About Me

About Me

 
hannah-moritz

Hello!

I’m Hannah Moritz, an American transplant who’s thrilled to be in New Zealand. I reside on the sunny shores of Murray’s Bay with my partner, daughter and our awesome dog, Latka.

I have decades(!) of experience designing, styling, selling and writing about home furnishings and decor.

It all kicked off with a BFA in Product and Furniture Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City. From there I went on to become Design Assistant to Jonathan Adler, which took me from New York to Los Angeles and around the world designing housewares, homes and retail environments. It was an exciting time of rapid expansion for the company and a great opportunity to gain and refine skills across the disciplines of design, display, sales and customer service.

In 2003 I opened my own boutique in Los Angeles, Puppies & Babies. The concept behind the venture was to elevate the perception, style and status of pet products to the level of baby merchandise through merchandising, visual design, branding and marketing. We became well known for our exciting product range, innovative displays and celebrity clientele. Our shop was featured in publications as varied as Elle, US Weekly, The LA Times. (Not to mention all the foreign press - we were HUGE in Japan (😉)).

My Los Angeles home was featured in an Apartment Therapy House Tour that you can check out by clicking on the image below.

Take a look at our Apartment Therapy House Tour

Take a look at our Apartment Therapy House Tour

After starting a family and taking some time at home, I returned to the workforce as the Visual Merchandising Manager of West Elm Los Angeles. I oversaw all aspects of merchandising, display features, and product flow for 8,500 square feet (800 metres) of high-volume, design-focused housewares and furniture retail. I managed a six person visual merchandising team in major seasonal floor moves as well as daily restocking and maintenance. I was ultimately responsible for keeping the store stocked, fresh and up to national brand standards. It was challenging in ways I had never experienced! I learned quite a bit there, most importantly that the mission at the heart of a company is as important as what they sell.

My move to Heath Ceramics was motivated by a deep respect for the company. Founded in 1948, Heath is a true California heritage brand. Heath still produces it’s mid-century classics in California on much of the original equipment. As the Visual Merchandiser for the Los Angeles location, I was responsible for creating displays with a fresh, contemporary feel that still honored the brand origins. The gallery space hosted shows of outside artists as well as temporary pop-ups. These gave me an opportunity to work with products ranging from fine art and furniture to jewelry and clothing. The team there was the most collaborative, creative, smart & just plain decent group I had ever encountered. I very well may have stayed there forever…

However...that’s when we got an opportunity to relocate to New Zealand. My partner was offered a position at a firm with a two-year contract. “What the heck?” we thought, “let’s give it a try!”. That was six years ago. We weren’t prepared for just how much we would love it here!

Here in New Zealand I’ve continued working within the world of housewares. Providing services from upper-level design and rebranding to customer-facing styling and display. I work with clients to elevate their aesthetic, refine their message and move the units!

As the Creative Content Manager/National Visual Merchandising Manager (a long title for a job long on deliverables!) at Curtain Studio I had a hand in everything from colour-trend forecasting to merchandising plans to photo-styling to social media and copywriting. One of my favorite aspects of the job was the travel around New Zealand, setting up new stores as the network grew.

Work Experience

The Interiors Group, Auckland
(Curtain Studio/Carpet Court)
Creative Content Director + National Visual Merchandising Manager
Shut The Front Door, New Zealand

National Visual Merchandising Manager
Kartell, Auckland
Showroom Design Liaison
Heath Ceramics, Los Angeles
Visual Merchandising Manager
West Elm, Los Angeles
Visual Merchandising Manager
Puppies & Babies, Los Angeles
Owner/Creative Director
Mossimo for Target, Los Angeles
Housewares Designer
Jonathan Adler Inc, NYC + Los Angeles
Designer

Volunteer Experience

Red Cross Refugee Resettlement Program
Lifeline Aotearoa Phone Counselor  

Click the envelope to drop me a note!