A home in Queenstown or Wānaka has a lot to live up to. The mountains and lakes set the tone outside every window, so the rooms inside should feel just as considered. Most people can picture that feeling long before they know which sofa, fabric or light will get them there, and that gap is usually when an interior designer comes to mind.
What holds most people back isn't a lack of ideas. They don't know what working with a designer involves, how much of their time it takes, or whether their project is big enough to need one, so we've set out how a project with our studio unfolds, from the first site visit to the day you step into the finished space.
Why Does Central Otago Interior Design Take Careful Planning?
Designing a home here is a little different to designing one in the city. Much of the furniture, lighting and fabric that suits a Central Otago home travels a long way to reach Wānaka, so lead times and freight need to shape decisions early rather than catch you out once a room is half finished. Interiors also have to keep pace with the build itself, and MBIE's guidance on planning a successful build recommends scoping the work and choosing the right people before anything is consented or ordered. Where your project involves consented building work, the Queenstown Lakes District Council aims to process applications within the statutory 20 working days. It's worth planning around that if you'd like the finishes and furnishings ready when the builders pack up. Many homes around Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wānaka also belong to owners who spend much of the year elsewhere, which makes having a team on the ground just as valuable as the design itself.
What Does Our Interior Design Process Look Like?
Working with an interior designer in Queenstown or Wānaka through our studio follows five stages, taking you from a first site visit through to a finished, fully installed home.
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Preliminary Design: we meet to talk through your vision and how you use the space, then visit the site.
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Detailed Design: we specify each room, from fabrics and finishes to furniture and lighting, presented as a flat lay or in 3D.
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Reflection Period: you take time with the proposal, and two rounds of amendments are included.
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Project Realisation: we handle sourcing, delivery coordination and installation.
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Step Into Your New Space: we add the final polish and hand the home back to you, ready to live in.
The brief can be as broad as you need it to be, from the entire kitchen layout down to the cutlery in the drawers. Our own team oversees every step, so there's one point of contact rather than a string of suppliers to chase. Fabrics and finishes are always easier to judge in person, which is why our sample studio on Brownston Street is set up for you to see and touch them before anything is ordered. Freight to Wānaka is built into every quote, and where it's feasible, we'll match a price you've found elsewhere.
Should You Choose Full Interior Design or a Short Consultation?
Not every project needs the full process. Sometimes a homeowner just needs a professional sounding board, and that's what our short consult is for.
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Full interior design |
Short consult |
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Scope |
Whole home or multiple rooms, from floor plan to final details |
Limited advice and guidance on specific decisions |
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Format |
Site visit, detailed design presentations and two rounds of amendments |
One-hour Zoom consultation plus one hour of planning |
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Sourcing |
We source, coordinate delivery and install |
We help with sourcing and selection, and you manage the project |
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Best suited to |
New builds, renovations and restorations |
Homeowners running their own project who want expert direction |
If your plans are well under way and you mainly want confidence in a few key decisions, the short consult tends to be the better fit. A new build or major renovation benefits from one team seeing it through to the end. If your project begins and ends at the windows, our free window treatment consultation is the simplest place to start, and our earlier guide to custom curtains, blinds and shutters covers the options in more detail.
How Do You Prepare for Your First Interior Design Consultation?
Preparation doesn't need to be polished, but a little goes a long way. Existing architectural plans are always welcome, since we regularly join projects already under way and there's no need to start from scratch. Photos of the space, a rough budget and your ideal timing all help shape what we recommend at the preliminary stage.
It's also worth deciding which pieces you want to keep. A well-loved armchair, a favourite artwork or a family heirloom can anchor a room far better than anything new. Designing around them fits with the approach in our piece on slow furniture. If you're still settling on a style, our guide to the Central Otago aesthetic walks through ten interior styles suited to homes here, though a handful of saved images of rooms you love tells us just as much.
Interior Design for New Builds, Renovations and Holiday Homes
Every project arrives with its own brief. Our work spans new builds, renovations and mid-century restorations, and projects such as Lake Hawea Station, Mt Cardrona and The Terraces show how differently that can play out from one home to the next. Holiday homes need something different again: they have to feel personal while holding up to a steady stream of guests. Our earlier guide to styling a Wānaka holiday home to maximise bookings covers what helps a rental stand out. For owners who live out of town or overseas, we manage the project locally, and our experience extends to international projects too.
Interior Design FAQs
Can I make changes to my interior design proposal?
Of course. Every interior design project with us includes two rounds of amendments during the reflection period, so the design matches your vision before anything is ordered.
Do I need to start from scratch to work with an interior designer?
Not at all. We work with clients at every stage, including those who already have plans in place, and we're happy to include any pieces you'd like to keep.
Do you work outside Queenstown and Wānaka?
Absolutely. We're based in Wānaka and work across Queenstown and beyond, and we also take on international projects.
Working with an interior designer comes down to a clear process and a team who listens. You set the vision and the pace, whether that means a full design from the ground up or a single conversation to confirm a direction. If it would help to talk it through, you can book an interior consultation or call into our sample studio at 50 Brownston St in Wānaka, where the fabrics, finishes and furniture are there to see and touch before you decide.
