| 51 INTERIORS SemiCreative Awarded for thoughtful and sensitive treatment T Kelly Deeks Photo: Sarah Rowlands Spatial design studio SemiCreative has set the bar high for its future, with its first entry into the Interior Awards this year taking out the Hospitality Award for its thoughtful and sensitive treatment of a landmark building, as it fit out the unique new addition to Christchurch’s hospitality landscape, Seven. For SemiCreative owner James Irvine, the award was a pleasant surprise. “There was a broad array of finalists in the hospitality category, including a big city cafe and a stunning brewery come distillery on Waiheke, so we were up against some pretty impressive projects. Our project had a relatively restrictive budget, but the judges recognised it as a success, as we were able to achieve what we set out to.” Seven was only the third project SemiCreative had ever completed since being established in March 2020, and was really the first chance James had to take his studio to the Interior Awards. He says when he was working on Seven, like every project, he wasn’t designing for the awards, but designing for the brief and trying to make his client happy. “When you’re in it, you’re in it for other reasons. The project has been wrapped up for a few months now, it’s open and it’s doing well. Putting it into the awards you kind of get to relive it.” The site for Seven is the seventh floor of the Canterbury Terminating Building Society’s former offices, and the last remaining largescale building by local architect Peter Beaven. SemiCreative had to respect the landmark building while also creating something unique for Christchurch. James is a Christchurch local who has spent some time working abroad and in Auckland and Wellington before returning home and setting up SemiCreative. “I wanted to be involved in what is still being rebuilt as a city,” he says. “After living overseas and in Auckland and Wellington I’ve seen some insanely good restaurants and bars in these cities, and I think Christchurch in the past has been a couple of steps behind. But it’s catching up and Seven is one of those projects. In my opinion, what makes a good hospitality venue is the balance between location, fitout design, and offering, and Seven has all of these things. The fitout is fantastic, the food is fantastic, the wine selection is fantastic, and the location, being up there seven stories high with a view over the east frame of the city isn’t a very common thing in Christchurch these days.” SemiCreative added layers of warmth and softness to Peter Beaven’s modernist application of concrete, steel, and glass with form, geometry, and materials. Chocolatey hues of walnut, creamy tones of upholstery, and curvaceous detailing are drawn out by dim, moody lighting creating a feeling of homeliness reminiscent of a domestic mid-century interior. The Interior Awards 2022 jury thought SemiCreative had provided a soft, textured, light-filled space within a brutalist shell, saying the experience of the bar represents a journey of discovery to an elevated retreat above the city, where the designers’ carefully crafted and clever response offers warmth and sophistication in a modernist setting. James says SemiCreative was stoked to be involved in this project, and to have aided the owners in creating something so unique. “The more venues like this, the more Christchurch gets put on the map for its hospitality.” He thinks there is a group of up and coming creative professionals in Christchurch who are all working on equally invigorating projects as Seven and when they work together, these projects are made all the more exciting. “There are a lot of people out there who are pushing the boundaries and wanting Christchurch to grow in ways it hasn’t before.” SemiCreative added layers of warmth and softness to Peter Beaven’s modernist application of concrete, steel, and glass with form, geometry, and materials. 027 371 0658 www.ampereelectrical.co.nz anthony@ampereelectrical.co.nz ampereelectricalltd Proudly supporting SemiCreative Kitchens created around you and your lifestyle. From bespoke designs to full makeovers, as well as timber joinery and stairs, contact us for your next job. 03 388 2924 www.bowerjoinery.co.nz 12A Bower Ave, Chch Canterbury’s leading manufacturer and supplier of benchtops; AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI SURFACES OFFICIAL LICENSEE | www.idylium.com/lamborghini • Quartz Engineered Stone • Acrylic Solid Surface We are proud to partner with Bower Kitchens on this project. Visit our showroom and visit our website: www.marbello.com • Idylium Ceramic Stone • Stone & Tiles for Walls & Floors
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=