CONVERSATIONS.

It pretty much starts with the same conversation each time – “Hey um...I’ve got this idea...what do you reckon?” “Keen. Let’s do it.” That’s how Arkade started, that’s how our furniture was designed, and that’s how Popped Culture found its origin. When Coffee Supreme pitched this totally-not-hairbrained coffee & toast scheme to us our answer was an immediate “Keen. Let’s do it.”

A few more conversations, a few location scouts, a few cups of the finest brew in the nation, a few legit collaborators, and here we are. Welcome to Popped Culture. Come up to level 12 and say hi. 

ARKADE LOVES DADS.

We love dads.

Father’s Day is looming large and at Arkade, we are all very lucky to have a totally great dad. Our particular progenitors are pretty diverse bunch; they are all of similar age and clearly, all male, but between them have very different backgrounds, countries of origin, vocations, pet likes & dislikes, flavours of dad-jokes. They also possess some pretty incredible qualities, of which we are very grateful for. The one thing that unites them (apart from Arkade) is the task of raising a child. That’s a pretty tough gig...one well worth celebrating.

So this weekend we raise our glasses to the pro dads and the novices, the planned fathers and the surprise ones. To the helicopter dads and the risk-takers, the providers and the battlers. The immigrant fathers, the local legends. To the step-dads and the adopters. The handy and the clumsy, the sporty and the uncoordinated. The dads who have endured “the snip”, and the ones who aren’t quite done. Fathers Day is your day. Here’s to you...

AN ODE TO CRAFTSMEN

There’s something about knowing where a thing was made - and who made it - that elevates things from just being ‘stuff’ and gives them a certain essence that’s pretty damn special. Like when you’re a kid and you discover that your favourite toy was made by your grandad, or that your cosy woollen hat was carefully knitted by your mum. Well this is the same experience that we’ve had in discovering the old-school workshops of Auckland, and the genius people of all ages who inhabit them. The last few months we’ve been seeing our ideas being refined and brought to life by sets of hands all over Auckland - whether it’s dip-stripping out the back of Avondale, welding in the CBD, glueing table-tops at Muriwai, or moulding plywood in Onehunga - and it’s been nothing short of amazing. 

You may look at our collection go furniture and see a bunch of stuff, but we see people, long hours, hard-won skills, dirty workshops, and a wonderful collection of characters who can crack a fast joke and turn their skills into a very practical beauty. They’ve also very kindly taught us a whole wealth of stuff. Here’s a few of ‘em.

WE, ARKADE.

It’s hard to know exactly where to start, but if we had a manifesto, it’d probably be… this.

Better furniture. We all deserve it. So much of our lives are spent sitting on uncomfortable chairs, at tables so narrow that you have to enter negotiations with your table-mate over where to put your drink, and often in venues where you wished you’d brought that warm coat and pair of gloves.

Our fittings bear silent witness to such a large chunk of our lives, so shouldn’t they add to the story rather than remaining passive? Surely they should be more than just functional, and more than just good-looking. They should tell a tale of their own. That’s why we’ve deliberately sought out pieces locally, rather than straight off some container from another country. We’ve collaborated with local furniture mavens like Trestle Union and Libra Woodworking to bring our designs to life, scoured rural halls for under appreciated benches. Once we even spent an hour and a half debating the ideal depth of a couch. One of us even sustained a broken finger in the quest to bring you an incredible table.

We love style and self-expression. We love dinners and cocktail parties. We love wild ideas and visionaries. We love Brides and Grooms. We love helping people to create a memorable event. Furnishings should be so much more than just a bench to sit on or a table to rest a plate, rather they should add a verse or three to our stories. We hope our pieces do exactly that.”