On any given day, you can look out Loft Hair salon's window and imagine you are in New York, Melbourne, or Paris.
Jess Thurston says it is one of the benefits of running her hair salon from the historic McIndoe building at 53 Crawford St, in Dunedin.
‘‘Today it's raining, so when I look out the window, it looks a bit like a London street,'' she says.
‘‘If you walk through the courtyard and down the street, you think you're in a different part of the world. It's pretty cool to be a part of it.''
The building is one of six historic Dunedin buildings vying for awards in the 2016 Heritage Re-use Awards.
It was built in 1899, on land reclaimed from the harbour, and is owned by One Zeal Ltd co-owners Laurie Forbes and Craig McNaughton.
The two-storeyed brick building, designed by Mason and Wales in revived Italian renaissance style, was originally a store for merchant David Baxter, and later home to a variety of tenants, including grain merchants, solicitors, a sugar specialist, the Iron and Steel Company of New Zealand, and the John McIndoe Ltd printing company.
Miss Thurston said she and salon co-owner Emma Rastrick discovered the site online while searching for a place to establish their business.
‘‘This place was the only place that we actually looked at in person. We walked in and fell in love with it.
‘‘You've got the brick and the really nice woodwork.
‘‘It was perfect for the Dunedin industrial vibe we were looking for.
‘‘Clients walk in and say it's got a real cool chic vibe to it. It's a great environment.''
The salon was opened in mid-February this year, and the inside had been refurbished in a way that retained the building's rustic character, while giving it a modern twist, she said.
‘‘It's still got the exposed brick walls, and the windows have been double-glazed but they still have the original surroundings.
‘‘I often look at the walls and wonder what stories they could tell. With any historic building, it's pretty amazing to think about what has happened there.''
The salon has been nominated for the Otago Polytechnic School of Design Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Heritage Interiors Award.
It is among three award categories in the competition: The Oakwood Properties Earthquake Strengthening Award; The Otago Polytechnic School of Design Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Heritage Interiors Award; and the overall Dunedin Heritage Re-use Award.
The Heritage Re-use Awards were established to encourage the owners of Dunedin's heritage buildings, to keep them economically viable and re-used, which was important to ensure their future survival.
The Dunedin City Council and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga have demonstrated that with the right approach and some creativity, heritage buildings can take on a new life, suited to modern uses.
The buildings entered in this year's awards, had work completed in the 12-month period to December 31, 2015.
The competition will be judged by a panel consisting of DCC staff, architects, independent developers and heritage professionals, as nominated by the Heritage Buildings Economic Re-use Steering Group.
The panel will assess entries against criteria including innovation and creativity, sensitivity of adaptation, retention of heritage values, contribution to the urban environment, and sustainability.
The awards will be presented at an evening event at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, on March 30.
Entries
Buildings entered in the Dunedin Heritage Re-use Awards:
■ Standard Building, 201 Princes St, Dunedin. Categories: earthquake strengthening, interiors, overall.
■ Former Wilson's Distillery, 6A Willowbank, Dunedin. Categories: interiors, overall.
■ Distinction Hotel (former Chief Post Office), 283 Princes St, Dunedin. Categories: interiors, overall.
■ Loft Hair, 53 Crawford St, Dunedin. Category: interiors.
■ Captain Cook Hotel, 354 Great King St, Dunedin. Categories: earthquake strengthening, interiors, overall.
■ Gone Potty, 9 Anzac Ave, Dunedin. Category: earthquake strengthening.
