Youestablishedyourpractice
in2014.Whatdoyoudoandwhy
doyoudoit?Weareengagedinthe
productionofbuildings,interiors,
landscapesandfurniture.Througha
processofexperimentation,spontaneity
andsuggestion,wedesignworkthat
embodiesa meaningfulsenseofplace
andprovidesinspirationforitsinhabitants.
Whatareyouworkingon?Residential
architectureandsmall-scaleprojects,
suchasa workspaceforKatieLockhart
Studio.We’vejustfinisheda competition
proposalfora LakeWakatipuhomewith
KeijiAshizawaDesignin Tokyoand
JaredLockhart.
A coupleofrecentlycompletedprojects
haveanapproachtoexteriorsthatwe
liketocall‘structuredlandscape’.We
usestrong,elemental,hardlandscaping
todefineandheightensoftlandscaping
withinthedesign.Thiscreatesa place
that’sappropriatetosuburbanandinner-
cityliving– simple,low-maintenance,
versatileandthatfitsin withdensity.
Wearealsoenjoyingfinishing‘Valley’
house,anAucklandhomewedesigned
initsentirety– fromlandscaping,
architectureandinteriorsthroughtofiner
elementssuchascustomdoors,handles,
kitchenshelvesandstonevanities.
Whatdoyoustrivetoachieveinyour
work?Harmony,longevityandpresence
arecoreprincipalsinourpractice.
Inherenttoourthinkingis thata building
is a vessel,a containerofmovement.
Therelationshiptoitsinhabitantsis its
essence.It shouldnotrecedenorspeak
tooloudly.Forus,thisphilosophyhasthe
abilitytoextendfromthearchitecture,
throughtheinteriorsandintofurniture
andbespokedesignelements.
Whatshapesyourdesignapproach?
We enjoya non-prescribeddesign
process,wherebyeachprojectis
approachedwithopennessandan
opportunitytoexplore.Thisallowsus
todrawinspirationfroma widerange
offields.Weworkonprojectstogether,
whichwefinda rewardingwaytogenerate
andcritiqueideas,aswellastoknow
whenwe’vearrivedata pointatwhich
wearehappytoput the pencil down.KeshawMcArthur
keshawmcarthur.comKeshaw
McArthur
Auckland-baseddesign-and-
architectduoKatrinaKeshaw
and Xuan McArthur Nguyen.Above—A 4.2-metre
cantileveredhearth
providesa placetosit
arounda fireat‘Valley’
housein Auckland.
Left—XuanMcArthur
NguyenandKatrina
Keshawmetwhile
studyingarchitecture
attheUniversityof
Auckland.McArthur
grewupbetween
theKapitiCoastand
VietnamandKeshawin
WestAuckland,where
their studio is located.Below—A refined
paletteandnatural
lightcreatetranquility
at ‘Valley’ house.D:09 ONE TO WATCHPhotographyThomas Seaar-Budd; Rebekah Robinson36 HOME NEW ZEALAND