Cheshire Architects flawlessly redesign a small modernist apartment

Article by Home Magazine

Cheshire Architects impeccably redesign a small modernist apartment in Auckland for Paperboy editor Jeremy Hansen and his husband

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Q&A with Nat Cheshire and Ian Scott of Cheshire Architects

Why was it important to you to take on this project?
Nat Cheshire: Jeremy and Cameron’s apartment is the latest in a string of very small projects we’ve built in the last few years, clients who have all been so brave and are very precious to us. We’re as proud of a strange and beautiful washroom as we are a thriving city block. The tiny scale of this work affords us an opportunity to atmospherically tune space to very fine increments. In little rooms like these, clarity and subtlety of composition, material and detail become enormously powerful tools. They also create a discipline in our practice that echoes into our larger work. It’s a vital part of who we are, and who we want to be: the designers of whole cities… from city blocks to door handles.

What were the particular opportunities this presented to you as designers?
Nat Cheshire: The great opportunities were human: to become a very intimate part of the lives of two brilliant people, and to work in great detail with craftspeople such as the cabinetmaker Cliff Armstrong and his team at Essex Cabinetmakers, and Tim England and Scott Blakelock at Early Bird Construction, our building contractors on this job. They did a very careful job and managed a few curveballs from the existing building. Because there were few things to discuss – whether it be the rituals of one’s domestic life or the difference between two types of hinge – one is afforded the opportunity to dig very deep into those relationships.

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Was there was any aspect of this project that was the hardest to sell to the clients, and if so, what?
Ian Scott: The bathroom was challenging but Jeremy and Cameron were both eager to entertain ideas and were receptive of the direction we sought. Nat had designed a similar room in his own home and being able to take them there helped. We think they understood that there is too often a level of experiential waste in the way we make bathrooms – the sterile nature, chrome fittings, and artificial linings. In this contained, interior space, we took a little liberty to break from the modernist palette of the building and create this contrastingly atmospheric sanctuary with small pools of soft light illuminating warm, natural materials – like a kind of spa, a spatial and psychological retreat.

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Law and Hansen in the sitting area. The ‘Carmel’ sofa is by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poliform from Studio Italia, and the ‘Circus’ stool by Martino Gamper is from Everyday Needs. The ‘AJ’ floor lamp is by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen from Design Denmark. The painting above the sofa is by Imogen Taylor.

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Cameron Law (left) and Jeremy Hansen at their apartment in Freemans Bay, Auckland.

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The kitchen features brass tapware by Arne Jacobsen for Vola from Metrix, and a fireclay sink by Acquello fromInResidence.

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The dining table and chairs belonged to Hansen’s paternal grandparents, as did the arm chair. The cushion on the arm chair is from Everyday Needs and the rug is from Nodi Rugs. The walnut bookshelves and cabinetry extend the lines of the kitchen cabinetry, and the segment of white wall allows a sense of separation from the entry. The ‘PH5’ light by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen is from Design Denmark. The artworks at right areby Tracey Tawhiao.

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The radiogram was owned by Law’s maternal grandparents. A bowl by Gemeaux Riddell and a Chinese storage jar sit on top. The artwork above the chair is by Dan Arps.

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The photo above the sofa is by Patrick Reynolds. The platter on the table and vase on the middle bookshelf are by Bruce and Estelle Martin from Kamaka Pottery. The green vase is mid-century Italian, and the small vessels below are by Estelle Martin and Doreen Blumhardt. The photograph behind the vessels is by Michael Parekowhai.

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A lamp by Isamu Noguchi sits beside a souvenir from Miyajima and ornaments from Hansen and Law’s wedding cake. The photograph behind them is by Jacob Feenstra. The green ‘Herringbone’ vase by Phil Cuttance sits in front of a photograph by Deborah Smith.

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The walnut cabinetry was designed by Cheshire and Scott, and fabricated by Essex Cabinetmakers in New Lynn. The appliances, including an integrated fridge, rangehood, induction hob and DishDrawer, are all by Fisher & Paykel. The shelves hold ceramics by Bruce and Estelle Martin, Paul Melser, Crown Lynn, Gidon Bing, and a teapot and cups by Cecilia Stööp for Höganäs.

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The painting above the kitchen counter is by Saskia Leek.

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The work in the main bedroom is by He Sen and was purchased by Hansen when he lived in Hong Kong.

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New wardrobes in both bedrooms feature white lacquer doors with a walnut trim, fabricated by Essex Cabinetmakers. The ‘Type 75’ lamp by Margaret Howell for Anglepoise is from Everyday Needs. The twill throw in ‘Slate’ is from Nodi.