April marks a meaningful milestone for Hello Saturday Design — 10 years in business.
What began as a passion for creating thoughtful, beautiful spaces has grown into something far more rewarding than I could have imagined. Over the past decade, I've had the privilege of stepping into people's homes, their projects, and their lives at moments of change — and helping shape spaces that truly reflect them.
Interior design, at its best, is deeply personal. It's not just about how a space looks, but how it feels to live in it. To be trusted with that process, time and time again, is something I don't take lightly.
To celebrate ten years, we asked Mary-Ellen ten questions — personal, honest, and a little reflective. This is her story, in her own words. Featuring a few of my favourite interior spaces. The rooms that capture the feeling we love to create at Hello Saturday.
1. Ten years. How does it actually feel to say that out loud?
Honestly, it's a little surreal. Equal parts humbling and fulfilling. There's real pride in what's been built — but more than anything, it's gratitude. For the trust clients have placed in me, for the homes I've been invited into, and for the ability to keep doing something I genuinely love, every single day. I don't think that feeling ever gets old.
2. What made you take the leap and start Hello Saturday?
It came from a long-standing pull towards creativity. With a background in fine art, I’ve always been drawn to how spaces feel — and a desire to live in homes that are beautiful in a calm, considered, effortless way.
After years of travelling, starting a family, and finding my way back to what I loved, it felt like the right time to build something of my own. I wanted to create homes that truly reflect the people living in them — not just a trend or a moment in time — and to build a business grounded in both creativity and connection.
Hello Saturday felt like a natural expression of that.
3. What’s been the hardest part of the journey?
Navigating the Covid lockdowns was undoubtedly the most challenging. Balancing a growing business while having three children at home, managing uncertainty, and reassuring clients during a time of constant change — particularly with escalating costs — required a huge amount of resilience. At the same time, there was the pressure of maintaining momentum as the workload quickly picked up again.
4. Is there a moment — big or small — where you thought, "yes, this is really working"?
There have been a few — and they're rarely the big, loud moments. More often it's something quieter. A client coming back for a second project. A referral from someone whose home we'd designed years earlier. Or simply standing in a finished space and feeling like it's exactly right — like it genuinely belongs to the people who live there. Those moments are incredibly affirming, and they're what keeps me motivated.
5. What has surprised you most about running a design business?
I genuinely enjoy the business side of it. I come from a family of business owners — all my brothers run their own businesses — so in many ways it feels more natural than I ever expected.
Owning a business is equal parts challenging and rewarding. I love learning, understanding how things work, and the fact that no two days are ever the same.
6. Collaboration is clearly central to how you work. What does a truly great collaboration look like to you?
It's everything. The best outcomes I've been part of have always come from strong, open collaboration — with clients, architects, builders, and suppliers who each bring something unique to the process. When everyone is genuinely aligned, communicating well, and working toward the same vision, the result is always stronger than anything one person could achieve alone. It's never a solo process, and I wouldn't want it to be.
7. Why is travel such an important source of inspiration for you as a designer?
Travel has always been a reset for me, but also a huge source of design inspiration. I’m constantly noticing hotel rooms, lobbies, the way spaces are layered — the fabrics, colours, textures, lighting. Whether it’s something quite luxurious or more rustic and pared back, there’s always something to take from it.
I’m just as drawn to the environment around it too — the landscape, the light, the way materials respond to a place. All of it influences how I see and approach interiors. It might show up in a very subtle way, but it’s always there.
8. What’s one destination you’ve recently loved?
I’ve been lucky enough to fit in some incredible travel over the last few years. After Covid, it became a real priority for us to explore the world with our kids. Some of the places that have stayed with me include Sri Lanka — particularly Heriketa, Japan, Naria Homestay, New York, and Cambodia, where we visited the Cardamom Mountains and a wildlife sanctuary.
It’s really hard to pick just one — each destination offered something unique, from architecture and interiors to landscapes, colours, and textures — all of which continue to inspire how I approach design.
Colour Splash - Bungalow Renovation, Mount Albert, Auckland
9. What are five things people may not know about you?
I find cooking a bit of a chore, but recently I’ve fallen in love with making sourdough.
I’m fluent in German - I was an exchange student
I used to be terrified of heights, yet I’ve paraglided in Turkey from the highest mountain, skydived, and this year I’m hoping to bungee jump.
I can survive three weeks without power —yep, we love “doc camping.”
I have a terrible sense of direction but an uncanny memory for faces, colours, textures, and the little details in spaces.
10. What do you hope the next ten years look like for the studio and for you?
A continued evolution — but one that feels intentional rather than rushed. I want to keep doing the work I love, with people I genuinely connect with, and continue refining what Hello Saturday stands for.
I’d also love to visit the design fairs in Europe; they look incredible. Personally, I’d love the opportunity to work on larger-scale projects, both commercial and residential. I love living in Auckland, but I’d also really value the chance to work more widely across New Zealand, supporting clients in different regions while bringing that same level of care and creativity to every project.
To those who have invited me into their homes, recommended my work, or simply followed along — thank you. You've been part of this journey in more ways than you might realise.
Here's to 10 years of design, and to everything still to come.
Warmly, Mary-Ellen
