Thursday, November 8, 2012

About town: The Selby in Auckland

Sometimes you need to see your town from an outsiders point of view to really appreciate it.  I've never been a fan of Auckland.  I've always thought that it was too spread out, too uncultured, it had no real heart, no creativity, agh I couldn't wait to leave!  And in my defence, when I was 17 years old I packed my bags and moved to Germany swearing I would never return.  Ermmm but a year later there I was standing at Auckland airport feeling a little defeated.  A few years later I moved back to Europe (yeah, yeah never to return... you know how it is) and yet once again I was drawn back a year later.  Only this time I was in Auckland for a mere two weeks before packing the old family wagon full of my belongings and hitting the road for Wellington.  I managed to stay there for a few years (having the time of my life) before the big city sucked me back again.  Even then I never intended to stay, I always saw it as a transit town for me, a place to lay low until the next adventure presented itself.  Then I met a boy who I quite fancied, he had just committed himself to a 4 years degree here and I wasn't about to take off without him again.  We made so many plans to move to Wellington, Melbourne, France, Asia... anywhere but here! Naturally life had other ideas though, in perfect timing with him finishing his degree, we're going to be first time parents.  Okay, okay we get, we're supposed to stay put.  At least for a while!  Having finally (reluctantly) accepted that made me start to look at this city with more openness and you know what I discovered??  There are some really talented, interesting people and places tucked away around here.
I remembered that Todd Selby was in Auckland earlier this year and worked his magic on photographing some of these people and places.  Wow how different it all looks through the eye of an outsider...

The Cafe - Coffee Supreme
I've only been here once about a couple of years ago.  We intended to meet friends there for breakfast which alas they didn't do.  But we still had a great cup of coffee and you're so busy being entertained by all the interesting decor that you forget to have conversations with your friends!


The Restaurant/ bar - Coco's Cantina
I'm embarrassed to say that I've never been here before but I've sure heard a lot about it.  This place is supposed to be amazing for both food and as a bar later in the evening.  Really need to head in and check it out!

The home - Charlotte Rust
Agh I just love this beautiful home!  Charlotte used to own one of THE vintage stores in town called Fast and Loose which sadly closed down a year or two ago.  She has this awesome kind of rock n roll vintage style.  You know, it was one of those shops that you couldn't help but feel cool in!


The studio - Gidon Bing
I have never heard of this artist before but I love his style.  Have you ever seen such a clean, beautiful studio space??


The garden - Stephen and Lucy Marr
I just know the name Stephen Marr because a friend used to work at his hair salon in Ponsonby.  His brand has quite a hip, up market feel to it so I was a little surprised to find that they have such a beautiful down to earth style.  I love it when people surprise me like that ;).

You can check out more kiwi homes on the Selby here.  What do you think about your hometown?  Is it full of hidden treasures and interesting people?
x

3 comments:

  1. It's so funny that you've felt that way about Auckland. I feel the same way about Brisbane, & Auckland is on my list of places I'd love to live, after Dunedin & Christchurch. I love the many groovy suburbs of Auckland, & I think it has so much more character then Brisbane. The one thing I don't like is Aucklands traffic & the motorways....they do my head in! Xx

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    1. Ha ha I guess somehow the grass is always greener! Often when you move somewhere and get used to a place it sort of loses it's excitement factor I think. Interesting that you would live in Dunedin and Christchurch before Auckland. I've never even thought about the South Island.

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  2. This is too precious!

    Melissa
    shakeshakee.blogspot.com

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