This month marks a milestone for homewares brand, French Country Collections, as it celebrates 30 years in business.
“It’s hard to believe that the dream that started out around my kitchen table, like so many New Zealand businesses, is turning 30,” says Sonia Watts, founder of French Country Collections. Sonia, who has a love of French antiques and art, wanted to give New Zealanders better access to the beautiful homewares only available at the time, some 17,000km away in Europe. Inspired by the French way of life, Sonia’s passion for creating homes and gardens designed for living and entertaining has formed the foundation of each collection over the past 30 years.
In the days before internet shopping, this traditionally trade-based business teamed up with retailers across New Zealand and Australia who shared their love of timeless homewares.
“It’s these partnerships that enabled the brand to flourish, and the reason that French Country Collections can now be found in homes across the country,” says Stephanie Kiteos, Marketing Manager. Over the past few years, the business, which still has family at its heart, has undergone somewhat of an evolution. Undergoing a stylish rebrand, adding a flagship concept store on Auckland’s Jervois Road to support their trade showroom and most recently an online store.
“As a family and business, we are still passionate about Sonia’s original dream of curating a collection of timeless homewares that our customers simply can’t live without, so we have made some key changes to the brand to ensure that we’re still here in another 30 years,” says Stephanie.
The latest Spring/Summer collection from French Country Collections is out now.
FRENCH COUNTRY COLLECTIONS, 6 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 7588, www.frenchcountrystore.co.nz