Verdant creates natural, healthy and sustainable homewares, using local and easily renewable materials that support People and Land.

Our Story

What if we said to you, we could create fully compostable, natural, healthy sustainable homes, using local and easily renewable materials that supports our Country, People, and Land.

Well we are getting there. It has been 12 years so far, and it's a hard road to sustainability.

We seek out materials for your home that carefully consider the environment and our health. All materials should be sustainable i.e. be able to be regenerated within your lifetime. Although not always possible, we make every effort to avoid crude oil based materials.

This is the end goal of what we at Verdant are trying to achieve. We aren’t there yet but we have made a dent.  We don’t want to be creating items that harm the planet or people in any way. We want to ensure that our generation passes on the planet to the next generations in good condition.

Verdant aims to provide you with information about our products and textiles including:

  • where and how it is grown
  • where and how it is produced through to the finished item
  • what health effects the item will have in your home
  • what effect the product will have on the environment once you have finished with it.

This is termed as a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach. Think organics, fair-trade, carbon miles, NZ made, recycled, upcycled, renewable resources, bio-degradable or long-lasting.

Janette's Story

Owner of Verdant Design

Verdant Design was founded by Janette Sherwood in 2011, who saw a need for healthier alternatives for home interiors.

My journey to organic textiles and interiors, started quite subtly as a child. I grew up on a dairy farm where my mother grew our vegetables, bought Soil and Health magazines (now known as Organic NZ), dabbled in homeopathy, made natural creams for the cows using honey and zinc and raised free range chickens. My mother and grandmother were also avid sewers, knitters and crafters. It was this upbringing that instilled my love of textiles and planted the seed of my environmental awareness.

While completing my degree in Textile Design at Massey University, I did my ‘apprenticeship’ at Arthur Toye’s flagship store in Wellington. London was where I became involved in interiors, working my way into managing Liberty of London’s soft furnishings department.

I have always had a bit of a conscience about the environment, doing a little bit here in there, such as recycling and buying second hand. More often than not, I was thinking and talking, but not doing a lot because it seemed too hard or too expensive! However, when I came back from London my first major choice to do something about it, was the decision to not buy cheap imported products. This step in itself was a huge undertaking, as it seems that the majority of everyday products and clothing are imported from countries where less than ideal working and living conditions are the norm.

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Towards Organics

Beech Trees Queen Charlotte Track

After having to search further and further afield to look for fabrics that fitted my ethos I started Verdant Design. I now have over 20 years of experience in textiles and 16 years in Interiors and Soft Furnishings.  In 2012 I completed the Certificate in Ecological Building and Design, which evaluates building materials, and alternative energy and water sources (see BBE for more information).

Together with my family, we are committed to living a more sustainable lifestyle.

My family and I now eat mostly organic food, attempt to have a vegetable garden in summer (with varying success) and try to buy clothing that is organic or at least natural and made in New Zealand, or second hand.

Join me in following the journey to true sustainability, by changing our small everyday habits one step at time, so we can protect our finally balanced ecological system.

Verdant is also a member of Usedfully Textile Reuse Programme , an industry-funded research programme that is currently looking at ways to reduce textiles waste and divert it from landfill in New Zealand.