be tempted by this offer: subscribe now for one year (six issues) for $43 (which saves $17 on the cover price) and you'll receive a gift that's way better than your normal plastic giveaway tat: a free pair of decidedly non-plastic Riedel Ouverture tasting flutes worth $72. Visit the link here to take advantage of the offer (the terms and conditions are on there, but basically, every new subscriber before June 3 gets a pair of the flutes). Do it!


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

On film: Home of the Year 2013 by Stevens Lawson Architects

We're delighted to show you around the Home of the Year 2013 by Stevens Lawson Architects, a beautiful curvaceous dwelling on Waiheke Island. Enjoy this short web film - and also make sure to pick up a copy of our Home of the Year issue, on newsstands from Thursday April 4. It features exclusive coverage of this amazing home plus our five incredible finalists. Enjoy.


Home of the Year 2013: our new cover

We're delighted to announce that the winner of the Home of the Year 2013 is the beautiful Headland house on Waiheke Island by Stevens Lawson Architects. 

A photo by Mark Smith of the home's main bedroom, located in one of its three curvaceous pods, graces the cover of our special Home of the Year issue, which is on newsstands from Thursday April 4. 


Also in our Home of the Year issue: five amazing finalist homes in Auckland, Whanganui, Nelson, Christchurch and Wanaka. It's a great diversity of design which we're very proud to showcase for you in print for the first time. 

We'll post a short web film of the winning home on this site soon - stay tuned!  

This is the fourth time Stevens Lawson have won the Home of the Year award. Our congratulations to Nicholas Stevens, Gary Lawson and their team, who collect the $15,000 first prize. And, as always, our thanks to our Home of the Year partner Altherm Window Systems for their ongoing support of the Home of the Year award.