Nancy Clare Athfield (née Cookson) is a retired New Zealand interior designer. She was influential in using New Zealand place names to name the colours of paint for buildings. Her design input was seen in decorative motifs on architecture projects of Athfield Architects amongst other places.

Biography

Athfield is from Northland, New Zealand. She went to Auckland Teachers' College and trained as an art teacher graduating in 1959. She taught art in Auckland and worked at the

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

in the late 1950s. In 1964 she moved to Wellington, and in 1971 she began working in her husband's architectural firm, Athfield Architects. She established the firm's interiors division, provided interior design advice and also collaborated with artists as and when needed. Athfield influenced the colours and names of paints used in New Zealand, developing limewashes for Aalto Paints and contributing her 'knowledge of the effects of colour and light on spatial quality and materials to both

Dulux Dulux is an internationally-available brand of architectural paint that originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-ba ...

and

Resene Resene Paints LTD is a New Zealand paint and building materials manufacturer and retailer. Divisions Resene Paints LTD & Resene Paints Australia LTD Resene produces paint for New Zealand & Australian conditions from manufacturing facilities in ...

paint ranges'. Athfield started the idea of using New Zealand place names for paint colour names. 285 Willis Street 01

Athfield contributed to the design of the First Church of Christ Scientist in Wellington, built in the 1980s, commissioning the ornate ceramic capitals for the church. Athfield designed the pink and white petals and worked with Neville Porteous who hand-made each tile. When the building was demolished in 2022, parts of the capitals were retrieved and exhibited. In 1977, Athfield Architects began designing Crown House, in Wellington. Athfield designed and made the clay rams' heads seen on the keystones on the windows.

Projects

With Athfield Architects

* Sindall House, Lower Hutt (1971-1976) * Oriental Bay Apartments, Wellington * First Church of Christ Scientist, Christchurch (1980-1983) * Crown House, Wellington (1977-1981)

Personal life

Athfield married architect

Ian Athfield Sir Ian Charles Athfield (known as Ath) (15 July 1940 – 16 January 2015) was a New Zealand architect who designed distinctive and innovative houses that challenged suburban norms, as well as celebrated commercial, public and institutional pro ...

in Kawakawa on 22 December 1962. The couple had two sons. Their family home built in the 1960s is one of New Zealand's most iconic modernist pieces of architecture, winning in 2019 the

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents approximately 90 per cent of registered architects in Aotearoa New Zealand and supports and promotes architecture in ...

Enduring Architecture award. In 2014, Ian Athfield was made a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

. As his wife, Athfield may use the courtesy title Clare, Lady Athfield or Lady Athfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athfield, Clare New Zealand interior designers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from the Northland Region People associated with the Auckland Art Gallery Women in architecture in New Zealand