Smith

Its not often that I go to pick up a trade-me purchase and end up discovering a home designed by an iconic mid century architect. Today was one of those wonderful moments when I stumbled upon a modest yet beautiful house designed by Gordon Smith, a NZ architect in the 1950s who designed the Wanganui War Memorial Museum between 1955 -1960 in partnership with Greenhough, Smith & Newman Architects.

This particular property has a beautiful glazed internal courtyard that is filled with light, contrasting well with a smaller intimate brick fireplace retreat to one side. A wonderful space with a collection of found windows, screens and materials that are not limited by a strict rationale, but that illustrate personal experience and the unique nature of recovered materials as a key driver of the architecture.

Somewhat appropriately I was on a mission to pick up a beautifully restored 1960s daybed for our own little reading nook. If any of you also have a restored furniture addiction, I can highly recommend visiting Ringatoi Retro's blog to see what other lovely projects she has in progress at her workshop that you may like to add to your collection!

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