Reading Time: 4 Minutes
Wake up. I’m definitely not one of those people who leap out of bed in the morning, and the first thing on my mind is a strong coffee. My partner is the head of operations for a coffee company, so we have a welcome and steady stream of it. Hooray! Shortly afterwards, the wee ones shuffle out of the bedroom they share, and the morning routine begins. Rose is 7, and Tom, 5. It’s usually a bit of a bunfight in the morning, and includes a bit of play time, a bit of Peppa Pig, some half-eaten breakfast, and a minuscule amount of time to get myself ready and scramble out the door by 7:30am, or 8am – depending on who I’m dropping off.
I arrive at work. Most mornings when I walk into the office, there is an interesting discussion going on, or an entertaining story being told. I work with a very lively, very funny, opinionated and passionate group of people....and nothing is left unsaid! I check my emails and then have a quick chat to Sophie and Georgia, my two textile designers, about what’s happening for the day.
Second coffee! Josh, my partner works just around the corner at Altezano Brothers coffee roastery. A few of us go there every day for our mid-morning coffee.
My day varies quite a bit depending on what time of the year it is, and where we are in the design process, but it is always creative. Our design studio consists of three textile designers, including me, two furniture / 3D designers, and our packaging designer. We have a very open studio, where everyone’s opinion is heard. We have new samples arriving daily and every design, no matter how small, is subjected to a pretty thorough critique to make sure it is on brand, well designed, well-made and desirable! Currently I am working on the new Spring Summer 20/21 collection. This involves a lot of research and thinking time. Having the head space to think properly is really important, and I usually take a few days to work from home to really immerse myself in this process. From here I develop a colour palette, inspiration and background themes for the collection which gives us a story to tell and stylistic direction including ideas around materials and techniques. There are usually multiple things happening simultaneously in our studio, spanning across different collections. Currently we are also preparing for our seasonal photoshoot. These big shoots happen several times a year and we organise them in house, from location scouting, to styling direction, to creating the final marketing collateral.
A cup of tea and something sweet.
Home time. When I leave depends on whether I am collecting the kids or not. I try and squeeze exercise in twice a week, otherwise it’s usually home for a wine!
Dinner. My partner often cooks as he loves it, so while he’s doing that, I organise the kids and do household bits and pieces (so exciting!). We sit around our little old kauri table for dinner, and tell each other what we’ve done that day – this is one of the best parts of my day. Dinner often takes a lot longer than it should with small people dragging their feet over beans, peas, broccoli etc. Sid the cat usually makes an appearance around dinner time too.
Bath, book and bed – for the kids, not me.
Breathe... I have a wine and a chat with Josh. Often we talk about prospective holidays or home renovations, both equally elusive it seems! If there is something worth watching – or even if it isn’t anything worth watching to be honest – I’ll flick on the television. It’s good to give the brain a rest.
Bedtime. If it’s not too late I read a bit of my book – though I only get through about 3 pages before my eyes start to close. Escaping into a good book is still a real treat for me, although it’s a very slow process finishing a novel these days...
8-10 Morrow Street | @citta | cittadesign.com
Tags: A Day In The Life, Interviews
