City House, Country House

by John Walsh, Patrick Reynolds

he much anticipated follow-up to the bestselling Big House, Small House.

City House, Country House explores 40 of New Zealand’s most outstanding residential projects in locations ranging from intensely urban to spectacularly remote. New family homes, suburban alterations, city apartments, coastal beach houses and rural retreats are all included in this impressive collection of recently completed projects, reflecting a growing diversity of living styles and architectural responses across the country.

Thoughtfully photographed and with accompanying plans and text that probes the design rationale behind each project, this is a highly collectable survey of some of New Zealand’s most innovative and interesting homes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture

Hardcover

Published October 31, 2016

About the author

John Walsh is the communications manager of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. He lives in Auckland.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from their highly enjoyable, previous collaborations, this latest collection from Walsh & Reynolds brings many of the same principles together. It’s relaxing, inspiring, informative and provocative. This isn’t just run of the mill property porn, this is a voyeuristic delight, falling somewhere between a smug “Hello” ‘at home’ magazine shoot and a lifestyle magazine supplement you get free with a Sunday broadsheet. We get treated to a number of modern and cutting edge designs from around NZ, though the attention is largely focused on the greater Auckland area, the Bay of Islands, as well as wider Wellington and Christchurch respectively.

From the sublime to the surreal and occasionally stunning, there is certainly never a dry moment, though even the most florid and highfalutin of descriptions cannot hide a few of the occasional eyesores that are hidden in here. As ever Reynolds’ photography is consistently clean and sharp and really does justice to the spaces, often elevating them to something really special. A number of contributors from various relevant backgrounds weigh in with their thoughts and summaries. The prose reads really nicely and is consistently informed and even humorous at times, giving us a balanced and enlightened flavour for the places and spaces. There are some truly incredible backdrops and stunning vistas that showcase the rugged beauty of the country as much as the architectural bravery and experimentation on show.