Rod Hanna ...
"Hello everybody - My name is Rod Hanna and behalf of my
Designers' Collection colleague Jackie Brewer and new "partners in
crime" Sonya Markham & Sheree Davies of Sensational Floors, it
gives me a great buzz to share with you today our new home which we
offer to you as a 'home away from home'.
You have been at the forefront of our thinking as we have
developed our new TRADE showroom. We know that you love
the easy access to this great site at Foundation Precinct and I've
long believed that this space would offer a very special
environment to present our furniture to you and your clients.
In collaborating with Sonya and Sheree, we are able to offer
an extended range of products and services in a single showroom as
well as enhance the presentation of both our product ranges.
This collaboration has evolved over the last 2-3 years. Sonya
& I met at a customer Xmas function and have fostered a
relationship based on similar values, career and family backgrounds
and similar business philosophies. When the opportunity arose
to take tenancy of this wonderful space, it was a 'no-brainer' for
us to join forces and offer you a greater service & selection
under one roof."
Sonya Markham (Sensational Floors) ...
"Welcome to our new showroom. We have designed this space
with you in mind. Our goal was to create an environment that would
feel like an extension of your office and inspire us all.
We have created room settings to help your client's visualise
the furniture in their homes. You can come to one place
to draw on years of experience in both furniture and rugs.
Talk to Rod and Jackie about their personalised furniture
or to us about your rugs, carpets and custom fabric
options.
There is a resource library of books, magazines, paint colours,
fabrics, hard flooring finishes to make it easier for you to work
with your clients while you are here.
We have various work spaces you can use to discuss projects with
your clients in relative privacy.
There is more to the Foundation Precinct too, our neighbours are
also here to help - Cavit & Co, In-residence, Corso De
Fiori, Al Fresco and another newcomer Decortex. This
makes Foundation Precinct a great starting point for your
projects.
So welcome to your other office. We hope you will enjoy it
as much as we do."
Rod Hanna ...
"Designers' Collection was established over 25 years ago by two
Interior Designers wanting to offer their client's extraordinarily
well designed furniture that could be tailored to the requirements
of individual clients. We have continued to develop that legacy by
evolving our own range of designs while adding other complimentary
Designers to our mix. Consequently our product range has
trebled in the last 3 years. This offers you a significantly
greater range of options and different styles originated by
different Designers. As many of you will be aware (from my previous
ravings), I am passionate about supporting our local Designers and
Craftspeople. It is a pleasure to have some of our broader design
team with us today and we are proud to represent them in our new
showroom.
Neal Smith - Like us, Neal has as long history in this building
having previously been a tenant in the early days of The
Foundation. Neal told me recently that the very first prototype of
the Planar dining table was photographed in this showroom.
Colin Foggo from Belle Interiors in Christchurch has long loved
the cool forms of European design and this has inspired the
collection Colin has developed since the 70s. Clearly he's made an
impact on his son Cameron whose NoNN designs add a more modernist
edge to the collection.
John Wray has been designing lights for projects for twenty
years and has installations in numerous Auckland buildings. John's
Victorian Collection is his first product range. John became a
passionate modernist whilst studying architect at Auckland
University but has since developed a love of Victorian Design where
even the most mundane items became ornate - in John's words "more
is better". His brave blending of Victorian design with modern
coloured acrylic gives John's designs a very original edge.
We will continue to evolve our collection to offer more options
under one roof for you and your clients. We hope you love our new
home and enjoy the new designs that you will discover as you
explore it."
Sonya Markham (Sensational Floors) ...
"Like Designers Collection, Sensational Floors has a history. We
purchased Techloom 6 years ago. Since then you have been great
supporters of our business. We have been fortunate to become an
extension of your design team.
Your support has led us to further develop our rug designs into
fabrics. As a result of our focus on interior surfaces. This
evolution and our the new showroom seemed like the ideal
opportunity to change our name to reflect what we have become.
Our new name SF design reflects our focus bespoke rugs, carpets
and textiles.
The fabric journey began with hand screen printed cushions.
Thanks to your support and feedback we continue to draw inspiration
from New Zealand.
Napier and its strong distinctive architecture have been the
inspiration behind the latest rug and fabric collection. Left
to rubble after the great earthquake in 1931, the city rebuilt
itself and embraced the architectural style of Deco with
zealous.
There are strong parallels between Napier and the unfolding
story of Christchurch. Two cities shaken by earthquakes Familiar
buildings and landmarks that once graced the city are forever
gone.
Christchurch is faced with the arduous task of not only building
a new city but also re-creating a new identity for future
generations to align themselves to.
Each pattern in our 1931 collection has been directly inspired
by the architectural facets, which adorn the now renowned Napier
Deco buildings. These include the detailing on the Masonic Hotel,
the entranceway to Halsbury Chambers and the decorative patterns
that seen on both the Kidson and Smith & Chambers
buildings.
These designs are a reminder to make something beautiful and
timeless from ruin.
We look forward to your feedback on our new designs, and how we
can make our businesses and showroom the ideal extension to your
design studio."