Q&A with Auckland with interior designer Lynda Patridge and Hannah Mirbach 2017

You’re a mother-daughter interior design team with a new retail store in Birkenhead, HART by Partridge Design. What prompted this?

We’ve always worked alongside each other and really envied the selection of amazing products on offer overseas. Family, friends and clients had often suggested we start a store and so eventually we just went for it! We wanted to bring fresh, exciting design from Europe here, plus the best that New Zealand has to offer.


Walk us through the store - how does it stand out from the crowd?

HART definitely has that point of difference by carrying a lot of exclusive lines and keeping up with what is on trend, whilst ensuring items still stand the test of time. Within the store we have everything from tiles, curtain fabrics, bespoke New Zealand furniture (fabrics and sizing made to suit the customer), all the way to exciting and different ready made furniture from overseas and a large range of homewares to perfectly style your space – not to mention our interiors services.

A treasure trove of a store is the ideal showcase for this mother and daughter duo.

How do you work in together – who does what?

We certainly combine our looks and style together, so are constantly discussing how the business should look and feel and how upcoming trends will work into it. When we have commercial projects, it can be more complex, so we love bouncing ideas off each other.  Otherwise, Lynda works on residential client projects and keeps the ball rolling on business matters. Hannah is in charge of styling, and has her own overseas projects alongside this. We both do all the sourcing, mainly Lynda in New Zealand and Hannah internationally.


Lynda, as an interior designer, what’s your big style secret?

Always think about potential resale and longevity of a look. Use accessories to freshen it.


What would you like to include in every job?

Our gorgeous marble mosaics – they are to die for. They really are that luxury, stand-out feature for any space and we can’t get enough of them. If money were no object, we would do large flooring sections for projects, however, as we know this isn’t always possible, we have put together coordinating large format tiles so you can still get the look without splurging too much.

A treasure trove of a store is the ideal showcase for this mother and daughter duo.

 

Considered objects, be they everyday or for display, really elevate an interior.

 

What’s the easiest way you can transform a home?

Some fresh accessories and a new curtain backdrop or a lick of paint will certainly elevate any home.


What’s your dream house?

A character-filled Parisian apartment: high ceilings, mouldings and detailing with a sleek modern edge, combining the old and the new perfectly!
 

Articles

Q&A with Canterbury interior designer Nicola Elsaka of By Design Interiors 2021

Home Front - Interior designer Nicola Elsaka eschews trends when she works with clients to turn their dreams into reality

more

Art for starters (PROFILE Auckland 2024)

Melding art into a new home can be a fun and satisfying process says Clare Mora who shares some of her secrets for success.

more