An eye for style

Generations of ducks and pukekos have grown up outside the living room windows.Pictures / Carolyn Robertson

Award-winning designer Catherine David lives in a three-level home overlooking an Auckland estuary with her husband Michel Neeff and cat Laila.

"Our outlook competes with the pages of the National Geographic magazine. We have watched generations of ducks and pukekos grow up from our living room windows," she says.

Designed by architects Biba Boban and Vlad Cekus, the 5-year-old home makes the most of its relatively small site and water views.

"My office is on the ground floor so I work right by the water and feel like I am on holiday every day of the year."

Known for her funky yet functional designs, from sleek light-fittings to candle-holders and stationery, David broke new ground with her range of plastic shower curtains.

"What was on the market was pretty ugly. A good-looking shower curtain was an oxymoron. I wanted to shatter that," she says.

"I can have art for art's sake but I prefer my designs to have a useful purpose, as well as looking good."

Born in Malaysia to a New Zealand mother and Eurasian father, David's career in homeware and product design began almost by accident. Originally trained as an architect, she started designing linen for herself.

"I thought I might as well try selling them and the range was picked up by an Auckland design store and it took off from there."

Now her designs are sold in New Zealand and Australia and she is looking at expanding into European markets.

How would you describe your interior design style?

Quite minimalist but not too cold as it is a mixture of both Michel's and my tastes. Michel comes from Germany and he has a lot of antique furniture and a vast tin-toy collection - we had to incorporate this into a modern environment. I think we have managed to achieve a lean minimalist interior with the edges knocked off.

What is your favourite room in your home?

It's not one room but I love the design of our living space. The entrance to the house flows to the dining-room, which leads to the kitchen and living rooms, divided by partial walls. There are no doors, yet the way the spaces are arranged makes you feel like the rooms are completely contained, while still maintaining good flow.
What is your best buy?

Our small Italian Barbe-cook. It is a stainless steel charcoal barbecue that lights every time by stuffing a piece of newspaper down its column.

Do you entertain much at home?

We do normally but things have been a little quiet for the last few months as Michel has been studying hard completing his final surgical exams. I really enjoy cooking and love having people for dinner.

What is your favourite piece of furniture?

My white sofa and chaise we bought from ECC - it incorporates everything I like about good design. It is completely functional, is well put together, solid and totally visually satisfying. The sofa fabric is Teflon-treated and all the covers can be removed, folded up and taken to the dry-cleaners.

What influences do you draw on when putting together the look of your home?

We do like to have a lot of art around the house. At the moment our art pieces seem to be dominated by two main artists - Martin Smida (German) and Janet Muir (Auckland). Of course we would love to have much more but that will have to come. I really would love to have a Tony Fomison piece one day.

What is your favourite designer piece?

Actually I feel a little embarrassed saying this but at the moment I really am getting a kick out of my slide light. It contains slides from our wedding from years ago and people love coming up to it and having a look at them. It's like having photos around but not. The light works really well in the TV space - I often have it on as the only lighting when I am watching a DVD.

What is your most treasured possession?

My new Kitchen Aid. I love its form and function.

How has your work as a designer influenced your home?

As a designer one tends to be very visual. My home has to be visually stimulating to me yet relaxing. I have a very strong sense of what looks and feels right to me and if something introduced doesn't work I tend to get rid of it straight away. If the context is wrong or the item is wrong it assaults me optically. Our home's interior hasn't changed much since we built the house five years ago but it has been slowly evolving.