A BEAUTIFUL CONTRIBUTION
WORDS Joshua Brosnahan PHOTOS Supplied
As Cantabrians, we’ve become conditioned to the frequency of change that comes with a city’s rebirth.
Buildings can switch purposes seemingly overnight. Where once there were hotels, there’s now green space. Walkways have replaced houses. The corner of the square is now home to Tūranga. Our new city has emerged.
The Tack Rooms is a prime example of an establishment with multiple former lives. In its current site on the corner of Peterborough and Montreal Streets, the buildings were formerly Teacher’s College classrooms in the late sixties. Before this, the structures had been barracks on an old Air Force base.
Current owners Julianne Liebeck and Conor Patton saw the potential to repurpose these structures immediately, and their present state is thanks to their – though Conor will quickly admit ‘almost exclusively Julianne’s!’ – vision, the help of friends and family, and a massive dose of passion for our city. After a massive overhaul, where only (some of) the weatherboards, windows, and beams remained – the space is modern, considered, and luxe.
The intention was always for The Tack Rooms to be a fun place.
“We’re all about encouraging people to have a good time. There’s so much in this town that’s not about that. So, this original idea was to offer a ‘play and stay’ concept. This vision was very clear – I wanted something for events, and somewhere people could have a good time.”
They’re not your generic hotel rooms. Each space measures approximately 70 square metres, with part of the overall aim being to ‘attract the personality that doesn’t fit into a hotel room’. It’s a place that people can stay, but also have people over to socialise before they go out.
“Christchurch is an amazing city, but you just need to know where to find ‘it’. Perhaps people need to be shown a bit of a footpath for this – that’s not as obvious.”
Julianne and Conor enlisted the help of renowned local architect, Thom Craig, and friend Lucy Cooper-Dixon (a former hotel operator and interior specialist) to renovate the Tack Rooms from the ground up; quite literally. It was a superb collaboration – Julianne considers herself the ‘creative, big concept’ type, Lucy was fantastic at the small considered details and sourcing and managing suppliers, and Conor confesses he looked after the ‘boring bits’, and played the swing-vote between Julianne wanting to push the boundaries and Lucy saying ‘hey let’s pull it back a notch!’.
The trio had a focus to support local artisans within the refurbishment. The lighting is handmade by Christchurch locals Nightworks Studio (formerly Anaesthetic Design). Frontal Lobe came up with a bespoke bed frame, built specifically for the rooms. Joska and Sons provided mirrors in the bathrooms, and even the artwork came from local auctions.
Included in the revamp was the introduction of sliding doors connecting the two buildings, making it perfect for hosting events. Being close to Hagley Park, the casino, art galleries, and other diverse offerings, has proven Julianne’s vision to be a success. The Tack Rooms is busy.
“I feel we have looked after the place. I’m quite passionate about ensuring anything you do is adding value to the city. We make sure whatever we contribute is [done] in a beautiful way. You create the space and show people the vision, and it will happen.”