From the ashes of Bauer’s untimely close, HERE was born: it is more personal, more responsive and more community-spirited then previous incarnations. Regardless of these troubling times, it is a celebration of Aotearoa New Zealand place-making and creative collaborations. The craft, photography and production standards are high as always, yet overall the design intention is looser and more expressive. Each issue of HERE will have a guest art director with free-range on the feature houses section of the magazine. First up us.
Our brief was succinct: “please use heaps of white space, and be respectful of the images”.
We left no white space, and depending on how you feel about the layering of photography, we did it with respect. But here lies the magic: the storytelling of each place, through moments and details contrasted or complemented: the room, and then the view from the room. The close-up detail over the establishing shot. Each of these homes was chosen precisely for their use of unexpected colour, which is something we amplified on paper, with intention. Each section drew inspiration for its colour within the architecture (or in the case of the pink, the cosmos flowers) — leaning into the warmth and celebration.
Photography credits: David Straight, Sam Hartnett, Simon Devitt