And the winner is...

We're very pleased to announce that the winner of the Home of the Year 2010 is Stevens Lawson Architects for a home they designed beside Lake Wanaka. Congratulations to Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson for their third Home of the Year win in the 15 years of the competition. The Home of the Year issue is on newsstands on Monday.

BMW EfficientDynamics Sustainability Award

Since BMW joined us as our Home of the Year partner, we have introduced a new award as part of our Home of the Year coverage: the BMW EfficientDynamics Sustainability Award, which celebrates innovation and responsible use of resources in sustainable home design. This year's winners are Pete Ritchie and Bronwen Kerr, who designed this house in Arrowtown, which is featured in our Home of the Year issue, on newsstands Monday:

As their prize, Pete and Bronwen receive a six-month lease of a BMW 320d, a diesel-powered marvel of fuel economy (using just 5.3 litres of fuel per 100km, and with carbon emissions of just 140g per km). Congratulations Pete and Bronwen.

The last two finalists on Campbell Live

Here's the link to Campbell Live's footage from last night of the last two houses in this year's award.

Remaining finalists for Home of the Year unveiled - Campbell Live - Video - 3 News

We're announcing the winner of the Home of the Year award (and the BMW EfficientDynamics Sustainability Award) tonight at a function in Auckland. We'll post details on this site tonight, too.

Magic Butter

I made a discovery this week. It might not be one for you, but I thought I'd share it just in case.

No matter how much I try to control the kids at my brother's house, mishaps sometimes occur. The boys used a swivel chair, covered with shirts (his house is not quite as organized as mine), to get a view of the Eiffel Tower from a skylight window... Unfortunately, while taking the glimpse, a shirt sleeve got caught in the swivel mechanism and streaked it with black grease.

Stricken by guilt, I decided to repair the problem before my brother came home from work. I googled for a solution and found out that butter, of all things ;) would remove the stain magically. Not having anything to lose, I gave it a try.

I rubbed some butter into the streaks, and let it sit a few minutes. I then used some dish soap that I found next to the kitchen sink, water, elbow juice and another part of the shirt to rub the stain off. The results were amazing. After a quick rinse, the shirt looked like new.

I later shared my discovery with Scott. Unsurprised, he replied that when living in Santa Barbara, he would remove beach tar from his feet with baby oil.

"Oil removes oil" he said with assurance.

I had no idea that the phrase would come in so handy a day later...

Saturday evening, the day before my departure for the South of France (where my mom lives), my brother had his sitter of six years come over to watch our four kids, so we could go out for a nice dinner between adults. After giving her instructions to care and feed the kids, we took off. We were enjoying our meal tremendously when my sister-in-law checked her phone and found out with horror that she had 18 new voicemails. Somehow we had not heard it ring, and while we thought our kids were tightly tucked into their beds, the nanny had set the brand new kitchen on fire!

We rushed home to find the kids safe at the neighbor's, but my brother's kitchen looked like a war zone. The sitter had mistakenly turned on the oven, in which my brother stored a fryer (full of cooking oil). When the fryer caught on fire, she grabbed their fish bowl and threw it on the stove, water, pebbles and all (including the poor goldfish). Needless to say, it made things worse. When the firemen arrived, they extinguished the fire, but in the process, also tracked soot, burned oil, and pebbles all over the house and the new hardwood floors.

While my brother drove the sitter back home, I set out to clean the mess, which extended to the upper floors. I first tried a mixture of water and castile soap equivalent, but in vain. The black stuff was too thick and there was too much of it. It is only after 30 minutes of desperate scrubbing, and a call to my brother to recommend the hiring of a restoration expert, that I remembered Scott's words: "Oil removes oil". So I tiptoed into the sticky kitchen, grabbed the first cooking oil and sponge that I could reach and voila! Eight hours later, floors and white kitchen cabinets looked as new as before and the damages not as dramatic.

Considering that the kids and sitter were safe, and that only four cabinet doors and a stove need replacing, we were all lucky. And thanks to the simplicity and handiness of the oil cleaning remedy, my brother and sister-in-law were able to keep their sanity and stay upbeat in dealing with the aftermath of the ordeal. (I forgot to count how many times they said: "This oil trick is amazing! The damages are not that bad after-all.")

Interestingly enough, this fire was not the only one that we survived this summer, but since this is a blog and not a book, you'll have to wait to hear about the other story when the time comes ;).

Do you have a simple and magic pantry revelation to make?

