By John Opens its Very First Store

INTERVIEW BY Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

By John, the quirky local homeware brand with a colour palette dominated by swathes of pink, pops of red … and lobsters … has just opened a new store at the Waterfront.  

If you were at Decorex 2024, one of the stands that you simply could not miss was Kaylee Higgins’s small but utterly magnetic By John space, resplendent as it was in pink and red. Her vibrant homeware brand chucked a gigantic colour bomb in the middle of the muted-shades-of-cream-and-beige around her and instantly became a VISI fav. 

“The By John aesthetic is unapologetically bold and joyful,” says Kaylee. “It’s all about vibrant colours, daring patterns, and playful designs that turn everyday items into statement pieces. By John is maximalist at heart—fun, fearless, dopamine-inducing, and not afraid to take risks.” 

Up until now By John’s products were only available off its website or in selected interior stores, but the great news is that Kaylee has now opened By John’s first store in the V&A Waterfront’s The Watershed.  

You can read more about the story of her brand here, but for this story we were keen to know more about the decision to take the plunge and open her own space… 

So why an actual store, and why The Watershed? 

“Opening a store at The Watershed has been a dream of mine for ages. I really felt that By John Designs was ready to take the leap from online to a physical space. The Watershed is such a lively spot for local creativity, and it’s the perfect place to connect with a bigger audience.” 

What items have been selling well? 

“Our new Lobster Tablecloth & Table Runners are flying off the shelves! We launched them for Summer, and people are loving how fun and vibrant they are. I can just picture them being the life of countless dinner parties, bringing that playful By John vibe to every gathering!” 

Any new products and ranges you can share with us? We won’t tell anyone.  

“I’m super excited about expanding our tableware collection, and I’m almost ready to launch our new mini wall hook range. Creating a smaller version of our statement Lobster wall hook has been one of the top requests from customers, so I can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on.” 

Finally… and we’ve been meaning to ask this… how did you land on the By John name? 

“Love it when I’m asked this. So it’s twofold. All the boys in my family share the second name ‘John’. In my early 20s I got jealous so I just gave it to myself. Now, a lot of people know me as Kaylee John. Then, my dad’s name is Colin John. He is my metals manufacturer and the reason I was able to start the brand.” | byjohndesigns.com

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