Bringing colour and intensity to a space

Nelson architect Mathew Hay is a creative guy. In addition to designing houses and buildings, Mathew dabbles in furniture making and is responsible for the look of some of Nelson’s most attractive hospitality venues. He talks to Matt Lawrey about his work and his favourite piece of art.

Mathew Hay’s love for his favourite artwork is based on two things: its vibrancy and the fact he witnessed its creation.

Mathew bought the large contemporary work titled ‘Tortoise’ by Auckland artist Andrew Barber in 2002. A friend of a friend, Matt was introduced to Barber while he was studying Architecture at the University of Auckland. Barber was a student at UNITEC and Matt quickly became a fan.

“I love the vibrancy of Andy’s work and I remember going to his studio and seeing it being painted. It was the observation of his creative process. It was the process of seeing it being made,” he says.

Mathew says Barber is “obsessed” with colour.

“He had a part-time job at the French Art Shop in Auckland and he basically channelled all of his money into buying quality pigments.”

Tortoise features an eclectic range of images, including one of its creator’s studio, an insect, a gold condom, a grand piano, a fridge, a first aid kit and, unsurprisingly a tortoise.

“There’s quite a lot happening,” Mathew laughs.

It was part of a triptyc that Barber was working on and Mathew was so enamoured, he bought one of the other paintings as well. Today that other painting hangs in his office.

“I paid $2200 for them. It was a lot of money for me back then. It was a time in my life when I was really quite obsessed with art. I came out of Architecture School really interested in particularly New Zealand art.”

Mathew has never seen the third painting in the series completed. He believes Barber still has it but suspects it may now be out of his price range.

Tortoise hangs in Mathew and his partner Louise’s seven-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

“It’s hung in Tilda’s room her entire life. It’s a big picture. Louise struggles with it a bit. Our living room’s a quieter space. I think the vibrancy really works for Tilda’s space,” he says.

“One of the things I love about the artwork is just how much colour and intensity it brings to a space.”

He also loves the way it takes him back.

“It’s become a time transport device. There’s a layering of memory, a nostalgic thing. The time, and the people, and the smells kind of come back to me through the painting, so there’s an experiential thing that I like about the work as well.”

Born and bred in Gore, Mathew’s father’s job as an agronomist (crop scientist) took the family from the West Coast to Wales and then to Palmerston North where Mathew went to high school.

The first house he designed after architecture school was for his parents on the Kapiti Coast. That led to him working for a firm in Auckland which, in turn, saw him designing a house in Marlborough that led to him moving to Nelson in his late twenties.

He’s also an accomplished furniture maker and met Louise in Wellington on a trip for his first solo exhibition. In addition to houses and buildings, Mathew has also worked on creating memorable hospitality interiors. His designs in Nelson include DeVille, Hardy Street Eatery, The Sprig + Fern in Tahunanui and The Suter Café.

Mathew and his business partner, Magdalena Garbarczyk, set up Fineline Architecture a couple of years ago.

Like many in their field, Mathew and Magdalena are on a mission to show people the benefits of good design and rail against the trend of bigger and bigger houses.

“Someone has to show the public that there are better things to do with their money. With good design you can deliver more for your client. Better design means better use of space which means less waste,” he says.

“We need to be building smaller and smarter. We need to be building with better quality, sustainable materials.”

Mathew is also deeply concerned about the increasingly spread out nature of New Zealand’s towns and cities.

“It’s kind of like America but it’s worse. I’m appalled by the amount of decisions that get made that don’t have any scientific backing. All the research has been done about the benefits of intensification and 15 minute cities. It’s not like the information’s been locked away in an ivory tower. It’s all out there but, instead, we just roll out this urban sprawl.”

He remains passionate about creativity and believes art can both compliment and detract from architecture. It all depends on the art in question.

“Artwork can add to and elevate what we do but other times you want to get in there and photograph the house before the client’s artwork goes up,” he says with a chuckle.