OUR STORY

Modernista is the brainchild of serial collector and lover of beautiful things, Justine McKay.
 

After a career in fashion, music and film in New York Justine returned to NZ in the early 2000’s to start a boutique event and sponsorship agency with her husband and business partner Andy.

Her passion for European mid- century design is rooted in her love for classic shapes and styles where quality
construction and materials elevate great design into the realms of art.

“We live in such a ‘throw-away’ world and there is a tendency to buy what’s in fashion at the moment” says
Justine. “Mid-Century design endures the test of time & I love that many of my pieces are 50+ years old and will give pleasure to people for another 50 years”

Modernista is a lovingly curated and evolving collection of hard to find original examples of iconic designs
alongside more contemporary, hard to find classics.

Justine has built a network of trusted sources in Europe and Scandinavia that enable her to find pieces that you
simply can’t get in New Zealand. She has built a great relationship with a highly respected shipper that cares for
her pieces as much as she does, and has a team of restorers in NZ who, where necessary, can sympathetically
revive items requiring a little ‘T.L.C.’

“Modernista is my passion project and a reflection of how I like to live: Surrounded by timeless, beautiful pieces
that to my mind are living, functional works of art.”