A year ago, we announced the launch of Handcrafted Modern, an online platform for makers, curated by Katrina Hodge. The makers and products she chose had a distinct sensibility: things that are tactile, slow and natural; that champion methods and rituals swept away by time.
Few online stores make it to a bricks-and-mortar space: in March, Hodge took on a store on Ponsonby Road in Tāmaki Makaurau. “We hadn’t intended to move into a store so soon, but seeing the space I knew it was destined to become the home of Handcrafted Modern,” she says. “Within a week, I’d signed the lease.”
It’s a classic Victorian shopfront. Inside: lofty ceilings, a big front window, polished timber floors. “Our collection is something best experienced in person,” she says of the move. “These are objects with weight, texture and presence, and we were hearing from customers who wanted to see and feel them before bringing them into their homes.”
Hodge is an inveterate collector, with an ability to take seemingly disparate things and put them together in the most natural way; when she styled the space with antiques, sculptural pieces and collectibles – which weren’t necessarily for sale – people immediately asked if they could buy them. “I’ve enjoyed bringing these layers together,” she says. “It creates a deeper sense of storytelling within the space.”
It’s immersive, saturated, without being overwhelming. A second room at the rear is painted in a beautiful shade somewhere between purple and brown. Custom-built walnut shelves house everything from ceramics to textiles. “We wanted the space to feel more like a considered home than a traditional retail store,” says Hodge. “We often describe it as a place where you can enter, pause, observe and discover. There’s a quietness to it, nothing is rushed – and each object has room to be seen.”
Handcrafted Modern
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