Handcrafted Modern

Established in 2024 and situated at 120 Ponsonby Road in Grey Lynn, Auckland, Handcrafted Modern is a design-led homeware store built around a simple but deeply felt conviction: that in an ephemeral, disposable world, there is enduring value in objects made slowly, by hand, with care. The store represents skilled artisans from across the globe who bridge traditional techniques with pioneering practice, bringing together textiles, ceramics, woodwork, glass, and more under one considered roof. Its philosophy describes itself as a love letter to the culture of handcraft, creating space for makers who quietly weave and forge and sculpt old stories into new expressions, and extending an invitation to all who share a desire for a gentler way of being in the world.

When it came to translating that philosophy into a visual identity and website, founder Katrina turned to Auckland creative studio 1/1 Studio, with Natasha Mead leading creative direction. Mead was responsible for the brand identity itself, developing a typographic system, monogram lockups, and a visual language that consciously stepped away from overly polished finishes in favour of something more tactile and considered. The printed matter extended that thinking further: the thank you card was letterpressed onto Fedrigoni Rust, a paper selected specifically for its recycled wood and cotton fibre content, which gives it a rich texture and visible threads. It arrives housed inside an offset printed origami envelope, hand stamped, which unfolds into a reproduction of the Richard Serra Verb List, a work of conceptual art about making and doing that feels like a quietly perfect reference for a brand rooted in craft.

The website itself was the work of Luke Hoban, a New Zealand born graphic and digital designer now based in London, who contracted back into 1/1 Studio for the project. Hoban had been a full time designer at the studio between 2021 and 2023, where he led digital and motion projects for clients including Yu Mei, BAINA and REOME, each of them built on identities also created by Natasha Mead. Handcrafted Modern represents a continuation of that creative partnership at a distance, with Hoban bringing his expertise in bespoke digital experiences and clear design systems to realise the brand online. Copywriting across the site was handled by Anna Ker.

The result is a website that holds the same values as the objects it sells: nothing feels rushed or generic, every detail has been considered, and the overall experience quietly communicates that the things worth having are worth taking time over.