Entrepreneur and interior designer Laura Heynike founded Pocketspace Interiors nearly a decade ago to help Kiwis make the most of their properties. Verve finds out more.
We love the name Pocketspace. What inspired it, and the company?
As a design graduate I realised there was no one really servicing clients with tricky spaces. Travels to New York and Paris inspired me to hone in on the craft of maximising space as they do it so well over there. The name was formed one night when I was going out with friends and didn’t want to take a handbag; instead, I put everything into my friend’s pocket, much to his disgust. I replied that pockets just fit so much in!
You describe yourselves as ‘space maximalists’. Can you expand on this?
Essentially, I had to come up with a term that describes our craftsmanship that would instantly resonate with clients that need to maximise their interior space. We have large corporate clients through to car showrooms, marine clientele and high-end villa renovations. Our common denominator that links our client base is how we adapt style and function which we tailor to each project.
What are some of the challenges you encounter when transforming small spaces?
Most common is an office, house or apartment footprint that needs to expand to fit in another room. Alot of the time we can re-space plan without having to enlarge the space. Storage space is also a common problem.
Can you outline some typical design problems you encounter and resolve when tackling both residential and commercial projects?
Although different spaces they share the same problem – to use space better! For offices it’s space-planning to fit in another meeting room or additional team, so we consider acoustics, culture or privacy concerns. For residential, clients focus on quality and problem solving. It’s about really analysing pain points in their home and making sure we address that before anything else.
You also work with marine interiors! Tell us about that?
Pocketspace Marine is a perfect fit for us. We love being lifestyle designers. It’s more than about maximising every square inch of a boat, it’s about adding functional details like technology, bespoke stitching, and study nooks.
In terms of process, what can people expect when working with Pocketspace?
Our communication is transparent, and our processes world class. The process is very similar to most design projects, however it’s our internal processes such as automated task management, our collaborative workflow, and buddy-checking system that really makes us stand out from other customer experiences.
Can you share your top interior design tip with our readers?
Most of the time our clients are on the right track, but they struggle to have the confidence or time to pull it all together. It’s important to back your instincts. Identify what success looks like in your space: get that right and everything else will fall into place a lot easier.
Ready to maximise your space? Head to pocketspace.co.nz and let the experts handle it.
