Meet Alisha
I'm Alisha. I like beautiful things, big ideas and making them actually happen.
The Alpine Abode is the culmination of everything I've always loved: interiors, food, entertaining, design, travel and creating experiences that make people feel something.
I'm a creative by nature and have always been the person dreaming up the next idea, figuring out how it could work and then making it happen.
My background is a little varied, but that's exactly what I love about it.
I studied interior design in New Zealand before heading to London to study personal styling at the London College of Fashion. I went on to launch my own online fashion store, working with brands including Zambesi and Karen Walker, and was fortunate enough to attend London, Paris and New York Fashion Weeks.
I later co-founded LookLoveWed, a New Zealand wedding platform connecting couples with wedding suppliers, which we successfully grew and sold.
Alongside the creative side of my career, I hold Law and Commerce degrees from the University of Otago and a Certificate in International Business from FGV University in São Paulo. I've also spent around 20 years working in project management, building a very practical appreciation for budgets, timelines, organisation and, most importantly, getting things done.
Then there are the homes.
I've designed and built homes across London, Auckland and Wānaka, with projects featured in magazines and used for shoots by brands including Wilson & Dorset, ABI Interiors, Flooring Xtra and The Two Raw Sisters.
I've also spent more than a decade creating and running beautifully curated events, which eventually led to the creation of the Wānaka Supper Club.
So while The Alpine Abode might look like a collection of beautiful things from the outside, there's a lot of experience behind it.
Why The Alpine Abode?
Because sometimes you just need someone who gets it.
Someone to look at the half-finished room and know what it's missing.
Someone to help you make the decision you've been going back and forth on for weeks.
Someone to take the idea you've had in your head and turn it into an actual event, table, home or experience.
I've built enough homes to know how overwhelming the process can be. I've hosted enough events to know how quickly the little details can become a lot.
And I've always loved helping people solve those problems.
I don't believe in a cookie cutter approach. Your home should feel like you. Your event should feel like you. The result should be personal, considered and perhaps just a little bit unexpected.
My job is to help you get there.
A life of inspiration
I recently spent a year travelling around the world with my husband and our three children, and it has only made me more inspired by the way people live, gather and create.
From Italian stone and Indonesian craftsmanship to ceramics in Mexico and Morocco, travel has added another layer to the way I approach interiors, food and entertaining.
A lot of those influences now make their way into my work, and especially into my supper clubs, where food, styling and atmosphere come together around a different place, idea or feeling.
Because inspiration is everywhere.
You just have to notice it.
Let's create something
If you've got something in mind, even if you don't quite know what it is yet, get in touch. We'll start with a conversation and go from there.