Joanna Rogers is warm and personable and makes you feel like you have known her forever. Together with husband Warren, she founded and has been running Jardin for the past 9 years. Verve caught up with Joanna in their new Parnell showroom.
What motivated you to start Jardin?
With the benefit of hindsight I think the Jardin journey began way back in the early 2000’s. We renovated a terrace house in London including fully landscaping the garden and incorporating three outdoor seating areas – I’m not sure the English climate really warranted three outdoor seating areas! Maybe I just needed every opportunity to soak up the sun when it was there. A detour via Sydney presented the opportunity to buy an inner city garden store which evolved into a contemporary outdoor destination focused on balconies and small urban gardens. The final step was a move back to NZ and an opportunity to represent French outdoor brand Fermob allowing us to focus all our attention on such a great quality, design-lead outdoor furniture brand. I have always loved creating spaces to sit, entertain, relax and enjoy the sunshine outside. Now I get to work with our customers to create these spaces every day.
Tell us about the Jardin difference – your usp in other words?
At Jardin we are focused on finding the right outdoor furniture solution for each space and the families who will love it. A great outdoor space will be the inspiration for long leisurely lunches with friends, a relaxing morning coffee, pre-dinner or theatre cocktails or even large family gatherings. As well as offering all the practical solutions we want to help create spaces that make your heart sing and inspire more such gatherings of friends and family in the garden. The Fermob collections offer so many choices, I mean how often do you have 24 colours of dining chair to choose from? After working with the brand for nearly 15 years now we can help navigate those decisions and find the perfect solution.
As lovers of design, what do you feel are the small discernible differences between European and other home and living design?
European design is in the details but it’s born from centuries of inspiration. With a rich history of design to inspire and inform present day designers and a focus on quality, the results are invariably visually beautiful. The subtle combinations of perfect proportions, gentle curves and clean lines lead to a finished product that is just stunning. Another element often overlooked is the practical side of product design – it is not just form but a product must also function exceptionally well and this element is given the highest priority by the European designers Fermob works with.
You have just moved your showroom to Parnell. Tell us a little more about this, how things are going etc.
We’ve been quietly planning a move to the city side of the bridge for a couple of years now. As the Fermob collections continue to expand, and demand for something new and different has increased, we were rapidly outgrowing our North Shore showroom. Parnell is such a vibrant, design oriented area and our new showroom really allows us to show off the Fermob collections to a market that appreciates the uniqueness and personality of these stunning products.
Any design inspirations?
Gardens are my design inspiration. I absolutely love beautiful gardens regardless of the design stye. Whether it’s an arid garden, a tropical retreat or a formal English parterre garden, I’m passionate about the opportunity to visually enhance the garden with stunning furniture that compliments the design.
