Treasure seeker

Photo / Supplied

As someone who began restoring furniture when she was a 13-year-old, Fiona McLeod always seemed destined to open a design store. Her early fascination with breathing new life into secondhand pieces also paid a dividend for her parents, who dealt in property and would use some of her unique furniture to stage rooms.

The fulfilment of her destiny came last year. After working with clients for years, she took the leap and opened Fiona McLeod Design in Ponsonby, Auckland. Her showroom allows her to indulge her passion for taking vintage furniture, ornaments and accessories and either restoring, recycling or recreating them to make them shine in a modern setting.

McLeod is fascinated by the psychology of colour, something she likes to explore when working with her clients. "Great interior design will depict the personality of those who live there, with flair and fashionable style," she says. As for her personal style, she describes it as "a little retro, quite quirky and totally one-of-a-kind". While a love of bright colours and geometric patterns is evident throughout her Auckland home, she also admits to an appreciation of white, "which will surprise some people because I use so much colour".

One of McLeod's favourite pieces, a Ptolomeo Italian vertical bookcase, epitomises her approach to design. "It's sculptural and useful," she says. "I like everything to be either beautiful or useful - being both is perfect." McLeod is a big fan of designer Florence Broadhurst, renowned for her hand-printed wallpapers.

"She was such an eccentric woman for her era. I admire her non-conformist attitude to life and design." She also gains inspiration from 1930s-1970s furniture design, admiring the way pieces from that era have clean lines, but with interest and personality. And sometimes you just have to break all the rules, as McLeod demonstrates with one of her favourite buys, a gold spray-painted cowhide rug. "It's mad," she says.

"I paid a ridiculous price for it but just had to have it when I opened [my showroom] because I wanted the wow factor." A less quirky, unpainted dappled hide adds warmth to the dark polished wooden floors in the open-plan living area of her home. While trends come and go, one piece of furniture that will never go out of fashion for McLeod is her retro chaise longue.

"It's still a very popular design so I now custom-make a similar design for my clients." McLeod devotes a lot of time to attending auctions and rummaging around secondhand shops. "I love the thrill of finding treasures among the junk."

One of her great finds is a vintage pie dish she found in a secondhand shop. "My friends have enjoyed many pies from this dish."

Style tips

Flower power: Fresh flowers are a cheap and easy way to give a room a new look every week.

Common scents: McLeod wouldn't be without an aromatherapy burner. She believes that aroma plays as important a part as colour in how a place feels.

Dark thoughts: Don't be afraid to make a dark room darker. Take the opportunity to create a dramatic look with artfully placed lighting and a combination of interesting textures.

* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden.