Designing world-class interiors on Waiheke: a conversation with Susannah Matheson of Island Interiors

After leaving a career in advertising to pursue her passion for interior design, Susannah Matheson worked under a well-established designer for seven years before stepping out on her own. Relocating to Waiheke Island for the relaxed, beach-centric lifestyle, Matheson saw an opportunity to provide an interior design service for the island’s residents — leading her to found Island Interiors in 2018.

“The business started with just myself and one other person, and we were initially only servicing Waiheke, but then we found we would connect with clients on Waiheke and they would ask us to do their homes in Auckland too. Since then, we've grown to a team of six interior designers, production managers, office managers, and window treatment specialists,” Matheson explains.

Expanding into Auckland meant setting up a second office in Devonport, and eventually taking on projects as far south as Queenstown. Yet, while work now takes her all over the country, Matheson remains focused on her Waiheke clientele.

Designing for sun and salt

Waiheke projects are unique in their requirements, needing to be both robust enough to withstand the beachfront lifestyle, and elegant enough to function as a second home for clients who value luxury design.

“Unlike your Auckland home, you want to come to Waiheke and feel like you're on holiday, but you also want to have everything you need to entertain friends and family. You want it to look beautiful, but also be sturdy enough to withstand the conditions here — which are quite different to mainland Auckland,” Matheson explains.

This means Matheson spends a lot of time researching and sourcing products and materials that will be fit for purpose.

“Waiheke has a lot more sun, and there’s also the ocean to contend with. We’re also aware that your house is likely to be shut down for extended periods of time, so we want to design spaces for longevity.

“We want people to feel like they can sit straight on the sofa after going for a swim, or let their 20-year-old stay without worrying they’ll put a hot saucepan directly on the bench and ruin it,” Matheson says.

In response, Matheson selects a lot of traditionally ‘outdoor’ fabrics for interior furnishings, and window treatment textiles with natural and synthetic fibre blends, knowing they’ll be able to withstand salt water and harsh sunlight.

With her deep understanding of the Waiheke lifestyle, Matheson guides her clients through the planning stage to ensure their spaces meet every need.

“We have a lot of initial discussions around location, inspiration, their lifestyle, their family, and how they want to live in the space to make sure that the space can grow with them — whether it's grandchildren, teenagers, or spending more time here.”

Collecting inspiration at home and abroad

In the same way that the island informs design decisions, it is also a great source of inspiration for Matheson.

“Waiheke is a pretty inspiring place, and there is amazing architecture going up all around us all the time, so we try to design in a way that complements both the natural landscape, and the architecture that we’re working with.

“If I'm ever feeling a bit drained creatively, I'll go outside and go for a walk or visit an art gallery. I also try to travel often — in fact, I've just been to Milan for the Milan Design Week — I get inspiration from designers and spaces overseas. All of these things are really important to keep that passion alive.”

Matheson likes to have her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the design world globally, and, as many of her clients live overseas, she’s able to translate international trends and styles into spaces that make sense here in New Zealand. Part of this process is working with local suppliers and craftspeople to bring pieces to life for her international clients.

“My international clients will sometimes ask us to import things from Italy, but I say, ‘we have such a great community of artists here – you should engage them’.”

“We actually had a client recently request a 40-person dining table, because they live in London, so when they fly over twice a year they want to host all their friends and family. We had it made here in New Zealand, and it’s absolutely beautiful.”

And, while Matheson loves to support New Zealand suppliers for the high quality of products and materials available, buying local is equally about keeping her carbon footprint small.

“We want to leave a light footprint in everything that we do, so that factors into our decision-making process, too. Working somewhere as beautiful as Waiheke, we don’t want to destroy it.”

Learn more about Island Interiors.