The Room Editor

Once upon a time there lived a girl who was forever rearranging her bedroom. At 11-years old she sewed a pink duvet out of a pair of sheets and teamed it with a self-gathered purple valance beneath. She lived for making and creating, and loved rearranged her family's home, advising on their decor and furnishings.

When this girl grew up, she went to university to study Design and then complete a degree in Communications Management. While forging a successful career in PR and media, she continued to recreate spaces wherever she lived. She reinvented a 19th villa, swapping scrim ceilings for plasterboard and paint; turned a tired 1920s bungalow into an elegant home; and turned a 2000s home that had been styled as if built in the 80's into a contemporary urban living space.

Spurred on by friends and family and with a desire to make interior design a full-time job, Heidi decided to turn her passion into a career. When her youngest child left for school, she spent two years completing a Diploma in Interior Design at CPIT and launched her business: The Room Editor.

What are you coveting for your home right now?

Heidi: More lamps - lighting makes a huge difference to a room's ambience and thus live-ability. A good lamp should last years, so it pays to be picky.

Ultimate home?

Heidi: A home where subtraction has been totally embraced. This doesn't mean living in a minimalist home (I am a great believer of living with treasures and personality!) but the ultimate home is edited so that everything you are living with you really love.

What's your home like?

Heidi: It is a tad eclectic with: mid-century pieces; a bit of antiquity provided by a painting by my great-grandmother in an old frame; and a good dose of contemporary furniture. Pieces match just enough to feel finished - but not so much that it looks overly thought out. I gravitate towards liveable whites, wood for warmth, deep hues for depth and then accent of colour.  My home is camera-ready plus people-ready.

Is there a period/era of home that resonates with you?

I have a penchant at present for well-designed 1970s homes. But modern - traditional - anything inbetween - all resonate with me so long as their exteriors and interiors have been beautifully considered.

What can't you live without?

Texture! Space to breathe. Lamps - ambient and directional. Warmth and personality.

Final thought

Removing a piece of furniture/decoration that you don't really love from your room has a greater and more positive impact than adding something new. And it won't cost you a cent!

People often ask me what my style is. I like clean lines, I prefer to take an artisan and sustainable approach to design, and I like homes where the personality of the owners is visible rather than something akin to a staged show home.

I adore a variety of interior design styles so long as they are executed well. I think this is why I enjoy working with people have a wide range of styles.

My job would be tedious if I used the same style for every house. Making your vision and style work well is what I love about what I do.

I have years of well-honed, practical experience in designing interiors, and have a Diploma in Interior Design from CPIT. My business - The Room Editor - started in Christchurch where I still work, and in January 2019 I expanded my business to Wellington where I now live.

I am a trained eye and consider every detail.

I listen to you, research ideas around what you want, get the detail right, and make your ideas work, and be successful - to your budget.

I work with a range of textile companies, furniture makers, suppliers of products, and styling items for your home. I purchase directly off these companies offering you the best products available in New Zealand. 

I find that clients usually know what colours they want to live with. But I regularly hear that there is too much choice, and it's hard to get it right.  Colour has too greater impact to take a guess.

Clients sometimes want white/cream/grey as a basic tone running throughout their home but they don't know from which of the multitude of hues to choose. Other clients wish to update their neutral or uninspiring walls.

I love colour and am skilled at combining colours to get maximum effect.  I believe that colours should reflect who you are and your home, not the latest trends. I will work with you to create a master colour board, which makes your home work as a cohesive whole, and reflect your personality. This colour board can include soft furnishings colours - sofas, cushions, window treatments - wallpapers and exteriors too.

I can help you with you interior and exterior, or even just your hallway. Maybe you just want to jazz up your lounge with more colour than you already have?

I will provide you with a full colour palette, including paint colours, flooring, and window  furnishings. You will receive:

• An interior colour scheme tailored for you

• Scheduled specification sheet including type of paint required 

• Selection and project management of any window furnishings
• Selection of flooring and setting up appointment for quote (I work alongside flooring providers who can quote for the work)

• Brush-out paint samples of all colours, and flooring samples.

Colour consultancy as  above from  $395 plus gst. Additional extras include exterior products, and furnishings.  

This is the option for you if you need a professional opinion on a room or two, how they could work better, or what colour to choose for a room or wall that has been bugging you for a while. It may require a complete overhaul. Or, you might already have a house full of wonderful things and want to edit what you have and style your room/s better.

I will visit your home to carry out an initial consultation first. You will receive your new room/s on paper, brush outs of colour, and suggestions of what to buy so you can get started putting it in to action. I will project manage window furnishings to be made if required, and you may wish to purchase furnisher and styling items through me. 

All rooms included - kitchen, bathroom, lounge, dining, family, master bedroom, kids rooms, entranceways and hallways. 

Price on application

New Builds, Whole House Renovations

This service is tailored for people building new OR redecorating or renovating their whole house. This package will take away the multitude of decisions out of the stressful process building/renovating. I give you clarity and assurance that the end result will be one you love. You will receive:

• Full new build concept, or makeover of existing home - tailored to your needs/home
• Design boards for each room - the colours/materials/furniture (as required) chosen will reflect your style and needs
• Selected colours/flooring/kitchen materials etc as required - including samples of each
• Window furnishings - full project management from selection to installation
• Written materials/furniture/colour schedule
• Suggestions on styling as required

Whole House Edit & Selling Package: From $1,200 plus gst (price varies depending on size of home and requirements)

I love fabric, and I especially enjoy selecting new window furnishings for my clients. I have significant experience in what fabrics to use, how to make your rooms lighter, more private, to remove glare, or to add warmth and interest. 

I work directly with a large number of textile houses - James Dunlop, Warwick, Malcolm Fabrics, Hemptech, Charles Parsons, Icon, Unique, Textilia and more. I am kept well up-to-date with trends and latest releases.

I also project manage blinds and shutters for clients, and am adept at working to individual room requirements - be it privacy, sunlight or warmth.

I offer a full service including bringing samples to your home from which to select (or I can meet you at textile design libraries), through to a full measure and quote and project management through to installation.

$295 plus gst (although usually redeemable off final invoice)

When I visit clients, more often than not they have a chair, dining chair or ottoman that they have been meaning to recover for some time. I source upholstery fabrics from a large range of textile houses. I can meet you to the design libraries to select fabrics, or select myself and bring fabrics to your home. 

I will do what will be practical and work in your home aesthetically, quote and project manage the job through to redelivery of your furniture.

I have also had a large number of window squabs made for clients - often a requirement  for new builds - and often select from the increasing world of outdoor fabrics available. 

From $150 plus gst (upholstery cost additional)