Simon James has a new home – a spacious, light-filled showroom in the heart of Mount Eden, casting the brand’s elegant, contemporary designs in an industrial setting.
The new space, originally a mechanic’s workshop in the 1970s, has been adapted by architect Keshaw McArthur to suit its new purpose, while maintaining the proportions, geometries and materiality of the building’s former life: exposed metal beams and concrete floors are tempered with fabric hanging from the walls and ceilings, to bring calm and scale to the expansive space.
“There is a duality at play between the interior and exterior, whereby we looked to explore and blur the threshold between – pulling the interior through to the outside and vice-versa,” says McArthur. “This calm material palette paired with strong yet simplistic geometric forms sets a foundation for the Simon James brand to reside.”
Several new consultation rooms have been introduced to the showroom, from which to offer bespoke appointments, as well as dedicated sections for upholstery, furniture, lighting and rugs. “I’ve always wanted a chair library, and we managed to find room for one in the space,” says James. “A place to view a larger selection of chairs over multiple walls with a single table in the center to test these around.”
Simon James’s in-house collections, which are made in New Zealand, sit alongside interiors from international designers including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Philippe Malouin and Konstantin Grcic. The accessories section has also been expanded to showcase objects from Arno Declercq, homeware by When Objects Work, Tekla’s organic textiles and hand and body products from New Zealand brand Surface. The new address, which complements the brand’s existing retail stores, will also play host to events and showcase a revolving curation of brands. “It will be an evolving space with constant change,” adds James.
Simon James’s in-house collections, which are made in New Zealand, sit alongside interiors from international designers including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Philippe Malouin and Konstantin Grcic. The accessories section has also been expanded to showcase objects from Arno Declercq, homeware by When Objects Work, Tekla’s organic textiles and hand and body products from New Zealand brand Surface. The new address, which complements the brand’s existing retail stores, will also play host to events and showcase a revolving curation of brands. “It will be an evolving space with constant change,” adds James.
