Last month, we completed this Wanaka project in collaboration with Bespoke Interior Design. Eighteen months in the making, it was very gratifying to see it all come together. We love projects like this where we are engaged early in the concept development and see it right through to installation.
The brief for this project was Japan meets Wanaka. Our mission was to support Bespoke Interior Design in furnishing this new home with a distinctively relaxed Wanaka ambiance with hints of contemporary Japanese lifestyle.
A series of meetings in our showroom and round-tables with the Bespoke Interior Design team honed a look and feel that appealed to the clients, and met their informed aesthetic and lifestyle needs.
The furniture package included adaptations of existing designs in our collection and several bespoke pieces created from scratch.
Our Viktor modular sofa was tailor-made for the open-plan living space with a back-to-back layout to form the foundation of the living space from the dining area and kitchen. A look-through ottoman opened the view from the kitchen to the lake vista beyond. These ottomans created seating facing the kitchen for sociability during meal preparation. A custom shelving unit was incorporated to lighten the upholstery heavy space and provide a platform for art.
The bedrooms all include fitted wall panels incorporating lighting and powerpoints. Bespoke futon style beds were created in each room. These are fully upholstered and use the base structure of our Bali bed design. The bedsides were custom designed and made bringing the silver travertine used in the kitchen and entranceway into the bedrooms.
We custom-made coffee tables, side tables, the dining table and bench seat with a Japanese influence. Materials and finishes linked to existing elements of the hard fit-out which included Ambitec and oak panelled walls, stone floors and planked ceilings.
The design brief extended to accessories. We custom-made mirrors for each of the bedrooms and created these trays for several rooms to provide a home for various objects to add a finishing personal touch.
Our involvement in this project wasn’t limited to designing and making the furniture. We conducted several site visits and measures throughout the build and were on site for two and a half days assisting with the installation. It’s very satisfying to be there when the furnished interior is revealed to the client for the first time.
If you would like to discuss some bespoke furniture options for your next project, this is broadly how the process works.
From Design Sketch to Delivery: Inside Our Bespoke Process
A sofa from a warehouse is made for everyone. A bespoke piece is made for one family, one room, one purpose. The difference shows in every measurement and every detail. At Designers' Collection, we design our furniture in-house and make it to order with local craftspeople in Auckland. This article pulls back the curtain on exactly how that happens, from the first sketch on the table to the day your piece arrives.
Our Six-Step Bespoke Journey
Every commission moves through the same six stages, and most locally made designs are ready for delivery within 6 to 8 weeks of order confirmation. Here is how the journey breaks down, who is involved at each point, and roughly how long each phase takes.
Step 1: The Initial Consultation
The process typically starts with a working session in our Newmarket showroom. This is where we listen. We want to understand the vision for the home, the way the piece will be used day to day, and the stylistic direction the client and their designer are working towards.
Our showroom is a working environment, so we encourage designers to bring their materials to the table. Flooring samples, hard surface finishes, and fabric swatches all help us see the whole interior coming together, not just the furniture in isolation. These sessions are thorough and often run for several hours, so we capture the full brief before anything is drawn.
Getting involved early lets us appreciate a designer's vision from the outset, which helps us add value and solve problems before they become expensive changes later. You can read more about how we work alongside designers on our Project Collaboration page.
Step 2: Design Development
Once we have the brief, we translate it into a design. This means sketching, sharing visual concepts, and refining the details with the client and their designer until the piece is right. It is a back-and-forth process, and that is by design.
We have been developing furniture since 1986, so most projects begin from an existing point rather than a blank page. Our design portfolio is deep, and any piece in it can be used as inspiration or taken as a starting point and tailored to a specific project. Browse the range on our Products to get a sense of the starting library. From there, dimensions, proportions, and detailing are adjusted to suit the room and the client.
Step 3: Material and Fabric Selection
With the form agreed, attention turns to what the piece is made from. We work with you to determine material options, finishes, and fabrics, and this is where a design gains its character. The right fabric on the right frame changes everything about how a piece reads in a room.
Once you’ve sourced your fabrics, get your fabric supplier to send them directly to our Newmarket showroom. We confirm receipt, check the quantity, and clarify application details such as railroading or nap direction before production begins. To keep the 6-to-8-week timeframe on track, we ask that specified fabrics reach us within three weeks of order confirmation.
