Shopper’s Diary: Father Rabbit Finds a New Home

As most entrepreneurs will tell you, a small business can take over your life. For Claudia Zinzan and Nick Hutchinson, better known as Father Rabbit Limited, this literally became true when, following the successful December 2010 launch their online shop, the goods started taking over their New Zealand home. The solution came last fall when a turnover in the second half of their weatherboard split villa allowed them to expand their web-based enterprise to include a physical showroom-style store. Now Father Rabbit has a home that is every bit equal to the sublimely simple housewares within. And though Claudia and Nick are no less busy with the business, they can’t beat their commute.

Photos by Louise Hyatt and Duncan Innes.

Above: For their new store, Claudia and Nick took over the other half of their 1912 villa, painting it white to create a pristine showroom for Father Rabbit’s homewares (all of which are still available online, of course).

Above: Pictured with the company’s namesake in his new accommodations, are owners Claudia Zinzan, an interior designer, and her husband Nick Hutchinson, who works in film when he’s not attending to Father Rabbit.

Above: Open shelving provides an airy setting for Father Rabbit’s enamelware and apothecary collections.

Above: To create their showroom store, all Claudia and Nick did was paint all the surfaces white. They even left the 60s-style kitchen.

Above: Bare pendants in the kitchen area epitomize the Father Rabbit aesthetic: clean and simple goods embellished only by the quality of their craftsmanship.

Above: Claudia and Nick used every inch of the structure as display, even the hall.

Above: Shoppers consider Father Rabbit’s selection of enamelware.

Above: From brushes to blankets, even a bar of soap, Father Rabbit’s goods draw no distinction between beauty and function.

Above: In the home-style showroom, shoppers can see exactly how to use Father Rabbit’s pieces in their own home.

Above: Temptingly beautiful goods are artfully arranged on the shelves.

Above: All the rooms at Father Rabbit benefit from Claudia’s skilled design eye.

Above: The new Father Rabbit Limited store is located at 14 Cockburn St Grey Lynn, Auckland.