We spend a lot of time deliberating over the magazine’s annual Best Of winners. This year, 2014, we found standouts to award top marks to in 10 different categories: residential architecture, objects and lighting, art, furniture, technology, motoring, makers, destination and commercial space.

So, drum roll please – Urbis’ Best Of 2014 recipients are:

Best House: Seascape house by Pattersons

After revamping the homestead on this Banks Peninsula, 4000-acre piece of land, architect Andrew Patterson turned his genius gaze to the edge of the property and a bay with killer views. The dwelling he designed from which to enjoy said vistas is this; a one-bedroomed studio that boasts a living roof, stunning stonework and a gorgeously neutral interior. Seascape, which is accessed by helicopter or four-wheel-drive vehicle, is simply the best piece of architecture we’ve seen in ages. And, it’s available for holiday rentals so, budget allowing, we can all enjoy it
for a day or two.

Best Makers: Thing Industries

How’s this for a long-distance relationship? Bridie Picot, a New Zealand producer based in New York, and Matt Smith, a Wellington industrial designer, run their furniture and homewares business, Thing Industries, from opposite sides of the world – and it’s going gangbusters. Picot, 34, and Smith, 31, launched their company in 2013 with just six pieces. Since then, Vogue Living, Dwell and The Los Angeles Times have sung the praises of their witty, innovative concepts. A collaboration with American ceramicist Helen Levi and a new range of alpaca products are on the cards for 2015; you can find the current products at Douglas and Bec and
Mildred & Co.

Best Lighting: The Aballs Collection

Spanish designer Jaime Hayon is known for his playful but not-at-all kitsch designs and these lights commissioned by Barcelona-based Parachilna are no exception. Each piece can be made in white, black or gold and comes with a diffuser of blown opal glass. If maximum impact is your thing, there’s an amazing chandelier with 24 bulbs in the collection; if sophisticated and decorative is more your speed, the table lamps and pendants pictured here are the loveliest we’ve seen all year and fit almost any décor.

Best Furniture: The Katrin Chair  

The best seat in the house (sorry, we couldn’t resist) has to be this, the Katrin chair made for Arflex by Carlo Colombo and now available at Studio Italia. Why? Because it has a retro sensibility yet feels contemporary and because, with its leather or fur upholstery (you can choose either, and in black or white, but we’re Team Fur, all the way), it is more than a little bit rock ’n’ roll. Colombo, an Italian architect by trade and a renowned designer who works for many heavy hitting companies, has managed to create a piece of furniture that is endlessly covetable and comfortable too.

Best Artist: Oliver Perkins

London’s been good to New Zealand artist Oliver Perkins. The University of Canterbury and Chelsea School of Art graduate has been there for 10 years, honing his skills as a painter and his large, graphic works are the better for it. This 2014 untitled piece, which was exhibited in a show called When I Paint my Masterpiece at Hopkinson Mossman in August, is representative of the 36-year-old Christchurch native’s work. It’s painterly and has a three-dimensional physicality, thanks to his unusual way of wetting and shaping his canvases. We love it and can’t wait to see what Perkins paints next.

Best Destination: Christchurch

One of the joys of visiting a new city is the sense of discovery it can engender; the feeling that around any corner there might just be a not-before-seen pocket of wit, whimsy, creativity and beauty. Christchurch, in its post-quake recovery, is a city peppered with such scenes. Brick walls empty only a few days before are newly adorned with bold murals; once-barren sections of the inner city are being reclaimed by quirky sculptures and installations. New eateries and retail outlets sprout up regularly (Stranges Lane and New Regent Street’s Shop Eight are worthy mentions). And despite all they’ve been through, Cantabrians are full of civic awareness and passion and keen to discuss and debate new designs and ideas for their town. For those reasons and more (including the phenomenal new Botanical Gardens Centre), Christchurch is the place to visit now.

Best Restaurant Interior: Loretta

This sister eatery to Wellington stalwart Floriditas opened in May and has already been name-checked in a piece by Australian Vogue which chronicled the hippest places in the capital. Designed by Parsonson Architects, the 300m² Cuba Street space is earthy, practical and has a coolness that doesn’t rely on bells and whistles. Pale timbers and Thonet furniture decorate the room but the stars of the show are the Paul Melser pottery (he made the tableware too) which line one wall. The beef schnitzel’s not bad either.

Best Objects: The Cog Collection

Tom Dixon’s Cog collection launched in January at Maison & Objet in Paris but it has
just landed in Auckland stores. The pieces, which include two different candle holders, tea-light holders and other assorted trinkets and containers, are constructed from brass-plated solid aluminium and are inspired by industrial machinery parts. They’re beautiful, masculine and can be found at Simon James Concept Store or ECC.

Best Car: BMW 4-Series

The BMW 4-Series Gran Coupé is a beautiful car and the most convincing four-door coupé design to date, thanks to its outstanding proportions and practicality. The low, thrusting nose, sweeping roofline and shallow glasshouse give the GC a stunning silhouette and there’s just enough detailing to enhance rather than distract from its beguiling body shape. The wide tracks of the 4-Series emphasise a planted stance and sporting intent that is backed up by ample under-bonnet brawn. And it’s a graceful mover, with just the right blend of compliance and control for the fastest local roads.

Best Technology: Apple Watch

The Apple Watch marks a moment in horological (that’s the science of measuring time to you) history. It’ll be remembered as Apple’s first piece of wearable tech and also the first of the ‘smart watches’ to have a decent aesthetic. Standard smart-watch functionality (make/receive calls, texts, emails) is combined with high-end fitness-tracking features, thanks to an accelerometer and heart-rate monitor. A messaging service lets you send pictures and vibrations to other Apple Watch users. And the love-birds out there will appreciate the watch’s ability to send their actual heartbeat buzzing to another’s wrist. There are six different versions, from sporty rubber, to the Edition, which is constructed from sapphires and gold.