Aotearoa’s design community is often celebrated for the quality of its work, but less frequently for the relationships that sustain it. ‘In Good Company’, a new short film series by Powersurge, turns its attention to the creative exchanges behind the work — bringing together some of Aotearoa’s most respected designers and makers to explore the ideas, materials, and philosophies that shape their practice.
t’s a portrait of a design culture defined not by trend, but by generosity, rigour, and a shared commitment to making things well.
For Aalto, colour has always been more than simply decorative. As a specialist paint maker from Tāmaki Makaurau, the company has built its reputation on a finely tuned understanding of how colour responds to light, material, and place. Every palette is developed with the belief that colour can shape the feeling of a space as profoundly as the objects within it. As Head of Brand Victoria Burnette explains, “Colour is never just something you apply at the end of a project. It has the ability to change how we experience a material, a room, and ultimately how we feel in a space.”
That philosophy found a natural counterpart in Powersurge’s contemporary designs. Rather than beginning with colour, the collaboration began with conversation, hours spent comparing samples, observing the changing character of brass in different light and considering how colour might amplify, rather than compete with, the material’s evolving surface.
As Powersurge Director Andrea Harradine reflects, “We cherished the hours of dialogue and connection between our teams. While our materials and specialities are distinct, we bonded over the nuances of design development and the patience of process.”
From those conversations emerged Braze and Hearth. Developed exclusively for Powersurge, these two bespoke hues now adorn the walls of the Powersurge studio. Inspired by the warmth and depth of brass, the hues are designed to foreground the beauty and complexity of patina. Here, colour and metal, work in accord, each heightening the tactile richness of the other while allowing every surface to evolve with grace.
The collaboration sits within the broader ‘In Good Company’ series, which also features Monmouth Glass and Ponting Fitzgerald Architects. Each partnership reflects a shared belief in thoughtful design, local manufacturing, and enduring materiality. Together, they reveal the richness that emerges when makers with a common philosophy come together to strengthen the creative community that surrounds them.
‘In Good Company’ is a reminder that meaningful design is rarely the work of one studio alone. More often, it emerges through collaboration, curiosity, and the company we choose to keep.
