Rooms of Canterbury
Step inside three of Canterbury’s most beautiful, creative and captivating rooms with award-winning portrait photographer Jane Ussher, in her second book showcasing remarkable New Zealand interiors.
How soon after publishing her first deep-dive of Aotearoa’s never seen before residential interiors would Jane Ussher decide to make a second version? “Almost immediately,” she says.
Rooms Volume Two: More portraits of remarkable New Zealand interiors is the elegant, extravagant successor to the bestselling, award-winning 2022 book Rooms: Portraits of remarkable New Zealand interiors.
“I wanted to expand on the idea of isolating and photographing some of the collections that I discovered, because as I progressed with the photography for the new book it became evident that the majority of houses I was invited into belonged to collectors. Often these treasures had been amassed over decades and they often became the subject or a wonderful addition to the images I was creating. The stories and information we absorbed through the process was a priceless addition to the book,” Jane explains. “The common denominator was that each space is unique and has been created by individuals with a passion for curating an environment that doesn’t reflect current trends but instead reflects their individual passions.”
Merivale House
This house is owned by dedicated collectors of mid-century furniture and ceramics and New Zealand art. The shelves house a large collection of ceramics by Ernest Shufflebotham and Mirek Smisek. The Danish mid-century table in front of it was bought at Mr Mod in Christchurch and holds pieces by Keith Murray. Above the sideboard are works by, from left, Heather Straka, Séraphine Pick, Shane Cotton and Roger Mortimer. On the dresser are pieces of the owners’ large collection of glass, including Pertti Santalahti for Humppila Glass, Per Lütken for Holmegaard, Orrefors and Tapio Wirkkala. The wheeled vehicle and sheriff’s badge are by Wayne Youle.
Mid Canterbury House
This large house was built in the Arts and Crafts style around 1900 for the Westenra family, near Dunsandel.
A second storey was added around 1916. The red-walled formal living room holds a collection of watercolours by prominent New Zealand artists, including Glasgow Boy by James McLauchlan Nairn and a Port Hills scene by William Sutton. The Victorian mahogany sideboard, which has been lacquered bright yellow, holds a collection of Chinese ceramics. Alongside are chairs from the owners’ previous home in Hong Kong, China.
St Albans Cottage, Christchurch
This Georgian-style double-brick cottage, built in the 1880s, was badly damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes and then repaired. The little boats above the dining table are by Barry Clarke. The view through the side porch entranceway is to the tower house at the end of the garden where the owner lived while the house was being repaired.
