This space features a custom colour Arch Pendant by Oblure. Derbyshire Whare by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
My design philosophy is to create spaces that honour people first. Beautiful spaces are simply the outcome of deeply understanding who lives and uses those spaces. Its human focused and human driven…. Design decisions are made based on how the space will respond to the humans that interact with it daily. I spend a lot of time thinking of how environments and curated spaces can influence human behaviour for their betterment. I love listening to clients talk about the things that bring them joy, the things that make their heart skip or the things that drive them crazy.
How do you stay creatively inspired between projects?
I hope this doesn’t sound weird but I love people watching…. I love observing peoples interaction and that often inspires me to consider how I could craft around that human behaviour to innovate or uplift that persons world….. I try and take my camera out with me as often as possible so I can capture things that intrigue me to use it as a record keeper of ideas that I can come back to and reflect on. Often life and the world can be so fast paced and I love the idea of capturing moments of things that I can look back on. I love visiting galleries and op shops searching for old things that date back to a period of time or era… I love collecting books and art and these often help me expand my world view or learn something new… When I start developing a design idea at the start of projects – music is huge influencer for me. I have been known to hyper focus on one song and have it on repeat for several weeks as parts of the music inspire the tempo, mood and energy in a space that I am trying to create.
What does the first meeting with a new client typically involve?
For me the first meeting is always about listening. I often ask a lot of questions as I am trying to understand the people that I am designing for. Sometimes you can identify shared values & experiences with clients and those are always good to build a trusting relationship from. But yes…..lots of listening and doing my best to understand what are the clients pain points, what their aspirations are and what their dreams are for their home. I like to create a space where clients can share their dreams without being judged…. I think part of my job is to help bring that dream alive for them…. Some clients are in the thick of life and need someone to dream on their behalf and we do this for them by listening first.
How important is vintage or bespoke furniture in your interiors?
So important. Your home should represent your true self, not a borrowed trend or something that your friend group are all doing. Everyone has treasure hidden away and are too scared to put it out in the open cause others might think they are weird. This is not how we are meant to live our lives. I encourage our clients to buy that special piece of art work or arm chair because they will get so much enjoyment out of it and that’s the most important thing. Investing in beautiful pieces of lighting changes the mood of a space instantly and you get enjoyment from it…..I think people don’t consider that if there’s a particular item that brings you Joy – then its worth the investment.
What qualities make for a successful client relationship?
When a client signs up with us we now become a team together….. everything we do is to serve the client which ultimately leads to the client wining. I always try and find mutual values that we share and this helps builds trust between us. This allows us to ask the weird questions to get better understanding of their lifestyle as well as being able to have tricky or hard conversations. Building trust earlier on helps us lead the client safely to the end result. A lot of our clients become friends whom we try and stay connected with even after their project is completed.
What's the biggest misconception people have about hiring an interior designer?
Good question – Great Interior designers are so valuable in that they can solve bad spaces really well…. This is incredible value for a client. I think people get caught up in the pretty pictures and think that’s all we do, but we actually can turn bad spaces into better ones and often without having to bust down the house and start all over again.
How do you help clients make confident design decisions?
Lots of listening and then asking the client the right questions….their answer to your question is usually the correct decision to make. Clients don’t always know what question to ask themselves that will lead them to think carefully about what’s most important to them. If you can take the client down this pathway of thinking it will always lead to the right decision
Riverside Renewal by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
I like to create a space where clients can share their dreams without being judged.
The Arch Pendant features a curved line that travels from light to light creating a distinctive form. It is a design that resembles and shows appreciation to the architectural arches/vaults that have been built for centuries.
The seven pillars equipped with a light source each will provide downlight on our various spaces at home as well as public spaces. Perfect for kitchen tables, islands, conference rooms and offices. The fixture has an alluring and eye-catching design that consists of a metal exterior in different colours.
The design is a successful collaboration between two talented Swedish designers, Johan Lindsten / Form Studio & Markus Johansson Design.
Have you ever had a project completely change direction? What happened?
Yes – this has often happened due to compliance and consent issues. If a job changes direction half way through – it has to be a very good reason for the change. I believe as a designer its our job to get the brief right so you can start with a clear “north” If a project changes half way through either I haven’t listened enough to the client or the change is our of our control eg: we can build or extend as we had planed because too much engineering or we can’t get consent.
What's the most rewarding feedback you've received from a client?
We had a commercial client book in with us and then left 5 weeks later for a family holiday for 6 weeks while we completed their fitout. Their feedback was that their initial meeting with us made them feel they could trust us with their fitout and they went with that gut feeling. I will always be thankful for people who give us their trust, we hold it carefully and steward with all our heart.
What trends do you think have real longevity, and which are already fading?
