Stories

The menagerie-themed designs of Resene’s Khroma Glasshouse Wallpaper series (pictured) are an ideal backdrop for flora and fauna accents, which are making a strong return to interior colourways. Today’s looks are all about layering on natural textures and graphic patterns, which makes it easy to add some ‘wild’ style to almost any room when you start with warm colours such as Resene Swiss Caramel, Resene Chateau Green and Resene Family Tree. Dusty greens are in – we saw lots of those on the catwalk at New Zealand Fashion Week as well – and sage, mint, olive, jade and emerald lead the way this season. Complement with reds ranging from burgundy hues to something brighter like Resene Get Reddy and you will not only be on trend but also have a look that will last the test of time. resene.co.nz/colorshops

Been thinking about putting in a pool this summer? Because if you have, that bit of sun we’ve been enjoying lately is a green light for the seasonal rush, say the good people at Lagoon Pools. The Christchurch company are the South Island dealers for leading Australian pool maker Leisure Pools, and they know what they are talking about. Working with Leisure Pools gives them access to a big range of innovative pools that can incorporate fountains, water jets, lighting and concealed covers. In fact, if you find a photo of what you want, Lagoon Pools can make it happen. Don’t want it the same colour as everyone else’s pool? With Leisure Pools and Lagoon Pools you get a choice of seven. Sapphire Blue is the most popular colour. White with a blue fleck is a new addition to the range. Others are Aquamarine, Crystal Blue, Diamond Sand, Ebony Blue and...

Cityscape checks out the latest addition to Fletcher Living’s Bedford Terraces and Bedford Apartments, where the grass is down and the decking is ready for al fresco dining. Now this is somewhere we can see ourselves relaxing with a good book or a G&T on a warm spring evening – in a quiet, sheltered courtyard in Fletcher Living’s One Central inner-city residential development. Bedford Terraces and the adjacent Bedford Apartments, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom residences, put you right at the heart of the city, and yet ensconced in the green and pleasant surrounds of the community’s courtyard areas, you could be miles away. The courtyards, the work of Rough and Milne Landscape Architects and lead architects Architectus, are bordered by a mix of native plantings, fruit trees and seating. To make sure residents aren’t disturbed by someone wandering in uninvited, access from the street is secured with a...

Spring welcomes fresh growth in the housing market. Here’s how to make the most of it. Gardens are coming into bloom and the birds are chirping, which can only mean one thing – spring is here. The warmer months are more than just a great time to clean out the garage. They’re also the best time to put your house on the market. Why? Because the sooner you can get a “For Sale” sign out the front, the greater advantage you’re going to have over other prospective buyers and sellers. You see, when you list early you’re more likely to sell early, which will set you up as a desirable cash buyer when the October/November rush really kicks into gear. You’ll have the pick of the market and the thing so many sellers desire - cold hard cash. Then there’s the fact potential buyers will have spent the winter months pouring...

Old stone walls underpin a modern family home in this post-quake transformation by Blair Paterson and Tobin Smith of CoLab Architecture. With so many post-quake Christchurch building projects presenting a choice between the old or the new, the brief to build a new home on the historic basement walls of a 100-year-old Hurst Seager house was an exciting challenge for CoLab’s Blair Paterson and Tobin Smith. Nicknamed ‘The House on a Ruin’, the result is a modern, two-storey family home that integrates seamlessly with what remains of the stone basement and retaining walls of the old house, which was destroyed in the February 2011 Canterbury earthquake. Meticulously repaired, the stonework has become the hero of the whole project. Blair and Tobin are certain that renowned architect Samuel Hurst Seager would approve of the transformation, given he championed New Zealand finding its own style, and using modern technology to improve, not simply...

