Our People

From Disconnection to Divine

A whirlwind of passion, enthusiasm and deep-seated compassion, Amy Shaw is a powerhouse of a business leader, creative director and healer – beautifully balancing logic with spiritual connection.

Settle Back & Swivel

Mark Lewis is no stranger to enduring design, with his furniture business preparing to celebrate 80 years in 2026. While his brand new showroom bursts with creative seating solutions, his favourite swivel chair takes pride of place.

Bright & Breezy

This summer we are all about blurring the lines between inside and out. Think texture, pattern and timeless shades to make dining, relaxing and entertaining al fresco just as easy and stylish as it is inside. Pip Goldsbury explains.

Magic in the Mundane

Nature’s greatest splendours and the grandest of objects are not all that attract this artist’s eye. It is likely to be a ray of light catching a water glass and refracting onto the kitchen bench that sparks her excitement.

At the Edge of the World

Nestled above the sandy sweep of St Clair beach in Dunedin, Derek and Rachael Morrison, have built a life as vivid and windswept as the waves they love.

All Shook Up

When Elvis Presley stepped out of his blue suede shoes and left the building for good in 1977, the world mourned. The undisputed King of Rock n Roll was dead at just 42 years old. An icon and a legend, his passing is still mourned. However, in the unlikeliest of places, a surprise awaits – a private museum of international proportions dedicated to the King himself.

Meet your Brain

Joy is so much more than a moment of pleasure; it’s a practice that rewires your brain for greater ease, connection and wellbeing. In her new book, Jen Sievers shares an insight into how to grasp onto it to ensure you are living a colourful, juicy life.

Rooted in craft and guided by conscience, fashion designer Biddie Cooksley unashamedly celebrates modern femininity in her designs. From her family’s legacy in garment-making to her thoughtful approach to sustainable production, she’s proving that style and substance can live beautifully side by side.

Visually rich and thoughtfully edited, New Zealand Rustic showcases a collection of homes designed to harmonise with the landscape, evoking a sense of place and belonging. Presented through a distinctly New Zealand perspective, the book highlights sustainable building practices, featuring locally sourced materials as well as recycled, upcycled, and repurposed resources.

As the days lengthen and we welcome the warmth of spring, it’s the perfect time to get our creative wheels whirring with the season of fresh starts! Pip Goldsbury offers some inspiration.

Melanie McKenzie challenges traditional visual perception, inviting viewers to see the world through a softer, more ethereal lens. While her hard wire stool might be a juxtaposition to that, even her best seat is an example of the different ways in which softness can be experienced. 

From sewing Barbie doll clothes as an eight-year-old, to producing award-winning World of WearableArt entries as an adult, creativity is in Leanne Day’s genes. Her far north home is the embodiment of her love for craft, colour and clever design.

A chance to build a contemporary house on a ‘cliffhanger’ site with extraordinary views also proved to be an exciting and enjoyable building experience for Bruce and Annette Cave of Whanganui.

Blenheim siblings Wendy and Ross Palmer have restored a cottage garden into a woodland wonderland, with a goal to delight and immerse visitors within the beauty of nature. Eliza’s Garden Cottage will be showcased at the Garden Marlborough Festival for the first time this spring.

Keep your favourite magazines organised and within easy reach with this stylish, X-shaped magazine stand. This simple project requires just a few straightforward cuts and no nails or screws, making it a perfect weekend DIY that’s quick, easy and rewarding!

Interior designer Wayne Good is passionate about colour, antiques and food, culminating in a home he describes as evoking a sense of ‘WOW, because that’s what I hear when people enter – it’s welcoming and very interesting.’ We talk to him about his vibrant use of colour.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for igniting change and sparking conversation. It is a super power that photographer Camilla Rutherford has in spades.

When the whenua is your inspiration and your connection with the land deeply ingrained, choosing to leave frenetic Auckland for the tranquillity of Rawene must surely lead to a quieter lifestyle. Not so for contemporary landscape artist Joanne Barrett. Life may be calmer, but it’s as busy as ever for the talented artist, designer and writer!

Fiona McIlraith, the mastermind behind our favourite woollen slippers, Woolfi, inspires us with her top winter comforts.

There’s a quiet revolution happening in rural New Zealand, and it has nothing to do with tractors or milk prices. We head in-store with Farmlands to uncover how they are bringing style and substance to rural living.

Milking cows is not something Wayne Good ever imagined he’d do, but life in the country suits this former chef and interior designer whose creativity is transforming a quiet rural block north of Hamilton.

Mother-daughter duo Mary Jane Tomasi and Katie Tomasi Edwards are Auckland property stylists with a flair for staging and furniture fit-outs. Both embrace apartment living and enjoy styling small spaces in step with the changing seasons.

For Peter Marr, Taihape Automotive Specialists proved an unlikely home for a piece of national automotive history – a 1948 Land Rover with chassis number R860020. The very first Land Rover in New Zealand.

A simple and beautiful project crafted from live edge timber - thoughtful, handmade, and easy to create!

Founded in 2023, Atér is a sustainable fashion brand who have proudly curated a collection of timeless 100% New Zealand wool coats.

Ali Mau is no stranger to Kiwis, having graced our screens for over two decades – yet what many might not know is that she is much more than just a journalist and advocate for women’s rights – she’s a passionate horse rider and an ardent pursuer of dreams. 

As a school leaver, Gemma McCaw’s life took an atypical trajectory from that of your average Tauranga teen. While her mates were heading off to uni, Gemma was thrust into the world of international hockey.

When Meri Gibson received a call in 2024, she laughed and thought it was a prank. Instead, the four-time cancer survivor and impassioned dragon boater discovered she would be honoured as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM), her mantra that ‘exercise is medicine’ acknowledged at the highest level.

My biggest inspiration for colour was from my mum’s mum, Josephina Maria – she wore colour, but never in a haphazard way. Blush lips, white blouse, with a beautiful flowing pink/red skirt, perhaps matching shoes. And all from the Salvation Army.

Lyndsey Fineran, Artistic Director of the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki, has the dubious distinction of being the first Life & Leisure interviewee to nominate a thoroughly unremarkable desk chair as her ‘best seat’. She promises she can explain.

Designer Jane Avery is a passionate advocate for slow fashion and the skill and knowledge that surrounds her industry as a furrier. Holding the flame for the tradition in Aotearoa, she encourages us all to embrace wearing fur with confidence and pride.

Mike Taylor is a seasoned professional whose vision and leadership has propelled Pie Funds from a small investment advisory firm to one of New Zealand’s premier wealth management specialists. We talk to him about how working with a skilled wealth manager could be the key to unlocking your financial potential. 

Two Canterbury sisters have turned a love of design and creation into a fashion brand centred around sustainability, ethical practices and bringing a smile to their customers.

When Marlborough winemaker Matt Thomson finds time to sit around, the seat he’s most keen to occupy is one that wears a good lick of sea spray.