Interior of the Year 2027
The Interior of the Year Awards is an annual programme celebrating the strength and distinctiveness of professional commercial and residential interior architecture and design in New Zealand.
Now in its seventh year, the programme recognises exceptional work across categories including Retail & Hospitality, Workplace, Civic, Education, Health & Wellness, Residential, Kitchen and Bathroom.
The Emerging Designer Awards recognise practitioners across both residential and commercial disciplines, while the Resene Colour Award celebrates exceptional use of colour in commercial and residential settings.
The Categories
- Workplace
- Health & Wellness
- Retail & Hospitality
- Civic
- Education
- Residential
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Emerging
- Colour
The Prizes
The Supreme Winner, named Interior of the Year 2027, receives a prize valued at $10,000 including a cinematic video package, and media value across Nook Publishing’s print and digital brands, while all category winners receive a prize package valued at $8,000 including a cinematic video package.
All winners will be published in the August issues of Architecture Aotearoa or HOME, and featured across all digital channels ensuring your work is seen by more than one million people in New Zealand — and around the world.
Key Dates
- Entries Open - 1 November 2026
- Judges Announced - 6 November 2026
- Entries Close - 4 June 2027
- Finalists Announced - 7 June 2027
- Judging Commences - 14 June 2027
- Awards Evening at St Matthew-in-the-City - 29 July 2027
The Judges
Liv Patience and Toni Brandso, Co-founders, Material Creative
Liv Patience and Toni Brandso are the co-founders of Material Creative, an Auckland-based interior design studio working across residential and hospitality projects in New Zealand and internationally. Their philosophy is simple: thoughtful interiors that leave space for spontaneity, character and the joy of everyday living. Over 17 years, that approach has shaped everything from family homes to lively hospitality venues, guided by close collaboration with clients, builders and craftspeople. Their spaces are designed to be lived in, not simply admired.
Marcellus Lilley, Workplace, Interiors & Heritage Lead, Studio Pacific
Marcellus is a Senior Principal at Studio Pacific Architecture and has oversight of the practice’s Workplace, Interiors & Heritage teams. He has more than 25 years’ experience across architecture and interiors, with work spanning workplace, museum, aviation, retail and commercial projects, as well as residential and hospitality environments. He is particularly interested in the relationship between architecture and interiors, and how the two come together to shape people’s experience of a place. He values design that has a clear idea behind it and is resolved with care, from how a space works through to its materiality, craft and detail. For Marcellus, the best interiors are thoughtful, engaging and purposeful.
Emma Hofmann, Interior Designer and Creative Director
Emma has more than 20 years of international design experience across Auckland, Melbourne and London, and since establishing her Auckland studio in 2017 has developed a diverse portfolio spanning private residences, contemporary workplaces and commercial environments. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside some of the industry’s most respected creative talents, including award-winning Australian designer Fiona Lynch, sustainable design pioneer Joost Bakker, artist David Bromley and Ignite Architects. Her work includes collaborations with leading architectural practices and major commercial clients, notably Russell McVeagh’s multi-award-winning Wellington workplace.
Federico Monsalve, Editor-in-Chief, Architecture Aotearoa
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.
The Awards Evening
Join us at St Matthew-in-the-City on Thursday 29 July for an evening celebrating the best of New Zealand interior architecture and design at the 2027 Interior of the Year Awards.
Bringing together the country’s leading architects, designers and industry figures, the evening unfolds among the ideas, people and projects defining contemporary design culture in Aotearoa — culminating in the unveiling of New Zealand’s most exceptional interiors.
Our Partners
It is through the generous support of our partners that we are able to celebrate and champion the people, ideas and refined craft behind the interior architecture and design produced in New Zealand, and to showcase it on a global stage.
Thank you to Inzide, Autex Acoustics, Laminex, Resene, Plumbline, Novii, Fletcher Design, and Big River Group, — brands that both support and help define exceptional commercial and residential design in Aotearoa — for your continued commitment to and support of our local design story.