Super Creative

Today on the podcast I speak with Lauren Caughley, the founder of Caughley & Co, an interior architecture and design studio that believes in the transformative power of spaces to enrich our human experience. Originally from New Zealand, Lauren built her impressive career overseas, spending 12 years in New York City working for renowned firms Selldorf Architects and Morris ADJMI Architects. During this time, she worked on everything from residential homes to boutique hotels, retail spaces, and gallery design—projects that honed her craft and prepared her for the next big step: founding her own practice in 2021. Now based in Laguna Beach, California, Lauren is steadily shaping Caughley & Co into a studio that values collaboration and craftsmanship while taking on projects across New York, California, and New Zealand.In this conversation, we talk about Lauren’s journey from New Zealand to New York, the lessons she learned working on high-caliber projects, and how she’s now balancing the early days of building her practice with family life and navigating working cross-country. We also discuss her thoughtful, approach to her work and the book that changed her life. I know you will enjoy my kōrero with Lauren as much as I did.After this episode you can visit caughleyandco.com to view some of the beautiful projects Lauren has worked on and then connect with her on Instagram @caughley.and.co. ~ I’m thrilled to introduce you to our wonderful new podcast sponsor. Iris Store + Studio is an experiential beauty destination, with a retail store in Wellington and an online store. Iris stock internationally renowned, hard to find skincare makeup and fragrance brands, as well as offering beauty services, brows, lashes, makeup lessons, applications, and facials. For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com Hosted by Catie DawsonBought to you by Somewhere CreativeFind us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Today on the podcast I speak with contemporary fibre artist, Fleur Woods. Based in the beautiful rural village of Upper Moutere (near Nelson) Fleur is surrounded by vineyards, hop farms, orchards and country gardens that deeply inspire her work. She describes her style of work as ‘stitched paintings’ -   an extraordinary fusion of embroidery, textile collage, paint, and found materials. Her intricate and joyful pieces, filled with blooming florals, colour and texture, are collected internationally and throughout Aotearoa and are considered contemporary heirlooms.Fleur’s journey as an artist is one of experimentation, perseverance, and self-discovery. She’s spent more than a decade refining her unique style—a vibrant celebration of stitch, colour, and vintage fabrics that reflect her love of nature and her commitment to creating from the heart, rather than following trends. Alongside her art, Fleur has cultivated a thriving creative community, teaching workshops and sharing her process with others who are eager to explore the restorative power of creativity.In our conversation, Fleur shares her journey of finding her own artistic voice, building resilience, growing, learning and balancing the creative and business sides of being an artist. We talk about the importance of making what you love and finding joy in the creative process. I know you will enjoy my kōrero with Fleur as much as I did.After this episode, please visit fleurwoodsart.com and then head to Instagram and follow @fleurwoodsart. If you are anything like me you will be instantly obsessed and then start planning your own future as a stitch artist. I get lost for a long time when I start scrolling through Fleur’s insta feed – it’s just so lovely!For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com Hosted by Catie DawsonBought to you by Somewhere CreativeFind us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Today on the podcast I speak with Sarah Murray, editor-in-chief, publisher, and owner of Fashion Quarterly—New Zealand’s iconic style authority for over 40 years. With over 15 years of experience in journalism and a reputation as an award-winning feature writer, Sarah recently took the bold step to acquire Fashion Quarterly, where she’s leading its growth across print, digital, and event platforms.During our conversation, we discuss Sarah’s career journey, finding her dream role at Fashion Quarterly, the unique challenges and rewards of taking ownership of such a legacy title, and her vision for the future of publishing in today’s fast-evolving media world. We also touch on the reality of running a business while balancing family life as an active mother and wife.I absolutely loved this chat, and I know you will enjoy my kōrero with Sarah as much as I did.After this episode, you can visit fq.co.nz and of course make sure you pick up the latest issue of the print magazine wherever you buy your magazines. You can follow FQ on Instagram of course @fashionquarterly and you can also follow Sarah herself @searsmurray. Thank you to Grava and Dicey for recently supporting my first Super Creative events. Both wineries have generously given a discount code for Super Creative listeners to be used until the end of December 2024. Use SUPERCREATIVE15 for a 15% discount on wines from both grava.nz and dicey.nz. For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com Hosted by Catie DawsonBought to you by Somewhere CreativeFind us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast

Today on the podcast I speak with Danu Kennedy a New York based interior designer and partner at Parts and Labor Design, an award-winning full service interior design firm, specializing in hospitality, commercial, retail, and residential experiences. Danu joined the Parts and Labor Design team in 2014 and several years ago became a partner and now leads the studio alongside founding partner Jeremy Levitt. Their work is frequently featured in top design publications, like Architectural Digest, Wallpaper and Elle Decor.  In July, Donna and Jeremy were named in Wallpaper* magazines USA 400 list, which honors the people defining America's creative landscape in 2024. Alongside Parts and Labor; Danu, Jeremy and design director, Alex DiLena have recently launched, Known Work - a collection-based furniture studio that explores livable sculpture for the home. The debut collection 'Perceptions' launched earlier this year in Mexico City.  And this episode, we talk about moving to New York as a graduate, from finding her first jobs to joining Parts and Labor, becoming a partner, running a business, and living in New York through a pandemic, starting and building a new furniture brand (and launching it with missing products) and a personal journey of self-development and lifelong learning. I absolutely loved this chat, and I know you will enjoy my kōrero with Danu as much as I did.After this episode, you can visit partsandlabordesign.com and be inspired by their forward-thinking design projects. The Known Work website is still in development, but you can bookmark knownworkstudio.com for a later date. And on Instagram, you can follow @danu_kennedy, @pldnyc and @knownwork.For more podcast information visit supercreativepodcast.com Hosted by Catie DawsonBought to you by Somewhere CreativeFind us on Instagram - @supercreativepodcast