The pair always knew they would do something with that passion, despite having both been living overseas and both with young families.
They started planning their venture ''way back'' when they were travelling together, forging ahead with the vision when they coincidentally returned to Dunedin, with their families, within three months of each other.
''We always said if we were in the same place at the same time, it would be easier to do this,'' Ms O'Connor said.
MintSix Boutique Homewares and Styling was launched in March, in conjunction with an exhibition at Gallery De Novo in Stuart St.
The collaboration of art and design was a new direction for the gallery and also ''fantastic'' exposure for MintSix, Mrs Murdoch said.
As it was an online-based business, they wanted people to ''see it, feel it, touch it'' rather than just seeing products online.
While New Zealanders were ''coming around'' to the concept of online shopping, it was nowhere near like the UK and Australia, where it was big business, Ms O'Connor, who is also a keen design blogger, said.
Most of their homeware was sourced internationally, from the likes of Asia, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Cameroon, France and Australia. Products were also due from Scandinavia.
Their range included retro pop silks, hand-sewn feather headdresses, pouffes, cushions, ceramics and macrame, which was making a comeback.
Most of it was hand-chosen and hand-made and while things were beautiful, they were often also functional and provided a talking point in rooms, they said.
The sisters also had a styling arm to the business and were able to style any space, domestic or commercial.
As well as home styling and pre-sale styling for homes, they also offered an e-styling service for anyone not in the immediate vicinity, along with event styling.
The two women both had different tastes and influences, which had proven to be a strength, and they enjoyed working together, bouncing ideas off each other.
Both women had been international school teachers and while Ms O'Connor had been involved in design as a hobby, it was something she was obsessed with.
Her friends and workmates were always saying that she had a ''real gift'' for it and it was ''hugely exciting'' to see that come to fruition, her sister said.
Ms O'Connor, a mother of two, was now studying for an interior design qualification, while Mrs Murdoch, who has four children, is teaching at Columba College.
With their international influences and buying power, it was about exposing New Zealanders to new products and an international interior design feel, Mrs Murdoch said.
They felt that New Zealand ''did need different'', especially in the South.
''I feel it's time for somebody to be doing something a bit different,'' Ms O'Connor said.
They were excited by the venture and the positive response they were receiving. That feedback provided further motivation, they said.
At the moment, they were working from Ms O'Connor's home, which was working well for them, with a converted studio for a warehouse.
They would probably do a pop-up shop, aware that it was something for people to ''touch, feel and see''.
Having products arrive was ''like Christmas at the doorstep'', Mrs Murdoch said.
The reason they chose the products was they had fallen in love with them themselves ''otherwise we wouldn't believe in them''.
''There's always a place for beautiful things in a home,'' she said.
While the sky was the limit for future growth, it needed to be manageable growth, Ms O'Connor said.
With young families, aged between 6 months and 9 years ''and then all the ages in between'' the two women led busy lives. However, they loved having their own identities and working and as long as it was all manageable, then they could cope. They were grateful for the support of their families. Both women loved being back in Dunedin, where there had always been a pull to come back for family reasons.
They believed Dunedin people were ''really savvy'', both in the design and fashion sense, Mrs Murdoch said.
As for the name of the business, the sisters were emailing possible names for it, backwards and forwards between Ms O'Connor in Melbourne and Mrs Murdoch in Beijing.
They encountered difficulties when they tried to book domain names on the internet but finally came up with MintSix.
Six was a lucky number - they had six children between them, and there were six in their family (four girls and their parents), while mint was slang for great, and it was also one of their favourite hues.
