Interior of the Year 2026
The Interior of the Year Awards is an annual programme which celebrates the strength and uniqueness of professional commercial and residential interior architecture and design in New Zealand.
Now in its sixth year, Interior of the Year expands to include commercial interiors across categories including Retail & Hospitality, Workplace, Civic, Education, and Health, in addition to the existing categories: Residential, Kitchen, and Bathroom.
The Emerging Designer Award will recognise practitioners in both residential and commercial categories, while the Resene Colour Award recognises exceptional use of colour in a commercial or residential setting.
The Categories
- Workplace
- Health
- Retail & Hospitality
- Civic
- Education
- Residential
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Emerging
- Colour
The Convenor

Architecture Aotearoa’s editor Federico Monsalve has convened the awards since its inception. He is also the convenor of the Home of the Year Awards — a position he has held since 2021 — prior to which he served as convenor of the former Interior Awards from 2014-2020. He has also served as a judge at the World Architecture Festival, among others.
Past Winners