Locally made industrial-style furniture and homeware have found their ideal home at Auckland’s City Works Depot
Terry Curtis and doggie Rocky.
What started out as a weekend project for Terry Curtis is now very much a full-time role as creative director, designer and owner of homeware store Weekend Trader. Initially an online shop that Terry would manage on weekends while working as a graphic designer, its popularity saw him open a pop-up space in Auckland’s Ponsonby Central in 2013, showcasing a range of lighting, furniture and homeware.
This temporary set-up was made permanent and just two years later the space wasn’t big enough to contain his expanding range. “At the Ponsonby store we were always taking things in and out,” says Terry. “The range was growing and it desperately needed a bigger space.” Cue the move to City Works Depot in April 2015, a vastly bigger industrial space and the ideal home for the furniture crafted from raw materials like brass, wood, marble and glass.
The horse images are a collaboration between two photographers – Argentinian Victoria Aguirre and Australian Carlyon Wilson.
The space, initially a concrete shell, is laid out in different ‘rooms’ with an entry area, living room, drawing room and a bedroom. “Choosing furniture is such a visual thing and people need to see how it can work in their space,” says Terry.
Expanding this idea further, Terry has used different finishes throughout the store, from concrete plaster to wood panelling and plywood to reflect surfaces people have in their own homes. “This shows you how the products can suit your style, whether that’s classic, retro, or you’re trying to create a ‘retreat’ feel.”
Unpolished concrete is a chic backdrop to the industrial-style décor
Terry designs the range himself, sourcing smaller pieces like the domes, coral and crystal from the US. “I’m a very conceptual designer. I think about how a piece is going to sit in a room. You can put all of our pieces together but they work alone, too. Everything has a soft industrial or soft vintage feel.”
Lighting, always a key focus at Weekend Trader, hangs at different heights from ceiling roses, wood and concrete, again for ease of visualising the pieces at home. “The way forward in retail is about creating experiences, where you walk in and think, ‘Wow, I never thought of that.’”
A ‘living area’ with warm, wood-panelled walls and a marble-topped coffee table.
Weekend Trader products are made locally in Auckland, something Terry says is key to his ethos. “I’ve sourced a really close-knit group of people to create the products, which is something I’m very proud of. It’s also nice to have the oddities and imperfections that come with handcrafted items.”
Words by: Johanna Thornton. Photos by: Melanie Jenkins.
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