we sat down with property stylists, style muses, and forces of their own right, mother-daughter duo Mary Jane tomasi and Katie tomasi edwards. known to us as longstanding moochi lovers who share an affinity for a simple and timeless wardrobe, their enduring style seamlessly translates to their family business, MJT property styling. join us as we chat all things work and fashion in their beautiful home in central auckland

tell us a bit about yourselves and what you do

Mary jane:

I spent over forty years working in media and loved it, but I was always passionate about interiors, so as a sideline I started a property styling company. a couple of years ago I said goodbye to the newsroom and joined my husband trevor and our daughter Katie full time in the business. as a family business, we each have our strengths and work well as a team. we are very honest with each other and come into a project wanting to make the very best of the interior we are styling

Katie: 

we are a family business made up of property stylists who specialize in staging townhouses & apartments, and creating furniture packages for airbnbs and new developments. the beauty of our family business is that we all bring something different to the table. dad is our operations boss (he quickly and strongly lets us know when couches we want to use will not fit in the lift - saving our delivery boys 30 flights of stair climbing!). mum has a real flair for pairing textures and colours together, and I love dealing with our clients & suppliers

your property styling is beautiful - tell us a little about your aesthetic and inspiration

Mary jane:

we love clean lines, natural fibres, and great art.
we are fortunate to source our furniture through local companies who are so inspiring to work alongside, always coming up with new pieces to update our look

katie:

our goal is for someone to walk into a property and think “oo, this isn’t staged right? someone lives here with great taste?”. as mum said we love natural fibres and clean lines, but my signature styling piece is to always have a bar cart or drinks set up - using local brands like BATCHED cocktails or TERRY premade g&t’s, paired with crystal cocktail glasses & interesting equipment. often the target market for the apartments we style are young professionals who love the idea of having their friends over for a drink before heading out to ponsonby road for dinner. we want an emotional response to great styling

how does fashion play a part in your everyday?

mary jane: 

I am passionate about fashion. what I wear directly influences how I feel about myself and how confident I am facing the world. I love building a wardrobe on a strong foundation of key pieces with some unexpected twists. moochi jackets and pants are classics I wear constantly

kaite:

fashion plays a large part of my everyday. I love opening my wardrobe doors in the morning and seeing my capsule wardrobe. it’s the first step in my creative day. once I have my outfit, I can start dreaming up new furniture layouts & product choices. I feel fashion & interiors go hand in hand

in three words, how would you define your style?

mary jane:

simple, classic, comfortable

katie:

simple, timeless, comfortable