Mid-Century Living

An extraordinary collection of mid century and modern Kiwi objects and the stories behind them from the best-selling author of The Road to Castle Hill.

An incurable collector shares her astonishing collection of vintage New Zealand art, objects and design and her classic 1960s seaside bach.
For over 30 years, philanthropist and best-selling author of The Road to Castle Hill Christine Fernyhough has built an extraordinary collection of over 4000 everyday objects of mid century New Zealand craft, design and folk art.
From furniture to toys and games, tableware to ornamental objects, Royal Family memorabilia to Kiwiana, Crown Lynn to hand-coloured scenic posters, together these objects are a gloriously nostalgic, colourful and tangible record of the way we lived and the things we surrounded ourselves with.
Christine has devoted her classic 1960s seaside bach, ‘The Butterfly House’ to housing her collection, transforming it into a beguiling mid-century fantasy that never fails to delight visitors.
This beautiful book shares that collection for the first time, for all to enjoy.
Crisp, colour-drenched photographs by Studio La Gonda bring to life the bach and all its rooms and revealindividual objects in situ through rich close-ups, taking the reader into our quirky, crafty and often ‘make do’ past.
Christine’s intimate, lively, deeply informative text tells the story of how it all came to be. She entertainingly blends her own family stories with those of New Zealand’s manufacturers and craftspeople, sharing her journey into collecting as well as her knowledge and passion, and evoking nostalgia for the beach, the bach and bygone summers.
This is a deeply immersive, generous book that celebrates twentieth century life in Aotearoa New Zealand and provides an important record of our social and cultural history.

Author Biography

Christine Fernyhough is well known as a leading Auckland philanthropist, having co-founded Books in Homes with Alan Duff 1994 and, in 2000, the Gifted Kids Programme for high achieving children in low-decile schools. In 2004 she was a recent widow when she bought the legendary Castle Hill Station, near Porter Heights in the Canterbury Alps, which she transformed into a high performing farm. The station came to national attention in 2007 when she published the bestselling The Road to Castle Hill- A High Country Love Story. This book was followed by Ben and Mark- Boys of the High Country and two picture books for young readers, Dart of Castle Hill and Phyllis of Castle Hill. Her writing has been described as inspirational, warm-hearted, funny and honest and her books have received rave reviews. In 2000 she was made an ONZM followed in 2011 by a CNZM for services to education and the community. In 2015 Christine established the Museum of the Everyday, based on her personal collection of more than 4000 New Zealand craft, design, folk art and social history objects from the twentieth century, built up over 30 years. Her latest book shares that collection, all housed in her charming 1960s seaside bach, the ‘Butterfly House’.