Lynda Partridge and Hannah Mirbach are the life and soul behind HART, a stunning store based in Birkenhead, Auckland. HART showcases a strong collection of products ranging from tiles and drapery to furniture, homewares and lighting. Today, we discuss overseas influences in New Zealand's current design culture, providing design services, career challenges and more!
"We've always worked alongside each other doing interiors work and really envied the selection of amazing products on offer overseas. It had been suggested to us many times by family, friends and clients that we start a store and so eventually we just went for it! We decided that with HART we really wanted to bring fresh, exciting design from Europe here in conjunction with the best that New Zealand has to offer to create a one stop shop for everything interiors."
What do customers love most about visiting your Birkenhead store?
We are constantly told and thanked by customers that they love our fresh and unique concept of being a one stop interiors destination and our different and exciting range of products. They love that HART has finally created a design destination in Birkenhead.
You have a beautiful and cohesive collection of homewares for sale, are any designed or made in New Zealand?
Most definitely! We love bringing in European ranges to offer at HART, but we still stay true to our NZ roots. All our sofas are bespoke and made locally, in addition to this, we have some great granite coffee tables and steel shelving, which we play a part in designing and too are made in Auckland. The majority of our wool products and a section of bed linen and accessories are made and designed here.
If you had to describe your brands interiors style in three words what would they be?
Understated, sophisticated and chic.
What inspires you?
We are definitely so inspired by travel and the amazing places and experiences we have whilst travelling. Art and history are also very inspirational, amazing architecture and galleries and the stories that go alongside these buildings and artworks really interest and excite us! But of course, our clients/customers enthusiasm and love for interiors always sparks our creativity and love for what we do.
Can you tell us about the design services you offer?
Within our HART store, we have ensured that our range of products from tiles and curtains, to bespoke furniture, designer furniture and accessories all work together. So we like to think that we have made beautiful interiors accessible for DIYers. However, alongside this, we do offer full interior design services from the renovation stage to styling, both residential and commercial.
In terms of your design processes, what do you find most difficult and how do you overcome this?
Creative block is the worst! It helps to just step back and get some inspiration and a fresh perspective. We often call each other to talk over ideas and bounce these off one another. It really helps as we tend to reignite that inspiration and excitement and in the end we always get an amazing result.
What are the challenges you face working as a mother/daughter duo?
We know each other so well from our personalities, ways of working and style. It really helps when someone just gets you! Aside from this, I think our styles complement each other. They definitely overlap in certain areas, yet we do go off in our own directions. I think this is probably the best of both worlds to be honest. Our difference in age, clients, outside influences, experience etc allow us to create and curate a really beautiful store and interesting projects together. We feel that it brings a freshness to the store our clients and projects when we combine ideas and result in producing something really beautiful. The challenge is most definitely not living in the same country. Calling and Facetime is fantastic, however, as designers we love being able to really look at a product - touch, feel, and it can be really frustrating not being able to analyse the details. We can also be brutally honest with each other! We can be a bit stubborn, so if we both have a really clear direction, it can be a challenge. Although, we always work it out!
How would you describe New Zealand's design culture?
We are overall a laid-back nation, so naturally this converts to our design culture, however, we have this immense interest for travel and as a result of this, we bring overseas influences and trends into our homes. So we tend to have this melting pot of the functional and laid back combined with elements of the really sophisticated. We love it, it is such an interesting mix that works so well.
And finally, is your favourite New Zealand creative?
We adore the story and aesthetic of Lonely Label lingerie. They are so committed to their brand and ethos which is really commendable and clearly translates into a gorgeous and functional product which sees the wearer exuding confidence! Lonely has that understated, modern and chic look too which we at HART love so much.
Photography by Dan trotter | To shop HART visit their website. You can also follow them on Instagram here.