Design-Led Retail: The Stores Inspiring Us Right Now
When design tells a story, a retail experience becomes something more than a transaction. There are a collection of studios and stores near and dear to us, that stand out for inviting us into a space that feels sensory, intentional and deeply crafted.
Here are a few of the spaces that continue to inspire our own approach to interiors at Newton Kay.
Curionoir
Sensory and cinematic. Dark timber, velvet drapery and brass create a hushed backdrop for Tiffany Witehira’s perfumes and handblown vessels, so the space feels like a slow ritual rather than a shop. Knight Associates’ fit-out deepens that mood, while Witehira’s storytelling anchors it in Aotearoa.
Designer credit: Knight Associates, Curionoir Ponsonby.
Simon James
Minimal, modernist, and impeccably detailed. These showrooms are lessons in editing, with pale timbers, soft plaster and precise steel accents that let furniture and objects breathe. Designed in collaboration with Rufus Knight and, in Newmarket, with Cheshire Architects, they set the benchmark for elegant retail in Auckland.
Designer credit: Knight Associates with Cheshire Architects.
Good Form
Part gallery, part living room for design lovers. The new space at 86 Newton Road celebrates the original saw-tooth roof and natural light, simplified in collaboration with sculptor-designer Gidon Bing. The curation is thoughtful, spanning contemporary and vintage, and the room itself feels considered from every angle.
Designer collaboration: Spatial simplification with Gidon Bing.
Hana
A wellness interior that whispers rather than shouts. Pennant & Triumph pair lime-washed walls and terrazzo with sculptural lighting by Soktas and salvaged railway sleepers, creating a tactile, restorative sequence from reception to treatment rooms. It is contemporary, serene and beautifully made.
Designer credit: Pennant & Triumph.
Faradays
Romance and theatre, handled with restraint. Inside the historic Textile Centre, Cheshire Architects create a soft, European-leaning mood with plaster, drapery and stone, framing luxury fashion like objects in a salon. It is a masterclass in atmosphere and brand alignment.
Designer credit: Cheshire Architects.
Sala
Warm, textural and quietly luxe. Mijntje Lepoutre’s studio layers timber, tinted stucco and natural light so movement and mindfulness feel at home. In the Chroma room, a custom light piece by Angus Muir gently shifts the palette through colour, adding an artful, restorative note. The result is an urban sanctuary with a strong material story, aligned with our love of calm spaces with character.
Designer credit: Mijntje Lepoutre.
Public Record
A gallery-store that champions craft. Yuka O’Shannessy’s larger new site holds a finely tuned mix of Aotearoa and Japanese makers, presented with clarity and calm. It is the kind of space we visit to reset our palette, learn, and discover work with soul.
Imagery courtesy of Curionoir.