Wanaka’s Wieliczka: HM Design

In the eyes of Hannah Withy, good interior design involves working to the client’s brief to ensure they are happy. Which is exactly what landed her three awards for the beautiful bathroom (pictured) at the NKBA 2020 Excellence in Design Awards. Metropol catches up with the first-time entrant.

WHAT DREW YOU TO DESIGN, SPECIFICALLY KITCHEN, BATHROOM AND JOINERY?
“I studied a Bachelor of Industrial Design, and I loved doing the furniture design paper. When I finished up, I thought maybe I could combine my love of cooking and furniture design into kitchen design and I just went from there. I’m very fortunate to have discovered that passion at a young age.”

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF GIVEN FOR THE 2020 NKBA AND HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THIS?
“The client wanted the bathroom to be like a cave. They were an owner-builder so wanted to be able to do a lot of the work themselves. So, instead of doing a huge amount of tiling on the walls I chose a material that the owner was able to install. When the client mentioned the word cave, I instantly thought of the Wieliczka cathedral-like Salt Mine in Poland I had seen on my OE.”

WHAT DOES THIS RECOGNITION MEAN TO YOU?
“I am ecstatic to have my hard work rewarded during what has been a tough year. I am humbled by this award and am so happy I made the effort to enter.”