After three decades designing costumes for film, Katrina Hodge, the founder of homewares store Handcrafted Modern, was ready for a different pace of life – one centred on craft, materials and storytelling. “It’s been a project of love that has been in my mind for many, many years,” she says, reflecting on the journey from movie sets to a curated homewares store for hand-crafted work. During those years the idea for Handcrafted Modern slowly took shape, beginning as an online store. Its purpose was clear from the start: to highlight the stories behind handmade objects. “What I wanted to do was exist in a digital space, but be able to tell the story of craft,” Katrina explains. Rather than simply presenting products, she tells of the skills, the inspiration and the people making them. “We focussed on the process behind how something was made rather than just saying, ‘Here’s a beautiful bowl’.” The concept quickly attracted attention with customers drawn to the mix of New Zealand and international makers. But many asked the same question: could they see the pieces in person? That curiosity eventually led to the opening of a physical store, an experience that has proven deeply rewarding. “My heart is full,” Katrina says after just the first week. “My face was sore from smiling.”

Customers wander through the space, smelling perfumes, touching textiles and reading the stories of the makers. Reflecting Katrina’s background in visual storytelling, the team created the fit-out themselves, painting the walls in warm tones and filling the space with found fittings. “I wanted something that was warm and inviting, and felt like it was your home,” she says. Every object on the shelves passes Katrina’s simple but strict test. “Do I have an emotional response to it? Am I intrigued by how it is made?” In many ways, the process echoes Katrina’s years in film. “When I look at a product I ask the same questions I would when creating a character: Where are you from? What’s your purpose? What’s your story?” Most of the makers are from small studios or individuals working by hand, and collaboration is central to the store’s philosophy. Conversations often spark new ideas, such as handmade napkin rings created by Josephine Jelicich from offcuts that would otherwise be discarded. In an increasingly digital world, Katrina believes that search for connection explains the renewed interest in craft. “Anything grounding, anything that takes you back to nature or the hand, people are reaching out for it.” And despite the shop being closed on the morning we visited, customers are literally beating on the door. handcraftedmodern.co
TRACY WHITMEY