Homegrown | Dress My Nest

I knew after I had my daughters that I wanted to work for myself rather than return to the corporate world, I wanted more freedom and more creativity. When we decided to move from Auckland to Wellington, I took that as an opportunity to reinvent myself. It was perfect timing because I had taken a break to be at home, therefore I had nothing to lose other than my own time at that point. I decided to give myself a year to give it a go but work just snowballed and I haven’t stopped since.

Absolutely. I love working in the studio. After growing up in a family of retailers the concept of a shop floor of my own has always been appealing. My studio is the perfect mixture of retail showroom and office. I sit at my desk and look across the road to the beach, the natural light is gorgeous and the connection to the local community is a really nice aspect after working from home for so long. The studio is set up so it feels like a home away from home, clients appreciate that, they feel welcome and get a good sense of my style immediately.

Anything different gets me excited. Even when I’m selecting a fabric for a piece of furniture, I’m always looking to try something new rather than repeat something that I’ve done before. I’m always motivated to get a great photo too, so I love to be in control of every aspect – it’s why my tagline is 'from concept to completion.' I'm a control freak and want the photo of the finished product to be something that I have created from scratch right through to the greenery on the side table.

I do love using wallpaper whether it’s a bold pattern or a simple texture. It always elevates a room, gives it an extra dimension. I feel like my greatest skill is really in listening to the client, being able to interpret what they would love and how they want to feel then having the ability to translate this into a design for their home. If they want to feel excited and love colour then I’m happy to make this work with bold patterns and colours, but equally if they want to feel relaxed and more refined then I love working with neutrals and texture. 

Oh gosh so many! Black, white, and green have always been my favourites along with a heavy dose of blush so I love the working with fabrics like Mondrian and Canvas and then adding in Allium or Bespoke or Eternal because the colours are so usable and work so well together. Entwine is also a favourite, I love that it is similar to a bouclé but to me feels a little bit more interesting. Many of my clients are families so I love being able to offer FibreGuard, it helps me to feel confident that the choices I’m making are going to work well in homes that are often filled with children and animals. 

It absolutely is advantageous to have pieces on display. Clients sit on my sofa or in my chairs without being in a hurry, they can get a real appreciation for the comfort and quality of pieces. They can also see how various pieces work together and often take things in slowly and subconsciously over the course of several meetings. Consistently changing a few pieces like my ottomans and the cushions on display means I can showcase different fabrics and offers clients the opportunity to see full schemes in-situ.

Thank you for recognising that. I really do feel passionately about NZ made and designed. You can’t beat the quality and comfort of NZ products, but it goes deeper than that. Once I knew the people behind the brands, I felt a deep connection to the process that goes into creating designs. I love that many of our furniture makers are second generation, and they recognise that their furniture is going into NZ homes and will play a part in families creating their own memories for many years. It's a really special process to be part of. It comes down to sustainability as well - knowing where things come from, reducing the freight required, knowing that the decisions made in each step of each design are made with local awareness. I also love the can-do attitude of many of my suppliers and the ability to adapt as needed. It’s such a Kiwi mentality. This attitude gives us the ability customise something so it's absolutely perfect for the space it is going into whether that is through the fabric selected, the design or tweaking the details. As a designer I find this infinitely more satisfying. 

Well, I have to come back to my love to NZ design and mention my favourites don’t I! When I started Dress My Nest I said my number one rule was to work with nice, loyal and likeminded people. Longevity and success in business is founded on solid, two-way relationships. Once I find them, I stick with them, and I find we support each other in all manner of ways.  

www.dressmynest.co.nz 

@dressmynestnz