Deceptively simple

Businesswoman Emma Lewisham applies her work philosophies to the calm, simple space she creates at home, writes Kylie Klein-Nixon.

In her late 20s, Emma Lewisham was struggling with skin issues. Self conscious and longing for the even, fine-textured complexion of her youth, she started looking for a solution. After years of research and development the result is two skincare products that are 100 per cent natural. That longing for a clean, natural way of life is reflected in the skincare specialist and decor enthusiast’s chic, Hamptons-styled home.

EMMA

I was using a particular product and I was thinking of having a child – I have a 6-month-old baby now – when the doctor asked me what I was using for my skincare.

I mentioned the products I used and she said: ‘‘You can’t use that while you’re pregnant.’’ That was the catalyst for me to look into what I was putting on my face and my skin. I found that some of these products have carcinogens and ingredients to clean sewage pipes. I was aghast. Even natural products harbour synthetic ingredients that have a level of toxicity to them.

I just thought women deserve better transparency and products that were 100 per cent clean, natural and still effective. That brought me to developing products that I wanted – one to reverse the signs of sun damage and one to protect against sun damage in future. But I wanted them both to be 100 per cent clean and natural and deliver proven, tangible results.

Is sustainability important to you?

Oh, yes. From the get-go we’ve been really conscious about not just our products being uncompromising but everything from packaging to sourcing our ingredients being sustainable but also ethical. Our sunscreen tube is made of 100 per cent recycled plastic. Our shipping boxes are made of recycled paper and our boxes are compostable – we don’t use any laminate on them, they’re plastic-free.

I think we’re the first beauty brand in New Zealand to offer refills, which means everything is circular.

Is Mila [Lewisham’s baby daughter] a big inspiration for you?

I think so. For her health, too! There’s no real rules for what’s safe to put on babies, you have to do your own research, really.

But I also want to show her a woman who’s working, who can change things, who can have a career as well as a family life. So I just want to be a great role model to her.

Let’s talk about your home. You’ve gone for quite a natural style . . .

The colours on our packaging are really bright and I do love colour, it’s really uplifting, especially when it comes to beauty. But our home is a real safe haven. It’s a place that makes me feel really calm and I think it’s because of some of the natural fibres and textures we’ve used and those cooler tones. It does have that feeling of being at home and being relaxed and in the moment. I think our style’s quite timeless with the colours and materials we’ve gone for. And they’re sustainable and hardwearing as well. We have a lot of wood and linen and the flooring is sisal. We’re mindful again of the environment and quality over re-doing our house all the time with new materials.

Who’s your decor inspiration?

I would say it’s a little bit Hamptons – those cooler, earthy tones. My husband [Andrew] has a lot of input. He’s interested in decor and design, so it was a meeting of minds, really, a mix of both our personalities. There are pops of colour that you see in the house, with Moroccan and Mediterranean-style rugs and pottery, that’s me.

For us, it had to be timeless. We’ve been really lucky to have some beautiful pieces from Andrew’s family that have been passed on to us. There are some beautiful paintings in our living room we were gifted for our wedding. One of them, an oil painting of Spain, is meaningful to me because my grandfather’s Spanish and I studied in Spain.

The colour is why I like it so much, it’s that Spanish influence in my family and my life.

Corso de Fiori is one store I love that we’ve got some beautiful pieces from.

If you were going to give one piece of advice to create an inspiring living space, what would it be?

Think about the emotion you want to feel when you go into a room. That’s really important. We have a bit more colour and activity in our kitchen. It’s a place where were do a lot of hosting of friends and family, so we want it to be a bit more uplifting and vibrant, whereas our lounge is a bit cooler, less colourful, neutral and calming. That’s the emotion we want to feel in that space.

‘It does have that feeling of being at home and being relaxed and in the moment,’ says Lewisham. ‘I think our style’s quite timeless.’

’I do love colour, it’s really uplifting. But our home is a real safe haven, a place that makes me feel really calm.’

Lewisham says the decor has been a meeting of minds between herself and her husband, and is a mix of both their personalities.