Design notebook

What do you love most about your collection? My photo-book collection is small but well-formed. I love the possibility and potential it contains. Some books I return to regularly, others not a lot. They’re all magical in their own way, an imprint of a photographer’s soul exacted in a book.

What do you love about the light in your home? I love how the carpet, the paint, the walnut, the brass, the oiled steel, the cork floor, all absorb more light than they reflect. It creates a softness and a richness.

What do you enjoy most about where you live? We have a view back to the city that allows us to feel away from it but close enough to be connected. I love how rested the house makes me feel, it feels really relaxed, it has a spirit.

If you could do anything to your home right now what would you do? I’ve always thought about the back yard we have and how many of Auckland’s back yards have been filled in. We have a sloping section, like most Titirangi properties, so I’ve always thought about building a secondary dwelling with a turf roof so that the back yard is still in play and reads like it’s still a back yard.

What do people say about your home when they visit? The prevalent comments are: ‘It’s so relaxing and settled here,’ and ‘I love that you have so many interesting objects and amazing books.’

What do you love most about returning home? My absolute love is the welcome I get from my partner Hannah and our dogs. I can hear their wagging tails tapping on the wall from outside the house (Hannah doesn’t have a tail)... makes me smile and laugh.