Inside Jessica’s Living Room
When it comes to choosing pieces for her Martinborough homeware and fashion store, Jessica Jina looks for affordable luxury.
It’s a pleasure for the senses, walking into Jessicas Living Room. For a start there’s the visual treat of so many treasures in one place – jewellery, homeware, gifts, fashion and furnishings. Italian room fragrances and French music (customers have been known to dance to the beat) set the scene and add to the ambience.
It’s all about creating an experience for customers, and one that gives owner Jessica Jina great satisfaction. “I’ve always loved beautiful things, and I have a real passion for what I do. The shop is designed so it’s not just products on a shelf – everything is arranged so there is a story, whether it is about your pantry, living room or study, or what you might want to wear. There is so much to see that you do need to walk around the shop a few times to take it all in.”
And if Jessica shows you around the shop, you can’t help but feel her genuine delight in pieces she has personally selected. She takes pride in sourcing things that would be hard to find elsewhere. “I aim to find beautiful things that are unique, and good quality – but also affordable.” Her stock ranges from gorgeous little gifts “that people might want to give as a thank you present” to future heirlooms that customers will treasure for years.
Pre-Covid her search for the unique took her on buying trips to Europe, India and Asia. Now she says she is still getting goods from overseas but is including more stock from New Zealand, because she feels it’s important to support New Zealand suppliers and artisans.
A trained florist and designer, prior to her move to Martinborough nine years ago, Jessica owned and ran Jessica the Florist in Lower Hutt for 32 years. “I had so many clients there that when I set up shop here, I thought I would use my own name for this shop too. It's very popular – people love taking photos under the sign on the verandah.”
She credits her design skills partly to her upbringing which draws on both Eastern and Western traditions or “the best of both worlds” as her floristry tutor told her. “My family has been in New Zealand over 100 years, since my grandfather came out from India on a British boat in the 1900s. As children we grew up in Wellington and were educated there so we are pretty westernised, but we still keep some of our Indian culture.”
Jessica has often been commissioned to decorate private homes or corporate businesses both in the Wairarapa and Wellington. “I recently completed a corporate design commission over eight levels for a building in Wellington. I handpicked exquisite and unusual furniture and furnishings, so each foyer had a different theme.”
When it comes to decorating private homes, she consults with clients to get a feel for their taste and style. “I will often ask them to show me something they own that they absolutely love. Most people will have something they treasure – a vase, a dish or a painting that can be included in the design. The golden rule of decorating is to live with what you love.”
Jessica’s Living Room, 8 Memorial Square, ph: 06 306 6000 www.jessicaslivingroom.co.nz