Looking back at last year's award

If you're looking at David Mitchell and Julie Stout's house that is a finalist in this year's Home of the Year award in our earlier post, you might also like to check out their winning design from last year, the Home of the Year 2009 on Waiheke Island.

Waiheke retreat wins Home of the Year 2009 - Video Archive - Video - 3 News

This footage was screened on TV3's Sunrise breakfast programme, which we miss... it was shut down earlier this year.

Home of the Year - Part Two - Campbell Live - Video - 3 News

Part two of Campbell Live's coverage of the Home of the Year judging process was on TV3 last night - the story is at this link:

Home of the Year - Part Two - Campbell Live - Video - 3 News

There is one more episode of the judging journey to go to air before we announce the winner on Thursday July 27. And remember, the Home of the Year issue of the magazine is on newsstands August 2. Stay tuned!

Campbell Live tonight

The kind folks at TV3's Campbell Live have just told us the second installment of their coverage of the Home of the Year finalists will be screening on tonight's show. We'll post a link to the footage on this site tomorrow if you missed seeing it live. UPDATE: Seems the footage didn't go to air last night - we were warned that there might be last-minute reshuffles, so hope you didn't stay home especially. We'll keep you posted about the next installments.

Home of the Year finalists

A little tease: here, we present to you an image of each of the finalists in this year's Home of the Year award. They're presented in no particular order - and remember, you have to hang on a while until we announce the winner on the evening of Thursday July 29.

We'll post news of the winner on this site that night, and it will also be announced on TV3's Campbell Live. HOME New Zealand's Home of the Year issue goes on sale August 2.

Thanks to our partners BMW - who admire good design as much as we do - the winning architects receive a $15,000 cash prize, making this New Zealand's richest architectural award.

This year we have six finalists. Unusually, two architects have two finalists each. The first of these is Daniel Marshall, who designed two houses on Waiheke Island. This one (shown below) is nestled in a bay at the island's eastern end, and was photographed by Simon Devitt.

And this one is on the northern side of the island, and was photographed by Patrick Reynolds.

The winners of last year's Home of the Year award, David Mitchell and Julie Stout of Mitchell & Stout Architects, have their own Auckland home (below) in this year's lineup of finalists. It was photographed by Patrick Reynolds.

Stevens Lawson Architects also have two homes in the finals. Both were photographed by Mark Smith. This one is a home on the shores of Lake Wanaka:

And this one is a home in east Auckland:

Finally, this home in Arrowtown was designed by Pete Ritchie and Bronwen Kerr of Queenstown's Kerr Ritchie Architects. It was photographed by Paul McCredie.

Which one do you think should win? Feedback is welcome...

Home of the Year - Part One - Campbell Live - Video - 3 News

Last night TV3's Campbell Live played the first of their coverage of the finalists in the Home of the Year award (we'll be announcing the winner at a function on the evening of July 29), proudly presented in conjunction with our partner BMW.

Campbell Live have been great supporters of the award for many years now, but this year they did things a little differently, following the judges (New York's Charles Renfro, Auckland's Ken Crosson, and me) on their journey around the country to see the homes. First up, two homes by Daniel Marshall on Waiheke Island.

Home of the Year - Part One - Campbell Live - Video - 3 News

All these homes will be published in our Home of the Year issue, on newsstands August 2.

Karl Maughan's studio

Artist Karl Maughan - whose paintings of exuberant gardens feature in some very important art collections around the world - creates his works in an exceptionally orderly studio/library in a converted garage at his Auckland home. Patrick Reynolds shot these images for our April/May2010 issue. They nicely capture Karl at work, as well as giving us a glimpse of his amazingly organised bookshelves.



In one corner of the room (seen in the image below), Karl has pinned several maps of the North Island together, a habit that began with a map of the Manawatu region where he grew up. The Chinese pagoda artwork is by James Kirkwood. Beside it, immediately beneath the map, is a work by Julian Dashper, with one of Karl's earlier works below that.

Karl has a particular enthusiasm for old children's books such as 'The Empire Annual for Boys'; his habit of collecting them began in the 1970s and has continued since, hence the bookshelves in his studio are stuffed with children's books published between 1850 and 1910.

He mixes his paints on a glass-topped table before applying them to his canvases. He didn't tidy the studio especially for the shoot - apparently it's always this neat.

Kamaka pottery

Our current issue includes a feature on vases, and while we like everything stylist Trudie Kroef sourced for the shoot (the photographs were taken by Toaki Okano), a particular favourite is the vase in the centre of this image, designed by the late Estelle Martin of Hawke's Bay's Kamaka pottery (the vase on the left is by Jonathan Adler from Askew, while the yellow bowl at right is by Campbell Hegan from Masterworks).

