Cool, swanky, colourful; these
are just a few of the words which come to mind when describing the mood at last Thursday night’s book launch for Jeremy Hansen’s stunning book, Modern: New Zealand
Homes from 1938 to 1977 , at Bauer Media in central Auckland.
Fitting for a book that
celebrates sleek design and simplicity, Modern was launched in the lobby
of Bauer Media’s uber cool new office space in the former old Cityworks
Depot. High ceilings and concrete floors contained a huge crowd of nearly 100
architects, media, advertisers and notable Aucklanders, including Denise
L’Estrange-Corbet, Christine Fernyhough, David Mitchell, and many of the homes’
owners.
Bauer Media’s Lisa Ralph, Publisher – Premium
and Specialist Titles, welcomed everyone to the launch and talked about how
proud she and her team at Bauer were of Jeremy and what he had accomplished
with the publication of Modern.
In officially launching Jeremy’s book,
Nicola Legat, Random House Publisher, paid tribute to his erudition and
diligence, saying what a joy it had been to work with such a consummate
professional. Strikingly designed by the award-winning team of Arch MacDonnell and
Sarah Gladwell from Inhouse, Modern’s
high production values were noted and praised.
In response, Jeremy thanked the many
creative people who played a part in the production and publication of Modern,
not least the modernist architects whose work is celebrated in the book. Their
legacy is a gift to the nation and one which deserves to be more fully
recognised. These simple, elegant homes still have much to teach us about how
we can live well now.
The room fairly buzzed with
lively conversation and laughter, encouraged by a fine selection of wines from
generous sponsor Brancott Estate, including their intriguing new Special
Reserve Sauvignon Gris varietal, which many guests declared “delicious”.
Unsurprisingly, not a drop was left by the end of the night and Jeremy was kept
busy signing books well beyond the launch’s conclusion, with many folk buying
multiple copies.
With Christmas fast approaching Modern is the absolute perfect gift for
anyone interested in New Zealand homes, architecture and design.
Modern - author Jeremy Hansen addresses the large gathering
Published by Random House NZ under their Godwit imprint - Hardcover - $75.00
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