Inside story: Ron Redel
Ron Redel’s home is filled with colourful pieces, like this Danish glass collection.
Ron Redel in his recently renovated Grey Lynn abode.
Redel with his wife Megan. Their house is full of art they have collected over decades.
The outdoor dining room in Redel’s home.
Classic design pieces fill the Auckland villa.
Marilyn by Andy Warhol: “This is a print but I’ve got two originals from Warhol’s Mick Jagger series in storage in London. I bought them 36 years ago.”
“I bought two robots from the late 1950s and became obsessed. The ones I sell in the shop are new, but have been handmade at the same factory since 1943.”
Gilbert & George book: “They’ve always been interesting characters. Their use of colour and the graphics of their pieces are stunning.”
Richard Caldicott print: “It’s printed onto the glass so the colours are unusually strong and smooth, almost like metal.”
Balzac armchair: “It’s a great piece of design, a great shape and incredibly comfortable; the feel of the leather is fantastic.”
“These classic French bistro tumblers are made of tempered glass so they’re practically indestructable. I drop them onto the floor at my shop to prove it.”
“In these cushions Donna Wilson uses the structure of the weave to create the design, which is a very traditional way of doing it. They are very graphic and colourful.”
Vespa GT200 scooter: “It’s easy to ride, but powerful, so you can zip through the traffic and, on top of that, it’s cheap to run and a great piece of design.”
Moving to New Zealand three years ago was something of a culture shock for Londoner Ron Redel. Although impressed by our unique architectural aesthetic and enthusiasm for supporting local artists, he was surprised at how little we knew about modern British design.
And so the passionate Anglophile, who had run his own television production company in London for 25 years, decided it was time for a career change. He negotiated with his favourite British homewares store, SCP, to bring its furniture to New Zealand, then launched his first retail venture.
After Ron’s wares had occupied a corner of a store in Newmarket, Auckland, for a year, demand was such that he has opened his own store, Bob & Friends (the Bob stands for Best of British), in the former Wunderkammer space on Ponsonby Road. Both outlets stock selected SCP furnishings, as well as classic and quirky accessories from an eclectic range of other sources.
“I like mixing furniture with other bits and pieces so you can come in to look at a sofa, and buy some glasses for your kitchen or a wallet for your husband while you’re there,” says Redel, 60. “I’m not a design guru but I have a good eye and I’ve always been a collector. It’s nice to sell things that are beautiful and beautifully made. I sell things that I like: robots, vintage watches, kilims, toys. It’s fun and I’m old enough now to have a bit of fun.”
Unsurprisingly, many of the pieces Redel imports for Bob & Friends also find their way into the Grey Lynn villa he and his New Zealand-born wife Megan Redel have meticulously renovated over the past year and a half. He applies the same philosophy to decorating his home as he does to stocking his shop.
“I like mixing it up,” he says. “I like pieces that are contemporary but that have a resonance with history. A house should be a home – it’s not a gallery so it shouldn’t feel sterile. A home needs to have warmth. That’s why I like a splash of colour.”
