Designer Shanly Simpson’s guide to a successful interior

Growing up on Auckland’s North Shore in the 1970s, creativity was always Shanly’s happy place. She would use materials from around the home to make her space feel special, even repurposing the family’s furniture and pieces found in secondhand stores into something new – pieces that she would treasure into adulthood.

“When I was 14 years old, I went on a surfing trip to Whangamata and during the surfing trip I came across a little antique store. I walked in and saw the most beautiful little cabinet I’ve ever seen – an Art Deco piece,” says Shanly. “The boys made me go in the back of the truck and I cradled it all the way back home to restore it.”

It was overseas, though, when Shanly came to realise her love of design could be a career. Working in an antiques store owned by interior designer to the stars, Faye Resnick, Shanly soon came to learn the ins and outs of the industry and what crafting a space meant to her.

“Faye was an amazing mentor who is incredibly talented – it was a great experience working with her. As soon as she walked into a room, she just lit it up – and that’s why her clients love her so much,” shares Shanly.

“That’s where I really learned the essence of interior design – that you have to juggle a lot of moving parts all at the same time and make everything marry together – but Faye always made it fun.”

After working with Faye on high-end projects for over a decade – including with clients such as Paris and Nicky Hilton, Caesars Palace, The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, Beverly Hills’ Fendi showroom, and more – it was time for Shanly to bring her knowledge back home to Aotearoa.

“I had watched Faye with clients and quickly learned that it wasn’t just about design, it was also about relationships and listening to clients to get the vision of what they want in their home.”

When Shanly starts a new project, she takes time to listen to her clients and understand what they’re wanting to achieve. A key part of this is looking at how the space will be used.

Shanly explains that there shouldn’t be any “roadblocks” in our homes – pieces of furniture that are in the wrong place or that are the wrong dimension – and that as a designer, it is her responsibility to help a space be both functional and beautiful.

“I always say to my clients: your home, your story. Our environment is a reflection of us, and it’s my job to make a homeowner’s vision come to life. It’s really important to me that my clients are happy. I don’t follow trends because they go out of fashion; I pick pieces that are timeless, that will last, and that function with their lifestyle,” she says.

“When you have pieces that you love, when you look at them you feel good. And that’s what we all want, especially after a long, hard day at work – to come home and actually relax and feel peaceful, and have furnishings and designs that make us feel really good.”

In Shanly’s own home, this philosophy continues: “I know exactly what I love, and what makes me feel great. When I find an extra piece that I really love, I change it out for another piece – I think it’s very important not to be overloaded with furniture. For a space to look beautiful, it doesn’t mean we have to put furniture everywhere.”

One piece that has always remained, is the Art Deco cabinet from Whangamata that Shanly returned to Auckland with all those years ago – a special piece that sits proudly in her home today.

“When something is right, it’s right,” she says.

“It took me quite a while to figure out what I wanted to do, and I think that’s the same for a lot of people. But someone told me a long, long time ago that if you do what you love, you will do well. And that goes for anything: we have to listen to our hearts.”

Words by Cassie Birrer