Estelle and her husband Bruce travelled frequently to Japan in the 1970s, where they learned the art of wood-fired anagama pottery. Their work has won many national awards and featured in major exhibitions. Bruce still lives in the couple's Hawke's Bay home (designed by John Scott), where he sells works of his own and Estelle's, and writes this blog. We featured Bruce and Estelle's West Coast bach (also by John Scott) in the magazine's December/January 2010 issue, and on our blog at this link here. If you're in Hawke's Bay, Bruce's studio is a very special place to visit.

Design Awards 2010

Congratulations to Jamie McLellan, the winner of our annual Design Awards for the second year running. Jamie's 'Flyover' table was originally commissioned for the New Zealand Room at last years Venice art biennale, and is now available through Simon James Design's 'Resident' label.

The table was made using powder-coated steel that flat-packs for each shipping. Our design awards judges, designer Humphrey Ikin and art dealer Michael Lett, praised its sleek form, elegant construction, bold colour, and its applicability to both commercial and domestic settings.

The artist is in

Our new series of stories inside artists' studios was the brainchild of photographer Patrick Reynolds, who was inspired by his artist brother John's new studio, designed by Auckland architect Malcolm Walker. The studio is in the back yard of John's Grey Lynn villa, a mono-pitch structure that tilts up to clerestory windows admitting cool southerly light. Some of the shots below feature in our current issue of the magazine.

At the other end of the studio from the view above is the large window shown in the shots below, with its Mondrian-inspired pane of blue glass and a view out to the nikau palms John planted when he first purchased the villa about 20 years ago.

It looks like a big space in these photographs, but John has quickly filled it, and since begun panicking just a little about how to stop his habit for accumulating things from taking over what was briefly a rather pristine space. The views of the studio below show the polycarbonate wall that admits more light into the space.

And here's the artist, toiling in his studio. John says he does some of his best work in there at nights, when he relishes the convenience of being able to slip into the studio after dinner and not have to leave the family as he did when he would traipse back to his old studio in downtown Auckland. He's also excited about the possibilities a custom-built studio (and its large door, which can admit much more than the small canvases John has been working on recently) can open up for his art. "I think it will take years to full extract the value, to try things that I haven't because I haven't had the right kind of space," he says.

We'll feature more images from the studio series in upcoming posts. Not all of them will be architectural marvels like John's studio, but we don't mind that, as we're most interested in the way artists occupy and work in their spaces. Feel free to let us know which artist's spaces you'd like us to look into, and we can check them out.

Less (not zero) Waste Air Travel

Today, I am suffering from the worse jet-lag ever. I wake up around 2 am, my mind starts going and I cannot go back to sleep until the birds start singing. The kids and I arrived at my brother's, in Paris, a few days ago.

Rest assured. I am aware of my carbon impact when flying overseas. And I pray everyday for new carbon neutral ways (offsets are not satisfying enough) to visit my native land and blood relatives. Our weekly Skype sessions help but are not exactly an alternative to the kids language immersion or my mother's hugs and kisses. I live a zero waste lifestyle, I have reduced my meat consumption and car usage to pretty much once a week, I strive to shop local/organic and save water/electricity as much possible, but there is not much I can do about that damn yearly flight! (Besides reducing the frequency and amount of flights...we figured that four of us going there was better than eleven of them coming here).

To make things worse, my trip over was a waste nightmare, and an eye opener at the same time. Every time I fly (about once a year), the transition into the wasteful world is a shock. Travelers stuffing airport recycling (if available at all) or trash cans with water bottles, magazines, fast food containers and wrappers; discarding a full bottle of water at a security checkpoint and buying a brand new one a few minutes later, instants before boarding a flight, where they get yet another one (that's 3 bottles in less than an hour)... Flight attendants opening single portion drinks and pouring them in a new plastic cup every time around, and then coming thru with a trash bag - with recyclables and trash co-mingled. ... it sure is a harsh trip out of my bubble.

On a recent radio interview, I sounded hopeful when asked about our disposable society. My answer was based on the positive changes I see and hear around me, when at home (and that includes you, faithful and supportive readers... you're part of my daily home life :), I can actually see change. I see more people walking around with reusable cups, some readers visiting my deli counter with their jars (I got a report from the cheese guy ;), friends buying milk in glass jars and throwing zero waste birthday parties... But I have to say, British Airways threw all that enthusiasm out the window.

