Local Kiwi interior design aficionados would likely have heard of interior design firm Dessein Parke. Known for its experimental, design-led decisions, Dessein Parke has never seemed to shy away from the bold and the beautiful. One of their most well-known projects, Caspers House (lucky for us, it’s available on Airbnb), dons a moody and monochromatic interior, a direct contrast to the panoramic outlook of the Pacific Ocean.
Lucky for us (once again), interior designer Natalie Parke joined forces with Matilde Hildalgo to start Shop Dessein Parke – an online store specialising in all the homeware goods that, until now, couldn’t be found on our shores. From tubular chairs inspired by the Bauhaus classics to quirky plates so beautiful they should be hung on the wall, Shop Dessein Parke is quite the playground for anyone in the market for something different for their home.
We spoke to Natalie about the online store, how they find their gorgeous products, and what’s next for the brand.
So, tell us about yourselves. How did you meet?
It was serendipity! Matilde followed me on Instagram and engaged me to help her with some colour stuff. It turned out she lived across the road, and our kids went to the same school and were friends. Auckland is very small, and clearly, I am unobservant. We started chatting and realised we both found it hard to find cool new and vintage lighting, homewares and accessories in New Zealand and had both been mulling over the idea of starting some kind of importing business.
It made sense to start the business together, combining our skill sets, especially as neither of us really wanted to do it alone. I have spent a lot of time working for myself, by myself, and wasn’t eager to go through that again, especially after the remote world that was post-Covid 2022.
As Matilde is from Spain, it made sourcing and storing products in our Spanish warehouse a lot easier.
Dessein Parke was already a thriving interior design business. Why did you decide to make a turn and open a homewares and furniture store?
I think less of a turn and more of a segue, maybe? As a designer and a generally curious/obsessive researcher of all things interior design, I am constantly on the lookout for new and inspiring products and new ways of creating, composing and curating designs. Matilde is equally curious and obsessive in her research, so it felt like a natural progression, especially given we both had the impetus to build something.
It really is the age-old tale, but we also noticed a gap in the market for interesting, colourful and sometimes bold furniture and accessories. It made sense for us to bring some European brands to New Zealand and Australia – especially the Moustache Editions, and more recently, Klevering Amsterdam.
If I’m being honest, the vintage products are mostly for us as they’re very dear to our hearts. We’re obsessed with vintage Italian and Spanish furniture, lighting, and homewares. It’s important to do things that bring us joy.
Interior design and homewares go hand-in-hand, but we can imagine juggling both would be quite a handful. How do your two businesses complement each other?
To be honest, the interior side of things has taken a bit of a backseat in recent years as we focus on other things. But my sensibilities haven’t changed – I still love exploring colour, texture and contrast, and all the things I’ve always enjoyed playing with. I am definitely mulling over the idea of bringing the studio side of things back online, but it really is about timing while juggling work, family and all the side hustles.
The homewares and furniture you stock in store are unlike other pieces we find around New Zealand. Tell us about your procurement process and why you choose to stock what you do.
It’s a combination of approaches. One of us will find a brand or product, share it, and then debate whether it will work in this market or not, alongside all the other sensible steps you take in deciding whether something is viable. At the other end of that spectrum, one of us will find something and just have to have it, and that is it. Moustache Editions and Laguna-B are examples of that pathway. We were so lucky both brands were willing to work with us but also so shocked they weren’t already here!
I sometimes need to be talked down from some of the more avant-garde vintage pieces that are super cool, but often a bit odd, as the shop isn’t just my personal collection, as much as I’d like it to be. We work a lot on intuition, I think – what we love, but also cognizant of what people want to buy, are willing to spend money on, and maybe stretch their parameters by offering a slightly bolder, more diverse range of homewares and furniture.
Do you have a favourite product currently in store?
I love love love the Rana Margarita Glasses by Vidrio Studio. The spikes and shape bring me a lot of joy.
What’s next for Dessein Parke?
World domination via homewares?
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
DIY: How to colour drench a bathroom
