The latest in New Zealand furniture design

Purchasing furniture made locally in Aotearoa often enables you to have a personal connection with the designer or maker, and without the need to transport it from overseas, it reduces carbon emissions and is better for the environment. It also gives confidence that you’re investing in a quality product.

An award-winning interior designer with over two decades of experience in identifying trends in furniture design, Ben Lewis of Trenzseater designs all of the brand’s own furniture collection, which is also manufactured in New Zealand.

“We have always prided ourselves on our innovative design aesthetics,” he says. “We design all our products in-house which makes our product stand out from everyone else, as it is unique.”

There are two design details that Ben likes to include in his work.

“We include signature fluting and scalloping details in our product where we can, along with including specialist finishes and materials,” he says.

Furniture pieces such as the Chamont Console and the Riva Console champion these details, giving them a distinctive edge.

“We are loving introducing more and more intricate details and materials into our product. We love the opportunities with our interior design service to demonstrate what can be achieved, as so often clients are limited to what they have seen before.

“I think also the layers that we are using in our designs makes them very real, personal and not precious,” shares Ben.

Available in a range of stain colours, pieces such as Trenzseater’s consoles are often made from American oak.

Ben explains that this quality material is timeless and can suit a range of interior styles.

He adds: “The majority of our collection we manufacture in Christchurch and then distribute throughout New Zealand to our stores and clients.”

Trenzseater’s classic armchair designs, including the St Tropez and Florence, can be upholstered in a range of fabrics.

Currently, it is materials that are suited to both indoor and outdoor use that Ben recommends – especially as we move into the warmer months.

“With our upholstery products, we use a lot of indoor/outdoor fabrics as they are very resistant to general wear and have developed to feel like natural linens, which is really important,” he says.

“Our current lead time on our upholstery furniture is 16–18 weeks. Each piece is made by hand, which involves a number of craftsmen along the journey, but people enjoy the reassurance that their piece of furniture is made in New Zealand.”

Often seen used for kitchen benchtops, Neolith – a sintered stone – is a material being introduced to Trenzseater designs.

“It’s a nice feature along with some really deep scalloping details on doors and drawers,” says Ben.

Used for the Enzo Side Table and Enzo Drinks Table, Neolith porcelain has low porosity thanks to its manufacturing process; the natural minerals used to craft Neolith are manufactured with high pressure during the shaping stage and then fired at a high temperature to be turned into a sintered stone.

“I think the most important aspect when considering furniture is to ensure you have the right scale for your space – there is nothing worse than having something out of scale or proportion for the room,” says Ben. As a result, it is no surprise that modular furniture is popular across New Zealand.

“We have a lot of modular pieces in our collection so you can configure your sofa in a number of ways to fit your space.

“Each design we manufacture in New Zealand can be customised through size, finish or choice of covering. We have a lot of standard options available, but these can be customised to bespoke requirements as well.”

Explore Trenzseater’s range of locally designed and manufactured furniture.

Words by Cassie Birrer