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.