Hot offerings from the world of cool technology. 1: SOUND AND SHADE Bose Frames are seriously cool. The experts in audio have combined timeless sunglass frames with their world-class tech and it is epic. Goodbye earbuds, hello fashion! The sweet sunnies have an integrated microphone, connect via Bluetooth and offer augmented reality and open-ear sound. The lenses are also interchangeable. bose.co.nz 2: CROSSING BORDERS Tackle international travel with confidence thanks to iFLYTEK’s Jarvisen Translator. The brainy handheld device can translate 60 languages and responds in under a second. Save yourself the trouble of learning a new language and treat yourself to the world’s most powerful translator. iflytek.co.nz 3: When Coffee is King The Barisieur Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock will have you jumping out of bed with a caffeinated spring in your step. The genius clock gets to work brewing your coffee or loose-leaf tea the second the alarm goes off, quickly...

Car designer Alec Issigonis reinvented everyone’s wheels 60 years ago when he created the MINI, a car that perfectly captured the spirit of the times. Not only did it look cool, the MINI’s technical design gave it that famous ‘go-kart feeling’ beloved by drivers ever since. And it looks like BMW, the car maker that gave the world the new MINI in 2001, is going to repeat Issigonis’ success with its reinvented MINI Cooper SE. Sure, we’ve seen electric cars before but here’s one that doesn’t look like nana’s shopping cart, are we right? It’s MINI cool with modern technology. There’s the now familiar subtly muscular good looks of the conventionally powered MINI Cooper S but underneath, everything is different. The new MINI Cooper SE will be the first purely electric premium small car, sustainable and at the same time lots of fun to drive. The go-kart feeling is still there,...

Need a holistic health check-up? The Body Mind Spirit – Health Expo is your opportunity to rejuvenate your body, unwind your mind and reconnect with your spirit. The two-day expo, at the Addington Raceway & Events Centre (Oct 12/13), will bring you the full A – Z of holistic health products and services, in fact everything you need for a more soul-centred lifestyle. There’s a wide selection of local, national and international exhibitors, as well as free, inspiring workshops that have proved very popular in previous years. bodymindspirit.co.nz

The city’s festival of cycling, Biketober, is rolling into town. It’s for anyone who rides a bike for any reason – transport, recreation, competition, skill development or social interaction. The month full of guided and self-guided rides, social activities, workshops and more is all about having fun on a bike! Supported by Piko Wholefoods. biketoberchch.nz

Remaining engaged, active and happy is the key to enjoying retirement, Bill McDonald, CEO of Arvida Group, tells Cityscape. Why should people consider moving into one of your villages? At Arvida we believe remaining engaged, active and happy is the key to enjoying retirement. We strive to help every one of our residents stay active for longer by understanding their lives and how we can encourage and facilitate their continued engagement with what is important to them. We call this “the Arvida attitude of living well”. What is the most common misconception people have about retirement villages? A common misconception is that a retirement village is only a rest home, when really there is so much more to a retirement village than just aged care. Do you specialise in a particular type of village? Every Arvida community has the same philosophy. Each village is unique in format, but all offer great...

Natalie Gallagher loves “the Beemer”. The Park Lane Retirement Village resident moved in to her Living Well apartment early this year and brought her trusty Honda Jazz with her. But that’s gathering dust now that she can take one of the retirement village’s electric cars for a spin instead. There’s four to choose from – two Hyundai Ioniqs, a Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid, and Natalie’s favourite, the BMW i3. It’s a long way from the Holden sedan of her parents. She got her licence in that in 1957, not long after turning 15. She already knew the basics, having learned to drive her dad’s tractor on their farm near Lincoln. Park Lane’s EV fleet is part of a push by parent company Arvida to reduce its carbon footprint and also that of its residents. Benefits go beyond that, though – access to the vehicles allows residents to save the considerable costs of...

When it comes to the future, it’s never too early to start planning. Whether you are part of the ‘sandwich generation’ dealing with the demands of parenting as well as caring for ageing parents, or are just keen to make the most of your own retirement, it’s all about knowing the options. To help, Cityscape has canvassed what empty nesters need to think about before downsizing to a city pad, and what those considering independent living in a gated community or lifestyle village need to know. Downsizing For those rattling around in the suburban family home with beds still made up for offspring who have long since sprung, downsizing to a smaller address closer to all those central-city attractions like great cafés and restaurants, art galleries, parks and other urban delights is a logical next step. In fact, research shows that living in medium-density developments in the city is healthier than...

