Design News

Like the late-afternoon hour it’s named for, the 4PM chaise captures a moment of transition — when the workday begins to soften into evening repose.

As Studio Italia unveils an immersive new Flexform setting in its Grafton showroom, we explore a collection where refined proportions, artisanal craftsmanship, and exceptional comfort converge — showcasing both the latest releases and the enduring icons of the Italian design house.

This spring, The Lightship returns with First Light, a year-long programme that opens with new works by three leading wāhine Māori artists.

With a nod to the mid-century, this contemporary farmhouse set among vineyard-covered hills speaks to its rural setting.

There is a point in every renovation where new and old have to decide how they will live together. In this meticulously reimagined Ponsonby villa, that conversation settles around a single material.

Voluminous and plush, the Puffy series is designed for sharing, offering maximum impact and extreme comfort.

As the cooler months have taken hold, rich, grounding colour is redefining our spaces as a retreat from the outside world.

First exhibited as New Zealand’s official presentation at the 2005 Venice Biennale, et al.’s major installation the fundamental practice will be on display in its entirety for the first time on our shores at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Architecture is often discussed in terms of spatial experience and context, yet it is the roof that frequently provides a building with its defining silhouette.

Like a sun rising and setting, the Orbit lamp is clean and essential.

Natural stone is often the defining material within a home, carrying weight far beyond its practical function. It brings permanence, texture and individuality, with each piece entirely unique. Realising that potential calls for more than a discerning eye.

In the Coatesville hills, architectural designer Jeremy Chapman of JCA Studio composed a material palette of natural, tactile elements to form an interior that gently speaks to the idyllic rural landscape.

Everyday objects seldom seek our attention. Soap, more than most, is made to vanish. With the OBA Soap collection, Danish designer Matias Moellenbach reimagines this essential, shaping it into a sculptural form that sits quietly between product design, ritual and art.

This September, Salone del Mobile Milano opens a new chapter as the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection touches down in Jakarta, the first destination on its global tour.

New Zealand skincare brand Emma Lewisham has received an endorsement rarely seen in the beauty industry, with Nobel Prize-winning physician and molecular biologist Dr Peter Agre publicly recognising the company’s scientific approach.

Renowned for its work in architecture for extreme environments, the Copenhagen and Hanoi-based studio presents EcoNeo: a 35-square-metre summerhouse that brings the principles of space-habitat design to daily life.

Hidden in a vast West Coast forest of Nikau palms and tree ferns, this 36 square-metre cabin occupies a clearing close to the wild coastline of the Tasman Sea.

At M House by Ponting Fitzgerald Architects, bespoke joinery is woven into the architecture. From the kitchen and concealed scullery to American oak panelling and custom bunk beds, Renalls Joinery brings warmth, craftsmanship and function to every space.

The role of the living room continues to evolve. It has become a place that accommodates almost every aspect of daily life — morning coffee, remote work, family gatherings, cosy evenings and impromptu entertaining. The challenge for furniture is not to simply look good; it must adapt, endure and support the changing rhythms of daily life.

A new exhibition at Objectspace, He maramara tupu aranga, brings together furniture, sculpture, archival material and design ephemera to honour the remarkable career of one of New Zealand’s most influential designers and advocates.

Returning from Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign, interior designer Elena Parry shares the standout themes, installations, and ideas that shaped this year’s festival.

Set within a vibrant Colombo suburb, this home by architect Vajini Pannila offers a contemporary reimagining of the tropical courtyard house.

From its studio in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Monmouth Glass Studio crafts hand-blown lighting and vessels using traditional techniques that date back hundreds of years.

Driven by a passion for geometry and symmetry, Queenstown-based artist Stephen Burke weaves elements of structure and form into his art, inviting viewers to explore the dynamic interplay between light, colour, shape, and reflections.​

Guided by the conviction that art belongs to everyone, a new contemporary art gallery in Christchurch has quickly established itself as a must-visit destination.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary at Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign, Muuto has unveiled a trio of special releases.

Enveloping comfortable forms and sartorial details are at play in this piece by Jean-Marie Massaud.

From Milan Design Week to Collect, London’s international art fair for contemporary craft and design, accent colour emerged unapologetically bold: vivid, high-voltage, and impossible to ignore.

As bathrooms become increasingly restrained, it is the strongest forms that leave the greatest impression — the bath, the basin, the silhouette of a tap becoming the elements that define the spatial experience.

Bringing together four of the city’s leading fashion labels inside City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, the Common Material marks the gallery’s first public opening in more than two years.

A soft, contoured seat against a geometric aluminium frame. A study of balance and clarity.

At M House by Ponting Fitzgerald Architects, the arrival sequence is deliberate — a slow arc around the building that allows the architecture to be read in full before entry. It’s a movement that begins at ground level.

Balancing equal parts whimsy and grace, the Fun Guy wall lights are crafted to delight.

At the 2026 Venice Boat Show, Italian brand Velysum Venezia introduced a new vision for life on the water: a 12-metre luxury houseboat conceived as both vessel and retreat.

Edra revealed its new collection in Milan to immediate international acclaim — with the Dilly Lamp and the Anywhere Sofa in particular capturing attention.

Drawing on the qualities of New Zealand wool, Lof unites material innovation with design integrity to create pieces that cast a gentle light, soften the tactile experience, and quieten the acoustic landscape.

Cam Barrett’s work draws on the language of organic form. His lighting series is marked by a quiet naturalism, with soft, rising lines that recall the movement of water.

At MDesign, Geoff Mackintosh creates furniture with a strong sense of purpose. From his Whanganui studio, he combines traditional craftsmanship with a practical, thoughtful approach shaped by years
of experience.

True distinction is increasingly defined by what cannot be replicated. For Philbe Design, that idea sits at the centre of its practice: bespoke pieces that are entirely unique to the client and the space.

Luminous, natural, and light: the whites in the Dulux Colours of New Zealand range have become timeless favourites. These tried and tested colours have been used by architects and designers for over 20 years, and the newest white is equally as alluring: Dulux Mt Hutt.

Since its arrival in 2021, Kayu Studio has shaped a distinct aesthetic, one that now finds new expression with the opening of its third showroom in Aotearoa. Here, the retail environment is reimagined as something more considered.

In a fittingly colourful gala event, the winners of the prestigious 40th Dulux Colour Awards celebrated the milestone occasion at the Sydney Opera House. Here are the standout New Zealand projects. 

There’s a certain allure to pieces that are defined by a story of locality. In the case of the Kovacs collection, that story begins in Ōtautahi.

Among the many doors along Ponsonby Road, few reveal treasures as quietly compelling as those within Handcrafted Modern.

Entering The Central Art Gallery is an encounter with layered histories. The former Canterbury College Library, a Gothic Revival structure completed in 1916, now holds a changing collection of contemporary art within its storied walls.

With a design that draws on the language of ancient bath houses, the former Birkenhead Post Office building has been transformed into a contemporary wellness centre.

Amid the apple orchards of Ōrātia in West Auckland, ceramicist and sculptor Melissa Hastings crafts functional stoneware deeply embedded in the natural world.

Approaching interiors as an expression of the people who live within them, Amier Home encourages clients to build spaces around instinct, atmosphere, and the objects they genuinely connect with.

There’s an intriguing realism to Anieszka Banks’ Harvest series — candles that take their form directly from seasonal produce, translating the everyday into something entirely unexpected.

There’s an infinite energy to Sally Bulling’s work: it’s dramatic, elaborate, and infused with deep hues, rich metallics, sweeping gestures, and elaborate pours. There’s movement, intrigue, and an unexpected harmony.