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Meet a couple who have built a career from their passion for art, gardening, interiors and design
In 2008 Julia Atkinson-Dunn launched Studio Home, New Zealand’s first design blog.
Twelve years on, she opens up about the challenges, the changes and the creative outlets
was the end of 2007 and the internet was starting to gain traction across the country when interior designer Julia Atkinson-Dunn came across Design*Sponge, an American interior design blog. ‘It really struck a chord with me,’ she says. ‘I was 25, running my own interior consultancy business in Queenstown, and while I had worked on some great projects, I was struggling with the concept that ultimately interior design is about being at the client’s service. It wasn’t what liked, or what wanted in my home – I was designing for the client. I was doing all this work and barely had a photo for my portfolio.
‘A blog seemed the perfect place for me to share all the interior and design-related finds that I loved. I have always had a passion for local designers and artists so I decided to only share Australasian brands so that people could relate to
IIwhat I was doing, as while Design*Sponge was incredible, none of the products were available here at that time.’
While Julia could envision the outward-facing aspect of the blog – how it would look, what it would say, who it would inspire – it took a while to learn the nuts and bolts behind the scenes. ‘I spent weeks teaching myself how to build a blog,’ she laughs. ‘I basically read Coding for Dummies and went from there.’ It is important to remember that it was early 2008. It was pre-Pinterest, pre-Instagram and many of us had only just opened a Facebook account. Kiwis weren’t yet on the bandwagon when it came to building a connection, or trust, with online sources. Yet build a connection is what she did, establishing a loyal and growing following.
she has encountered along the way.
In need of money for an annual ski pass to Coronet Peak, Julia saw an opportunity to translate what she had learnt on her blog and put it into practice for others. ‘I pitched the idea to Coronet Peak that in exchange for a ski pass I would write a blog for them, and they agreed. I can’t even remember what I blogged about,’ she laughs. ‘Lift Line Fashion and funny anecdotes from the day probably, but the blog sat there on the home page of their website for people to read, building a personal connection with the Coronet Peak brand.’
Despite having enjoyed her time in Queenstown, Julia made the decision after three years to move over the hill to Wanaka, where once again she found herself in need of a ski pass. ‘I approached Treble Cone with a similar offer and instead I got a job as the sales and marketing assistant. It was a full apprenticeship. I had never done anything like it,’ she explains, ‘but I loved it and they listened to my ideas, and ultimately helped me to grow and understand the commercial aspect of business. I learned a massive amount from Nigel Kerr [now General Manager of Coronet Peak] and Jackie van der Voort [former Treble Cone General Manager].’ Julia worked with Treble Cone for three years during which time she continued to maintain her own blog, sharing her interior musings and introductions to local creators.
‘After a few years I moved back to Auckland. Facebook was well and truly part of New Zealanders’ lives, Instagram and Pinterest were starting to grow in popularity and I felt that the time was right to leverage Studio Home as a commercial venture. But I felt I needed to be in Auckland, immersed in the local design market to have the doors open.
However, I was wrong – brands were still not working with independent platforms like mine. It was hard to work out how to monetise what I was doing as there was no precedent. Now there is, but back then it was a different story. I was also very aware of monetising without destroying the integrity of my own blog content.’ An internal conflict which led to helping other businesses with their social media offerings and external collaborations.
‘Over the years I have enjoyed fantastic collaborations and partnerships with brands including Nood, Ico Traders, Dulux and Fujifilm, as well as a recent ambassadorship for Hewlett Packard New Zealand and Grow Ō Tautahi – Christchurch Garden Festival. I even ran my own design-based collaboration series with exciting trans-Tasman designers under the banner of TEAM.WORK, producing pot plant stands, shoes and pyjamas, amongst other things. But the big