Our Place: Barbara and Trent Sunderland

Barbara and Trent Sunderland are directors of Family Design Co, a Tauranga-based graphic design and advertising company which last month was announced as a finalist in the New Zealand Designers' Institute Best Awards. We chat to Barbara in their home in Matua where they live with 3-year-old daughter, Olive Rose.

We moved to Matua in April from an old villa in Welcome Bay. The community is great. Olive goes to Matua Kindy and we've made some great friends.

In the house, we like the mix of modern with retro. It is 1960s design with big windows and lots of light and space. I don't like clutter. We have two lounges, one where Olive has her stuff and one I keep minimal. Running a business and having a young child means I have to be organised and feel that everything is under control.

Trent and I come from an advertising background and have worked in Auckland, Sydney and the UK. We have been in Tauranga for three years. Trent is originally from the Bay. We love the family feel of Tauranga, but also the fact it is becoming known for its creativity. Family Design reflects our personal values - the passion we have for design is intertwined in our daily lives. At the end of the day, the driving force behind our success is family.

For the house colour scheme we have gone for neutrals with a pop of red here and there. Whenever we look for a contrast colour, Trent and I both gravitate towards red. We even spray painted our fridge red using a Pantone book to get the perfect match. We both like strong graphical designs. The pop art on the wall is from House of Aroha in Napier. The beach graphic is from Glenn Smith who owns Prolific Signs and Define Art at the Mount. Trent is a surfer and I bought two canvases for his birthday one year.

The main chair in the room I got from an antique store in town and I recovered it, along with the ottomon, to make it a set. I like to find stuff and make it unique to us. I changed the shade on the rimu lamp stand to make it more modern. Trent likes collecting things. We have the old records as we love the art work, a retro vase and Polaroid camera. The clock and orange rabbit are from Iko Iko on K-Rd. The couches and side table are from Nood. Trent was a bit worried when that store came to Tauranga. I love it as it has iconic replica designer pieces at a fairly reasonable price.

The house is like the interior design of our business - a strong focus, clean, with simple modern design elements.

Winners for the Best Awards will be announced October 7.