Deadly Ponies reopen their Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, store this Saturday 23 February after a major renovation to redefine the space in line with a refreshed design direction for the brand.
Deadly Ponies, launched in 2005, had its first foray into retail through an experimental pop-up above Flotsam & Jetsam. Following this success, Mackelvie Street doors were opened in 2014. Since then the business has expanded, now with 4 stores in Auckland and retailers both nationally and internationally. “It felt like a good time. The brand has grown up, and it was important for us to express this new phase in a creative expression beyond our product range ” says Creative Director, Liam Bowden.
Working with celebrated interior designer Katie Lockhart, the turn of the century villa has been given new life after its many iterations over decades on the landmark site. “ The real intention for the renovation was to create a home for the brand”, says Bowden. “We didn’t want to take away from the space, we instead just refined materials, included some thoughtful additions, but kept the fireplace as the centre of the space”. The result is an intimate and engaging retail environment that sits proudly on the street.
Katie Lockhart recognised the store as an opportunity to build an environment that becomes a timeless backdrop to Deadly Ponies’ ever-changing collections. Art has always been at the core of the brand, so it is natural that Katie engaged some local artists to collaborate. “We furnished the space as we would a home, sourcing special vintage pieces from Japan, crafting bespoke elements and developing ceramic elements with both Bronwynne Cornish and Hayley Bridgeford”.
Filled with light, the store also opens out to a beautifully landscaped courtyard that connects the store with the Glassworks space, opened in 2018. “We wanted to reference the classic Parisian Atelier, where there is so often a beautiful courtyard”, says Bowden. The garden, designed by Lockhart’s brother Jared Lockhart is a wild, English garden, perfectly contrasting with the hard landscaping which is a mix of herringbone brick and pebble-filled aggregate.
The materials are purposefully less man-made and more raw and natural than previous retail designs, with a generous use of oak and stone adding a sense of craft and honesty to the space. “It feels like we’re home. A true expression of us and where we are now”, says Liam. Deadly Ponies 70 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby Opening 10am – 5pm Saturday 23 February. deadlyponies.com