Oh this is hard as I’m not a fan of following the trend but we definitely are inspired by it. I am enjoying seeing more stainless steel in kitchens….its such a durable and hardwearing material. So much more than other options…. I hope this one stays for a while because home owners will get so much use and wear from such a sturdy material.
Fading?.......I hope beige fades away…..I secretly want personality and even maximalism come back because people need to unleash their inner drama and just have fun. Not everything has to complement each other – you can have things that clash and give drama when you walk into a space. So yeah, out with the beige please.
How has sustainability influenced the way your studio works?
The majority of our residential work is in the renovation space. It breaks my heart to see solid timber architraves been replaced with painted pine…. I try and encourage re-using materials where we can. We also have a bias to sustainable materials when we are specifying for FFE….. a few years back we had the big floods in Auckland…. So much SDL carpet got thrown out but couldn’t be recycled… it all went to landfill. We have influence to specify good material that is hardwearing and will serve our clients but also serve our planet.
Is there a dream project or type of space you'd love to design?
Oh yes! Actually – I just signed a NDA to hopefully be part of the project team who are bidding for this project…. So I cant really tell you just yet. Its connected very closely to me, I am Tongan – born in Tonga and grew up in NZ so projects where I can input back to my people and my culture will always be up there with my bucket list of dream projects.
WuCha by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
WuCha by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
I hope beige fades away…..I secretly want personality and even maximalism come back because people need to unleash their inner drama and just have fun. Not everything has to complement each other – you can have things that clash and give drama when you walk into a space.
Derbyshire Whare by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
Derbyshire Whare by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
What advice would you give someone embarking on a renovation or new build?
I would encourage them to find someone who listens to them and understands their goals – this person might be a builder, an Architect or an Interior designer. There is no one-person that you should approach first. Feel people out and see if you can trust them. I also encourage people to bring their team of professionals together as early as possible. Find people who enjoy working as a team alongside other professionals….. ultimately every person should be focused on getting the client the best possible result and this happens when everyone collaborates and works together. Clients can leverage from all these expert brains coming together to problem solve, give input and solutions from start to end.
What's next for your studio, and what are you most excited about?
This year we did a re-brand which 100% feels like who we truly are. It’s taken some time for me to really nail down on what my design beliefs are and then being able to put that into words that then represent our studio to our core has taken time and head space.
I am excited about potential projects that have been making slow slow progress but will eventually pop up and we can get them off the ground.
What does "home" mean to you?
Home for me is where all your special things live – they can be physical things or they can be the people that make you feel at home. For me going back to the Kingdom of Tonga has always felt like home. I live in Ngaruawahia and work in Hamilton – driving home everyday to the view the Hakkari mounga and knowing that that’s where I am going and that is where home is…. It’s a pretty special feeling to take in especially at the end of a full work day.
Which room in your own home do you spend the most time in, and why?
I go through phases but currently it’s my bedroom. My kids take up a lot of space in our living area so often the bedroom is my retreat at the moment.
Derbyshire Whare by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
I would encourage [those who are renovating] to find someone who listens to them and understands their goals – this person might be a builder, an Architect or an Interior designer. There is no one-person that you should approach first. Feel people out and see if you can trust them.
What's one design purchase you've never regretted?
Ooohhh this is a good one, I hugely admire creative artist and makers. I never regret buying art work or crafted pieces by talented artists. I have a few friends who are talented photographers & artist and I buy their art so I can keep and enjoy forever….. I will never regret those purchases and also nothing like backing and supporting your fellow designers and creatives.
What would we always find on your studio mood board?
I connect really closely to land – the whakapapa of my family is closely connected to the lands, villages they moved through and I am really fortunate to be able to go back to our ancestral land. So you will always find a mountain, a river, a landmark or specific trees & flowers that are native to a specific area. Those things always have a beautiful way of focusing a project on what’s important and less on keeping up with the Joneses.
If you could collaborate with any designer, maker or artist, who would it be?
This is a hard one to pick…. I have so much admiration for grass roots creatives and I do everything I can to tautoko and bring them into any work I have so we can collaborate. A dream collaborator for me would be Matavai Taulangau. Matavai is a talented filmic storyteller. He is a director & photographer and I have admired his work from afar for a long time… I would love for him to tell our design stories one day especially the ones that are connected back to our Tongan community.
How would you like clients to describe the feeling of living in one of your spaces?
It feels like them. That Ive found a way to bring their personality, their favourite things, the things that bring them joy…..and they get to interact and see it every day.
For more visit Nest Interiors at nestinteriors.co.nz
We are grateful to Tonga for her time to put this together.
Derbyshire Whare by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
The Eagles Nest by Tonga Robertson, Nest Interiors.
I connect really closely to land – the whakapapa of my family is closely connected to the lands, villages they moved through and I am really fortunate to be able to go back to our ancestral land. Those things always have a beautiful way of focusing a project on what’s important and less on keeping up with the Joneses.
.jpg)
