Rod Hanna is guiding this beloved furniture brand into its next decade

Tucked inside the brick walls on the cusp of Parnell and Newmarket is a quiet, light-filled space where creativity has taken root for decades. Step into the showroom and you’ll likely find Rod Hanna there, ready to guide you through.

For him, every day is a balance of collaboration, problem-solving and hands-on design. Scale rulers and sketch paper sprawled out on the table in front of him is a common scene…

Rod and his team are always on the showroom floor, ready to help with the design process.

Originally from the corporate world, Rod had always wanted to run his own business and was convinced it would be in the food and beverage industry. He’d built a career in strategy, numbers and product development, yet there was always this creative itch waiting to be answered.

“I’d always hankered for my own business to run,” he says. After completing a series of home renovations and discovering how much he enjoyed working with interior designers, he realised that design could be more than a hobby. “I took a bit of a leap of faith and that was 22 years ago.”

When Rod took over Designers’ Collection, the business was in the same building it has now occupied for nearly 38 years. It’s shifted within its walls as it’s grown, but always within those same brick walls. The building itself has become part of the story: a home for generations of designers and clients, and a constant presence in an area that continues to evolve around it.

The same brick walls have been home for almost 40 years. Rod's happy to have been here for over half of that time.

Even in the two decades that Rod has been here, styles have shifted, materials have changed and aspects of the making process have evolved. Yet the goal has always been the same: to craft quality, comfortable pieces that feel at home in our part of the world.

“The furniture needs to feel right,” he says.

While there’s definitely an international influence on how Rod approaches new designs, he’s always thinking about how we live and design in New Zealand. “We’re not trying to build a fad. There’s certain furniture I see coming into the market that I just let pass us by if I know it’s not going to have longevity. There’s certainly an international influence on my work, and I do look at what is happening around the world, but I look at it through a local filter and what’s going to suit our homes.”

Once the prototype has been given the tick of approval, the real design starts to take shape.

Four teams of local makers specialising in steelwork, cabinetry and upholstery work collaboratively on every piece.

After Rod has put his ideas on paper and CAD drawings are drafted, a prototype frame is made before an upholstered mock-up is brought into the design studio for testing, tweaking and refining until the final version comes to life. Four teams of local makers specialising in steelwork, cabinetry and upholstery work collaboratively on this part. All located within 20 minutes of the showroom, two have been working with Designers’ Collection since the very beginning.

“They’re really an extension of us, and we’re an extension of them to a degree.”

For Rod, this is his favourite part: seeing his final design and sending it off to its new home.

“We don’t always get to see where it ends up, but hearing the response from the client, that’s always the payback.”