The Weekly Edit

Some weeks arrive quietly and some announce themselves. This one has been a little of both — grounded in the everyday work I love, and lit up by something I did not plan but has been the best fun.

I was invited to work as an interior stylist on a campaign shoot — both video and photography — and while I am not able to share the details yet, I can tell you that saying yes to it felt immediately right. There is something about being invited into a creative space you have not inhabited before that sharpens your sense of what you are capable of. I am genuinely excited to develop these skills, to work alongside a team in a different kind of environment, and to see what that brings back to this work. I had the best time on shoot day!

In the meantime, this week's edit has plenty to get into — installations, advice, a trend I think you are going to love. Pull up a chair.

1. In The Studio

We have been wrapping up some beautiful window furnishing installations this week, and it has been a reminder of how much happens long before that final moment.

The industry has changed considerably over the years. Most window furnishing businesses no longer have a workroom at all — everything is outsourced to high-volume manufacturers, cut to standard sizes, and turned around quickly. There is a place for that. But it is not what we do.

At Feather & Oak, every curtain and blind we make is created in our own workroom by Lynda, our maker. By the time we arrive on installation day, a window furnishing has already been through weeks of considered decisions — the initial measure, the fabric selection, the lining, the heading style, the hem weight. Lynda will have spent hours at the machine getting every seam, every pleat, every pinned hem exactly right. It is precise, unhurried work. The kind that cannot be rushed without being lost.

There is a level of craft in bespoke soft furnishings that most people never see, and honestly, that is as it should be. The work should disappear into the room. The curtain should simply look as though it was always meant to be there.

And then there is that moment on installation day — when the fabric drops from the rod for the first time, the hems sit exactly right, and the light filters through. All those weeks of measuring and making and waiting, and then: a room quietly becomes itself.



It is the part of this work that never gets old.

2. The Place To Start

The question I get asked more than any other is: where do I even begin?

Here are the three places I always recommend:

1. Your fixed elements — flooring, benchtops and cabinetry. These are the pieces you live with longest and change least. Once you know your floors and your joinery, the rest of the room starts to speak.

2. Your windows. It sounds counterintuitive, but window furnishings should come first — not last. Fabric carries the tone, the texture, and the warmth of a room. Get this right and everything else has an anchor to follow.

3. One piece you love unconditionally. A sofa, a piece of art, a beautiful chair — start with something you are completely certain about and build outward from there. When you start from something you love, every other decision becomes a yes or no. You are not choosing between everything — you are choosing what works with the one thing you are certain about. That is a much easier problem to solve.

And the biggest mistake? Starting with paint. Paint is always last.

 3. What's Trending

For the better part of a decade, the dominant interior conversation has been about minimalism. Clean lines, neutral palettes, nothing unnecessary. And there is genuine beauty in that approach — but something has shifted.

The interiors drawing the most attention internationally right now are ones that have layers. Warmth. A sense of history. Rooms that feel like they have been collected over time rather than assembled in an afternoon. What is emerging is not a full retreat to the Victorian era — it is something more considered than that. It is the art of introducing traditional elements into modern spaces in a way that creates depth and character without losing the ease of contemporary living.

In practice it looks like this: a modern room with clean-lined furniture, but a painting hung in an ornate gilded frame. A contemporary sofa dressed with a cushion trimmed in fringing or a contrast braid. A simple bookshelf with a small antique object sitting quietly among the everyday things. A room that has one or two pieces with history — real or imagined — alongside everything new.

These are small moves. They cost relatively little. But they are the difference between a room that looks finished and a room that feels lived in, considered, and genuinely interesting. If your home has felt a little too edited lately, this might be exactly the permission you were looking for.

4. Katy's Mini Edit

What's Getting Me Through This Week...

1. Lighter mornings and warmer days - I love you sunshine!

 2. School holiday moments with the kids - it is the best. We had so much fun at a football tournament in Dunedin, a quick splash at Hamner Springs and lots of friends over.

3. I am hitting the gym again. Going with my daughter is the motivation I needed - it’s so much more fun with a gym buddy!

4. I had so much fun on set last week - this project was an absolute blast from start to finish #i’mhereforit

What's Next...

We are nearly finished some big design projects and I can’t wait to invite you to a new showhome opening next month.

We have more curtain installations (Lynda is working like a girl-boss in the workroom)!

If window furnishings are on your mind — October is a great month to ensure you get roller and honeycomb blinds in before Christmas. It’s getting closer....!