Tauranga couple Chris and Rachelle Duffy love to combine their vintage treasures with the latest design trends.
Rachelle and Chris Duffy own Idiom, a cute boutique in Tauranga where New Zealand, Australian and vintage fashion sits beside art, magazines, jewellery and books. The husband and wife pair opened the store more than two years ago and recently moved into a new upstairs space - which Rachelle says stays true to the boutique nature of the shop, "with each corner turned bringing a sense of welcome and intrigue".
As well as the boutique, Rachelle and Chris also have the Idiom Studio, a collaborative art direction and print design concept that sits alongside the art exhibitions the pair hold regularly within the space. Here are their current 10 favourite things.
- Idiom, 64A Devonport Rd, Tauranga.
TEN FAVOURITE THINGS
1. Sketch book/visual diary
Chris: Ever since design school I've had a visual diary of sorts where I can gather ideas and thoughts and refer to them for inspiration when I'm working on a project. It's a good way to measure changing trends, I'm only a few pages in with this one but if I look back to my older journals I can see how much I've changed as well through what I actually chose to document.
2. 8mm camera
Chris: I purchased this camera off eBay in the States a couple of years ago to film a surf trip I went on down in Kaikoura. It's a bit of hassle getting the film processed because I have to post it back to the States, but I think the finished results are hard to replicate with modern means. I enjoy the romance of the old girl.
3. WeSC headphones
Chris: WeSC celebrated their 10th anniversary by introducing a specially designed product line which were headphones and Bearbrick sets from Medicom Toys. They're a great looking music accessory and perfectly align themselves with the bears design-wise. DJ headphones have been around for a while, but combining underground toy design and electronics is red hot.
4. Art and design books
Chris: Books are an amazing resource and remain a little more adventurous than the web. Graphic Design: Visual Comparisons, for example, is a book I found in a secondhand bookstore in Warkworth - now that requires a bit more effort than flicking through pages on the web. Although it was published in 1963, it's still pretty relevant today in that less is more and the most effective solution is not always the most obvious.
5. Skate decks
Chris: We had a skate deck exhibition in our store back in 2008 and had a bunch of artists submit their own works for it. I did a couple myself but held this one back because I thought it wasn't macho enough. It's basically about my wife and a promise I gave her when we were travelling around France.
6. Vintage suitcases
Rachelle: My parents used to travel a bit between Matamata and Mt Maunganui while they were courting and the boarding stickers from the trains are still on the sides of most of them. I think it's cute, and have to explain to our customers that they're not for sale for this reason!
7. Russian dolls
Rachelle: Chris bought these for me while we were living overseas and I just really love the detailing on them and how they're painted. I've always liked the colours, and they just make me smile.
8. Meadowlark Jewellery
Rachelle: I'm an avid fan of Meadowlark Jewellery, the designers Claire and Greg never fail to impress me with their collections. I constantly get compliments when I'm wearing their pieces and it always sells really well too.
9. Hats
Chris: Since I was a kid I've always worn hats. I've get a little bit of comfort from wearing them - it's not because I'm losing my hair or have anything to hide, I just have a fetish for them I guess.
10. Vintage linen boots
Rachelle: I have had my eye on vintage clothing and collectibles, ever since I was a little girl. My mum would take me op shopping and to garage sales, and now it has become popular to snag a bargain. These boots were my mum's best buy ever.
