A CHAT WITH...

SASKIA THORNTON

British actor Hugh Laurie once said that driving a motorbike is like flying all your senses are alive askia hornton ould agree hornton is a co founder of otion a ellington based e motorbike startup hose mission is to make the orld s most beautiful moped class electric motorcycles hile reducing congestion commute times and pressure on the planet riginally from Lo er Hutt hornton and her husband ike ast ood no live mainly in msterdam he tells Sharon Stephenson about orking ith startups smashing the glass ceiling and being a oman in a man s orld

Your upbringing was slightly unconventional? y mother is utch my parents eren t married and every t o years e d go back to the etherlands for a visit hich as pretty exotic back then hat gave me a huge interest in the outside orld

At 17 you moved to Germany for a year?

ent on a otary exchange to a tiny village in southern ermany didn t speak erman

as the only foreigner there and most of the locals had never met a foreigner t as my first real experience of putting myself in the deep end and orking out ho to s im personally gre so much that year

You were never what they would describe as a ‘girly girl’, were you? read some here that most of our subconscious beliefs are developed before e are can remember being a real tomboy as a child liking trucks and skateboards more than dolls t s probably hy gravitated to ards male dominated industries ve never felt out of place in a man s orld

You did a degree in marketing and international business at Victoria University... es and then got a ob in the home bre industry he company orked for as trying to target more omen so helped develop make your o n cheese kits and an electric bre system

Was it at university when your love of motorbikes started? y parents anted me to buy a safe reliable car to get to uni and said they d pay for half if saved up the rest ut had my heart set on a classic baby blue espa hich

loved ven back then valued design uality and the ease of moped mobility love ho much freedom a moped gives you as opposed to a car hat as also a big dra card for me to go and live in msterdam here no mostly travel by bicycle

That’s a good segue into why you moved to Amsterdam. as orking for ad illie a ii cheese company that as expanding into urope t had al ays been a teenage dream of mine to live in msterdam so hen got the opportunity to move ith ork umped at it ike and moved there in an de noon an apartment hic he rent out he ne come back toe ea land hi le in uckland e live in a renovated caravan that sparked on ike spa rents rural property ts the best of both orlds

How did you get involved with e-bikes? he t o co founding engineers of otion Luke inclair and endall risto built the treetdog prototype and ere looking for investment y father is an angel investor and he sa the potential He put us in contact and in came on board as a co founder

What’s the attraction? he bikes are electric so they re sustainable and much better for the environment hey re also really beautiful and classic looking o many electric bikes are over accessorised and complex our idea as a bike that you could ump on and ust ride f you can ride a bike then you can ride one of our e bikes

They have been pretty popular, haven’t they? e have more than orders currently on our aiting list t s been exciting to see people interested in this alternative ay of getting around especially those ho ve never even ridden a moped or motorbike before he bikes are made in ellington and most of our parts are e ealand made

e ant to expand globally so being in msterdam ill help

So many electric bikes are over-accessorised and complex – our idea was a bike that you could jump on and just ride. If you can ride a bike then you can ride one of our e-bikes.

You still help other startups though? m currently orking ith startups in ustralia the etherlands and e ealand en oy orking ith other entrepreneurs to build cool businesses

You’re also keen to encourage a new generation of women into what’s traditionally been seen as male-dominated industries? didn t kno about gender bias hen started my career ust orked hard and didn t let anything hold me back don t agree ith uotas based on gender because they re a bias in their o n right e need a societal change and to change the mindset of

omen hen they re kids so they ant to enter male led and male dominated industries and be seen as e ual f can demonstrate female leadership as ell as encourage other omen to love e motorbikes and this industry as much as dothen considerthata in in

Do you think you’ll ever move back to Aotearoa? eloveourlivesin msterdam but also the fact e get to spend so much time in e

ealand he plan is to spend half the year in each place ut ikeisa oineranditcostsalottoset upthetoolsforhisbusiness tthemomenthes got a orkshop on his parents property but also tools in msterdam t some stage e ll need to make some kind of compromise and decide here hesgoingtohavehis oinery

Resene wallpaper not only continues to trend upwards, but people are becoming more courageous with their choices. Resene colour consultant Brooke Calvert has found people have had time to think about what they really want in their home, and with travel options limited they are investing more personal touches into their space.

“Wallpaper can add a sense of comfort in these testing times and as they are a lot more userfriendly now, why not make a bold statement that you can enjoy!”

As technology advances, we’re seeing more innovative, bold designs and textures.

While the ‘tropical exotic’ aesthetic has been around for a while now, it is still trending with more variations of lush over-sized banana leaves and wild and exotic animal-scapes.

“While trends are great, it is also important to choose something that reflects well with your personality,” advises Brooke.

Paintable wallpapers such as the Resene Anaglypta Wallpaper Collection continue to trend as they give homeowners the freedom to create a unique look with a vast range of patterns that can be painted in any Resene colour, from matte to metallic, subtle to bold.

“The colourways are changing up - with geometrics you can see monochromatic colourways for a more pared back simple interior, or bright and bold for those who are feeling brave,” says Brooke.

While bold florals continue to reign, fun and whimsical designs continue to be a mainstay through the likes of animal motif designs, colourful speckle designs or florals.

“I love wallpaper in a bathroom/powder room, I think it’s the perfect space to introduce wallpaper as it’s not often a large area to do, and it’s a great starting place to decide if you would like to add more throughout your home,” says Brooke.

“Bold tropical florals look fabulous teamed with timber panelling below painted with a Resene colour inspired by the wallpaper design.”

Another way to inject uniqueness into an interior is through what is described as the fifth wall, or ceiling.

“From a simple geometric paper, Resene Anaglypta wallpaper painted in a favourite Resene colour to something dramatic like a renaissance mural, there just seems to be a heightened sense of sophistication when this is done,” says Terry Isaako, Aspiring Walls’ marketing and design manager.

In fact, wallpaper itself is still considered a form of art.

“Wallpaper is becoming even more of a form of art because the range of artistic wallpapers available on the market are hybrids of styles and pull inspiration from classical aesthetics such as old Dutch-master still life oil paintings, to impressionism (think Monet and Renoir) to abstract and graphic contemporary artworks,” says Terry.

Master bedroom feature walls are a popular choice and, in some cases, people are wallpapering a couple of drops rather than entire walls to create interest.

To create a custom look, Resene WallPrint (resene.com/wallprint) allows you to create your own wallpaper from a photo or print.

Simply upload a photo, add the dimensions of the wall and you will receive numbered wallpaper strips cut to size and ready to hang.

Choose what makes you happy, says Brooke, rather than something you think is on trend and must have.

View the huge range of Resene wallpapers at your local Resene ColorShop or get a taste of the latest releases online, resene.co.nz/wallpaper.