Step 4: Local Auckland Craftsmanship
This is where the design becomes a physical object, and it is the part of our process no importer can replicate. Every piece we design is made to order by meticulous craftspeople here in Auckland, people we have worked with for years.
We work with four key Auckland manufacturers, each within a 20-minute drive of our showroom. Conception, design, and manufacturing all happen inside that small stretch of Tāmaki Makaurau. The proximity matters. It lets us drop in, check progress, and resolve any question in person rather than over email. The close relationship keeps quality high and lead times short, which is a large part of why we can turn a fully customised piece around in weeks rather than months. This local network, built up over 40 plus years, sits at the heart of everything we make.
Step 5: Quality Assurance
Before any piece leaves for delivery, it is inspected by our team against our own standards. We check the frame, the upholstery, the finish, and the details that were agreed during design development. Because production happens close to the showroom, this is a hands-on review rather than a paperwork exercise. A piece is only approved for delivery once it is right.
Step 6: Nationwide Delivery
The final step is getting the finished piece to where it needs to be. We organise delivery across New Zealand through a network of preferred carriers, so distance from Auckland is not a barrier to commissioning a piece with us.
Every delivery includes inland transit insurance cover, so the piece is protected from the moment it leaves the workshop until it arrives safely with the client. That cover is part of the service, not an optional extra.
The Designers' Collection Difference
An imported or off-the-shelf piece offers limited ability to tailor it for your client. It arrives fixed in its dimensions, its fabric, and its finish. A bespoke piece is the opposite: it is built to fit one specific space and one specific brief.
That brings three tangible benefits. The piece fits the room exactly, down to the centimetre. The quality is backed by local craftsmanship you can inspect and stand behind. And the result reflects a personal style that a catalogue product never could. Our particular combination of in-house design, a tight Auckland maker network, and over 40 years of tailor-making furniture for discerning homes and establishments across the country is difficult to match.
We were founded in 1986 by interior designers who wanted furniture made specifically for their clients' needs. That founding purpose still shapes how we work today.
Partnering with Trade Professionals
Our process is built around a partnership model with interior designers and architects. If you specify furniture for a living, you can plug into our workflow at whatever level suits your project.
Our showroom functions as a working facility. Designers are welcome to meet clients here, spread out their materials, and work through options with our team in the room. We are available as much or as little as the project requires, whether that is full product guidance or simply confirming a specification.
We offer Trade Accounts to practising professional interior designers and architects. A trade transaction runs through three clear stages: Quote, Order Confirmation, and Invoice. Quoted trade prices are valid for 60 days, and confirming an order requires a 50% deposit, which also confirms agreement to the specification detailed on your Order Confirmation. For the full picture of how the partnership works, see Working with Designers' Collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical lead time?
Most of our locally made designs are delivered within 6 to 8 weeks of order confirmation. This timeframe assumes any specified fabrics reach our showroom within three weeks of the order being confirmed. Delays in fabric supply push the timeline out accordingly.
Can I supply my own fabric?
Yes. You specify the fabric of your choice and have your supplier send it directly to our Newmarket showroom. We confirm receipt, check the quantity is sufficient, and clarify application details before production starts, then manage the fabric from there.
What can be customised?
We work from our own portfolio of designs, and those designs can be significantly tailored. Dimensions, proportions, finishes, and fabrics are all adjustable to suit a specific room and brief. If you need changes beyond a design's standard size and specification, our team will work through the options with you.
How does delivery work across New Zealand?
We manage the entire delivery process through a network of trusted carriers that service the whole country. Whether the piece is going to an Auckland apartment or a home in the deep south, we arrange the logistics from our end.
Is transit insurance included with delivery?
Yes. Inland transit insurance is included with every delivery, protecting your piece until it arrives safely.
Begin Your Bespoke Journey
From the first conversation in Newmarket to the day your piece is installed, our process keeps design, making, and delivery in one set of hands. Each stage is collaborative, each piece is made locally, and each delivery is insured to the door. That is what over 40 years of tailor-making furniture in Auckland looks like in practice.
Begin your bespoke journey by visiting our Newmarket showroom or by contacting our team today.