Sanctuary Interiors

A small but mighty Mangawhai-based team, Sanctuary Interiors brings together interior design, furniture procurement and home staging. From renovations to complete home fit-outs, they create beautiful, liveable spaces for the people who use them. And as of this week, they have a home of their own: a new shoppable showroom at Parkview in Mangawhai Heads, with retail and procurement downstairs and the design studio upstairs.

01 · The Studio Small but mighty, with three pillars

We're a small but mighty team, and we cover three major pillars in the business. Interior design and procurement are a big part of what we do. We also have a home staging business and a retail store, online and now in Mangawhai. When people ask, "What do you do?", the honest answer is: we can do this, or this, or this – how do you need us to help?

It's me and my 2IC, who is the glue that holds me together. Because our staging and design work is quite seasonal, we have a number of girls on call, and our boys who do all our moving. It's a dynamic team that we push and pull depending on what we need.

Most of our design clients are in Mangawhai. For staging, we work anywhere from One Tree Point down to the bridge – we don't usually cross it, only for very special people. We've got really good relationships with our clients and our agents here, and I love it. It's such a cool place.

02 · What's Next A shoppable showroom in Mangawhai

Our new Mangawhai space is now open. It brings our retail, procurement and design work together under one roof for the first time.

Things have moved at light speed to get here. Part of our time at Hawthorne has been spent choosing pieces to bring into the store, and talking about what a partnership could mean for us in the future. Come and see us.

03 · The Approach It starts with the right fit

It takes a long time to curate who you are. I've always been drawn to interiors, beautiful things and beautiful spaces. When I walk into a room, I'm looking at the floors, the ceilings, the joinery – I'm taking all of that in.

Our process is generally the same for every client. We sit down for a consultation at the start, then move through design, where we produce all the mood boards, then procurement, then install. That first touchpoint is the most important piece for us. Just because you win a job doesn't mean it's going to be enjoyable for you or the client. You need to be connected to that person, know exactly what they want, and make sure they get a good feeling from you.

"It takes a long time to curate who you are."

Jacinda Pole · Sanctuary Interiors

04 · Where It Begins Coastal, without the beach shells

We draw inspiration from everywhere – architecture, the coastline we're on, travel, fashion. We can see the colours and fabrics coming through, but if they don't fit the client's brief, we won't use them. We'll lean on what we're drawn to instead.

I'd describe our style as warm, elevated and refined, but relaxed as well. I guess that's drawn from the coastline. There's a nod to the coast in what we do, but we don't scream beach shells.

05 · Designing for Life Who lives here, and how

A client's lifestyle shapes everything. As part of the first consultation, we want to understand who lives in the space, who's going to use it, how they use it and what it's actually for. We take the time to get to know the client first, rather than doing a whole lot of work in the background and finding out it isn't what they're looking for.

People come to us at every stage. We see a lot of baches that need renovating, where someone buys a place and doesn't know which levers to pull to make the most impact. Often they're not local and don't know the builders, plumbers or tradies around here, so they lean on our network – and every new project grows that network too.

06 · The Brief "Fit it out"

We've just wrapped up a residential project in Mangawhai for private clients who live overseas. They bought the home and simply said, "Fit it out." We had no creative direction beyond about ten photos of a house they liked in Melbourne. So we worked through it room by room – lounge, kitchen, bedrooms, den and their retreat – and bought everything down to the teaspoons.

We ran it all through Programa, which keeps us closely connected with clients – they can approve or decline everything from wherever they are. The last time they'd seen the house, they'd just bought it. When they came back about a month ago, they walked in and it was all done, with a cold bottle of champagne waiting in the fridge.

The creative freedom was incredible. I haven't had that much freedom before, and then to nail it – you're like, "Yes!" I can see this kind of distance project happening more and more in Mangawhai. For a lot of our clients this is their bach. They're busy people, and they want to trust that we can do it with the right products and the right network of suppliers.

07 · The Anchor A table by the fire

How we anchor a room depends on its focal point. In the dining room there's a big, beautiful wood burner, and I wanted the table to really soak up that space – to seat the adults who need their own chair, and a row of kids along the bench. The Rokke Dining Table, Rokke Bench and Joffre Dining Chairs became the anchor for the whole area.

Keeping the tones consistent mattered, because I didn't want to mix too many woods. The home has big ply floors, and there were painted walls the clients were happy to keep. We wanted the furniture to be soft and timeless – everyday pieces that don't feel everyday. Liveable and yummy.

We used Parq throughout the den, because it's more rustic. You can use it, and you don't mind the odd drink sitting on it. In a home like this, with lots of people coming and going, you don't want to be too precious about your furniture – but you still want it to be really beautiful. Hawthorne always delivers that.

"You don't want to be too precious about your furniture, but you also want your furniture to be really beautiful. Hawthorne always delivers that."

Jacinda Pole · On the Mangawhai residence

08 · The Reveal "It feels like home"

She sent me massive love hearts on WhatsApp and said, "It feels like home. It feels like I've just walked in and it's home." And I said, "Well done, team. We did good."

The mood boards are what make that possible. Pulling in the right pieces – a Max Swivel Chair, a Parq dining table – lets clients see them at a deeper level against everything else working in the room, so they arrive already knowing how it will feel.

09 · On Hawthorne Quality I can vouch for

Hawthorne works for us on more than one level. We can slot pieces into our staging inventory and specify them for clients – and you need quite different furniture for each. It lets us pivot and stay on the pulse of what we want to be specifying.

When I come into the showroom, I'm lifting everything – how heavy is this? Being out of Auckland, popping down now and then and seeing the level of detail is always special. When we select a piece, I don't have to worry about its quality. I know it's going to be good, and I can say that hand on heart.

I also don't have to come in to check an item, because there's enough information on the website, I can see if it's in stock, and I know when I can get it. That's crucial when we're staging and moving fast. If I'm down four dining chairs or need two occasionals to lift a property, I can jump on, see there are six, and have them sent up.

"When we select a piece, I don't have to worry about the quality. I know it's going to be good. I can hand on heart say that."

Jacinda Pole · On Hawthorne

10 · A Reliable Library Like for like, every time

The photography is always great and the colours are always right. I know I won't order something toffee-coloured and have it turn up dark mocha. If I specify a Parq dining table today and come back to it in six months for another client, I know I'll get like for like. Every product has natural variation, but there's consistency over time.

You're building a library in your head – I've seen that, I know where it works, I know what it suits. That library has to stay consistent, otherwise it's not one you can rely on.

11 · The One Thing Lighting and texture

Lighting changes the game – layering different kinds of light through a room is so important. Then texture is how you feel in the space: smooth oak, a rustic table, a soft velvet sofa, a bouclé ottoman, cushions and throws, even books that smell of paper when you pick them up.

12 · Honest Advice Call us at the start

It gets tricky when people have already made a lot of decisions or bought a few key pieces that don't quite fit the brief. Have honest conversations with your designer and your builder up front, especially about budget. If you tell me your budget is X, I'll work to X. You don't want to specify a $20,000 sofa when the whole living room budget is $20,000.

In the Mangawhai Residence Pieces Specified

Natural solid oak anchors the dining room by the fire, with the Parq range carrying a more rustic, relaxed feel through the den.

Dining

• Rokke Dining Table, 220cm – Solid Oak · Natural · 13340
• Rokke Bench, 180cm – Solid Oak · Natural · 13339
• Joffre Dining Chair – Natural · 3811

Den

• Parq Collection – throughout the den