Tobin Smith of CoLab Architecture reflects on the emerging central city and champions the need for more small-scale developments to ‘join the dots’ between the big glass boxes. As the city rebuilds and vacant lots are replaced by large-scale developments and precincts, it is important to remember that we need small buildings as well as big ones. While it is good to see these large developments – the Justice Precinct, the Convention Centre and the like – give the city a sense of permanence, smaller tenancies get a little lost within the branding of the major tenant. Before the earthquakes, many Christchurch streets, including Colombo, Manchester and High Street, were lined with two and three-storey Victorian buildings that were home to many tenants that needed only a small workspace. This finer grain of development gave tenants a strong individual identity, allowing them to build their brand. If all that is available...

Through his work with event and lifestyle guide Neat Places and street festival Nostalgia, Johnny Gibson has been a big influence in getting Christchurch people out and about after the earthquakes. Cityscape puts the questions to Johnny and finds out a secret or two. The annual Nostalgia festival has struck a chord with audiences – why do you think that is? A big part is that it’s a festival for all ages. Different aspects attract different people, whether it’s the creative activation of the 1900s replica township at Ferrymead Heritage Park, the high quality pop-up eateries, food vendors and bars or vintage market, and of course, the great curated lineup of New Zealand and international musicians! Really it’s a street festival – people just love spending the day wandering the streets exploring and maybe catching the steam train too! What’s exciting you about the February 2020 festival? Using more of the buildings...

Take a bow, Cityscapers – it’s the support of conscious Christchurch consumers that has led second-hand consignment chain Recycle Boutique to open a second store in the city. First there was its store in The Tannery; now there is also a store in Little High Lanes in the SALT District. The deal’s the same – bring in the high-quality clothing and accessories that no longer spark joy in your life and give them a chance to find a new forever home that’s not the landfill. You’ll get 50 percent of the sale price and a dose of good karma as well. That’s one side of it; the other, of course, are the canny fashionistas who come in and shop at Recycle Boutique. For prices on a par with fast fashion, they get to buy designer pieces instead, lifting their look and helping to save the planet as well. The team at...

Office design has come a long way from the boss in a box in the corner, with a whole science springing up around how layout influences workplace culture and productivity. Helen Dennis, national workplace strategy manager at Europlan Ltd, has been in the commercial office furniture industry for 14 years and in that time has seen a big shift in workspace design, away from a hierarchical approach to a culture of increased collaboration. Technology has been a key driver of that change. In response, Europlan partners with their clients right at the start of the office design process in order to shape a new culture as well as a new floor layout. Through workshops for a business’s leaders and team members, Helen and her team build an understanding of work styles and long-term goals. This then enables them to create a space that reflects the culture and brand as well as...

From the people who brought you the rocking central-city pump track, basketball court and forest of hammocks comes another two super-cool projects – a Tool Lendery and a pair of giant swings that double as a photo frame. The projects, a collab between Fletcher Living and Gap Filler, aim to build central-city communities – and the Tool Lendery is nailing it (geddit!). Since it opened in August at 178 Cashel Street, local residents have been dropping in to hire tools they would otherwise have to buy, and while there they are sharing skills, learning new ones, and making friends. The Lendery is a sweet bonus for those who have made the move to living in higher-density inner-city neighbourhoods such as Fletcher Living’s One Central development. It’s cool living so close to all that the central city has to offer but with that does come less space than ‘downsizers’ may have had...

Looking for a bike ride and a good deed to start your day? Most mornings, as the city wakes up and smells the coffee, a team of volunteers cycle around cafés collecting left-over food. They then drop it off at the City Mission in Hereford Street, where it becomes morning tea for those who turn for support to the Mission’s day programme. Michele Hollis is one of those volunteers. The scheme is called The Mish and she joined it 2½ years ago after spotting a flyer at Boat Shed Café, which is one of the eateries that donate. There’s 21 in all, including Boulevard Café and Bar, Laneway Espresso and The Sushi Ninja.  Michele now regularly adds an early morning sweep around cafés and bakeries to her commute from New Brighton. This morning’s been a good haul – Michele has bags of rolls and scones to drop off.  Sometimes there’s a...