I can hear you say: "Welcome to the real world, Bea". On these uncommon grounds, I feel like a fish lost in the Great Pacific Trash Vortex, where intoxicating waste gets shoved down my throat. Or perhaps is it, that leaving my home where waste is pretty much all figured out, leaves me feeling vulnerable, unprepared, and unarmed elsewhere. Or perhaps I should have taken more notes during last year's trip and done more research before flying to prepare myself.

I brought my reusable and insulated wide mouth bottle (cold and hot drinks), napkin and bamboo utensils on the flight, thinking that they would get me to my brother's waste free, but waste was inevitable.

Live and Learn.

As soon as the kids and I opened the plastic bags (blanket in one, headphones, socks, toothbrush and sleep mask in another) on our seats, and got settled, I found out that my headphones were broken. And since I had looked forward to being stuck on an 11 hour flight with two kids for the non-stop movie selection on individual screens (remember, we don't have TV), I requested headphone replacements... Ugh, what I did not realize is that the new pair of headphones would be again bundled with another pair of socks, a toothbrush and sleep mask...

Later, my insulated Klean Kanteen did not save me from the disposable alcohol either. Yes I was thirsty for something else than water and succumbed to the "free" beer (straight out of the can to save a disposable cup) and wine (straight out of the glass bottle) on the long haul flight. At least, I then thought, the two are easily recyclable and would be given a second life by British Airways.

Or would they? I googled (soon after landing), to put to rest any doubt I had on the question. What I found out is astonishing, in this day and age (or at least for someone living in a bubble) and yet not surprising (considering I had doubts).

In short:
- No airlines currently recycle all of the main types of recyclables: aluminum cans, glass, plastic and paper ... because of airport recycling policies and customs.
-According to Green America Today, United and US airways rank worse on a sustainability scale comparing 11 airlines (US Airways throwing away 1 million plastic cups every 6 hours). BA was not far behind, in 8th place.
-According to a report by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), “The U.S. airline industry discards enough aluminum cans each year to build 58 Boeing 747 airplanes [...] and enough newspapers and magazines to fill a football field to a depth of more than 230 feet.”

I keep wondering, why are the blankets wrapped? is it because they wrap them after cleaning them. Do they clean them or throw them out? After reading the confessions of a flight attendant, it makes me wonder. If airlines see disposability in a terry washcloth or headphones, they could just as well see it in a synthetic blanket. I remember always using a blanket for as long as I have flown internationally, but I don't remember it always being wrapped. When did it stop being acceptable to receive a naked blanket? (Note to self: Add airline blanket to my "standards revisited" posting).

Here are somethings you can do to minimize your air travel waste:

• Packing light: The three of us used one medium suitcase for the summer (easy for a minimalist, I took everything in my closet except for 11 winter items), and a small suitcase for presents and items that I'll bring back (last year, I filled it with antique metal bottle carriers to carry my refillable wine, a sweater that I knit with my mom's help, the alum stones that I use as deodorant, a loofah that I bought unpackaged, a discarded sheet that I made into bulk bags, and loads of family recipes).
• Visiting the library for your reading: Mine is "Gone tomorrow, the hidden life of garbage". It's been on my "To Read" list for months. I calculated that with Scott visiting us halfway during our stay, he could take my book back to the library before the loan expires. You can also use a Read & Return Program.
• Stopping at the local thrift shop on the way to the airport for pre-owned magazines: I found all June 2010 editions. Thanks to those who remembered to Reuse before Recycle, and donated them.
• Getting to the security checkpoint with an empty reusable bottle, and once on the other side, asking for a refill at a bar (with a smile).
• Packing bamboo utensils, and a cloth napkin in your carry-on and refusing the airlines disposable version.

While I wait to hear back from British Airways (and it might take as long as Whole Foods ;) about the whereabouts of my in-flight used and unused meal containers, uneaten food, used blanket, used pillow, used headphones, unused toothbrush/sleep mask kit and unused socks, I plan to be more thoughtful on the way back:

• Refusing plastic covered items: Giving them back to the flight attendant before I sit down .
• Bringing personal headphones: Most flights audio systems now have regular headphone jacks.
• Bringing a wrap to use as a blanket.
• Packing a reusable stainless straw would also be useful when sipping directly out of a can/bottle to avoid the plastic cup on the plane.
• Taking recyclables with me to recycle at my destination and filling out this online survey.

Of course, if I also packed a meal, many of my worries would disappear.