Locals: Paper Plane - New designers, artists and brands

Paper Plane stocks a wide range of boutique goods. Photo/supplied

Rhianna McCormick Burns caught up with Krista Plews, co-founder of Mount design studio and store Paper Plane.

Tell us how Paper Plane came about. What was the concept behind the store?
For as long as I can remember, I've loved design and shopping. There is something so satisfying about discovering an artist or a new idea. My background is in spatial design and my husband, Tim, is a product designer. We shared a love for all things design and started developing our own furniture range in 2010. It was going well but we kept coming back to idea of engaging directly with our customers and working with other creatives.
Opening Paper Plane was a natural progression, enabling us to continue designing along with curating and collaborating with creatives from New Zealand and afar. There is immense satisfaction in connecting talented creatives with design enthusiasts.

What does an average day of work look like for you?
We have a wonderful team at Paper Plane now which, after almost four years, has given us some long overdue freedom in our days. I usually work from home in the morning, focused on business development while being distracted by Zephyr, our ridiculously cute and overly cuddly birman. Often, I'll catch up with a friend for lunch or go on a beach walk then spend the afternoon in the Paper Plane back office with the team. It's a nice balance, so I'm hoping it lasts!

Living in Mount Maunganui and being amongst beautiful design goodies all day seems like the ultimate dream to many. What are your favourite things about living and working here?
Mount Maunganui is a dream! The off-season local culture is so wonderful and relaxed. The Mount is often referred to as a 'village' as the locals are fiercely loyal, connected to each other and proud to call this beautiful place home. We love spending time at the beach, surfing and playing volleyball, and wandering along Mount main street, visiting our favorite shops and eateries.

At Paper Plane, we are really conscious of fine tuning our offerings for our market, which is actually quite varied. Summer brings a broad range of tourists which have a slightly different design appreciation than our off-season local customers which means we can explore a wider range of ideas, which we love, of course.

You work with your partner Tim on a daily basis. How do you find a balance between work and free time?
Luckily, we are the best of friends with a united vision, so it's quite a privilege. It certainly took time to define our roles in a professional capacity, which we found worked best when they didn't overlap too much. After work hours, we try to limit our 'store chat' and focus on our personal lives. As any other couple in this situation would understand, this requires considerable effort!

A variety of utensils are sold at Paper Plane. Photo/supplied

You both come from design backgrounds. Do you still make time to design?
We've been so consumed with running our store over the past few years that product design has taken a back seat. We are now circling back to it which is exciting, but designing and manufacturing in New Zealand is expensive so there are challenges to consider.

Do you have a process to selecting what to sell, and how do you find new goodies?
Our constant hunger for new products ensures our range will always be evolving. When we find beautiful brands, we consider various factors like quality, market appeal, price and how it will fit in with our current collections. We are especially interested in independent brands that focus on sustainability, natural materials and small batch, hand-made goods. In terms of how we find our goodies? That's our little secret.

With so many beautiful things in your shop, how do you decide which thing to take home with you?
We are on the verge of moving into our new home which is literally a blank canvas with white floors, walls and ceilings. This is our dream to be able design and curate with few limitations and no one but ourselves in mind! While we will definitely take select items from the store home, we're also keen to explore artists, designers and ideas that push the boundaries of design a little more than we can justify at Paper Plane.

How would you describe your personal clothing style?
My personal style is clean and effortless. This is achieved by selecting pieces that are made from beautiful materials cut to perfection. I find that as I grow older my look is simplifying and tipping quite masculine. My personal style is a lot more reserved and classic than my design style which is based on timelessness but accompanied by a very distinct twist of 'weird'.

What is one piece of advice you can give our readers on interior decorating?
Invest well in the items you interact with every day. Purchase a quality set of knives, a beautiful and comfortable sofa and a good bed. These things are often overlooked but bring so much joy when prioritised. Buy less and buy well.

Paper Plane shop,
99 Maunganui Road,
Mount Maunganui
paperplanestore.com
@paperplanestore

Paper Plane interiors