Michael Mansvelt Design wins 2026 TIDA New Zealand Interior Design of the Year
Congratulations to Michael Mansvelt of Michael Mansvelt Design, winner of the 2026 TIDA New Zealand Interior Design of the Year – reinterpreting the best of an era
Built in the late 1980s, this four-level architecturally designed home was beautifully proportioned and built to a high standard, but its interiors lacked the warmth and detail the design deserved.
The redesign set out to reinterpret the best of the era and create spaces that felt as if they always belonged.
The project's defining move came in the main living room, with the introduction of a circular, recessed ceiling detailed in fluted timber which echoes an existing semi-circular window.
Below, curved seating and a carpet inset into travertine flooring create an intimate sanctuary within the wider room.
Full-height velvet curtains bring softness and enclosure at night, while a sculptural central light anchors the composition.
The interior’s rich material palette was drawn directly from the landscape outside.
Wall panelling, cabinetry and a cantilevered entertainment unit all reference the dark, textured trunks of native tree ferns.
Meanwhile, fireplace tiles capture bush tones, complemented by the autumnal shades of travertine.
In the kitchen, original curved cabinetry and stainless-steel benchtops were reworked.
The refaced cabinetry in white and fluted walnut, a new curved breakfast island and the addition of marble tiles all bring richness to the original design.
The TIDA judges noted that this interior redesign feels less like an imposing intervention, but as if the original home had been executed to a higher standard from day one.
Congratulations to Michael Mansvelt Design – winner of the 2026 TIDA New Zealand Interior Design of the Year.
Home kitchen bathroom commercial design