Press Release – Nook Publishing
Sherwood House by Material Creative has been named the Interior of the Year 2026, leading a distinguished group of projects recognised at New Zealand’s premier awards programme celebrating excellence in interior architecture and design.
Photo/Supplied
Presented at Auckland Museum on Thursday evening, the sixth annual Interior of the Year Awards brought together 450 of New Zealand’s leading architects, interior designers and industry partners to celebrate the country’s most exceptional interior projects across residential and commercial design.
Expanded in 2026 to include five commercial categories presented in partnership with Architecture Aotearoa, this year’s programme reflected the remarkable breadth, innovation and quality of interior architecture and design being produced throughout Aotearoa. More than 160 projects were entered across ten categories, with finalists spanning homes, workplaces, healthcare, education, hospitality and civic buildings.
Sherwood House by Material Creative (Photo/Supplied)
Taking the programme’s highest honour, Sherwood House by Material Creative was recognised as the Interior of the Year 2026. Located in Vancouver, Washington, the thoughtfully reimagined mid-century residence demonstrates the international reach of New Zealand design talent, with the jury recognising its clarity of vision, material sophistication and exceptional execution.
Alongside the supreme award, category winners recognised the very best work across New Zealand’s interior architecture and design sector.
Interior of the Year 2026 Winners
Interior of the Year 2026
Sherwood House — Material Creative
Workplace of the Year
Casabella at Faraday Street — Wonder Group
Education Interior of the Year
The Hive — Edwards White Architects
Health & Wellness Interior of the Year
GP+Me — Wonder Group
Retail & Hospitality Interior of the Year
Vinci’s — Vinci’s with OTO Group Architecture, Scott Architects and Isaac McCormick
Civic Interior of the Year
New Zealand International Convention Centre — Jasmax, Woods Bagot and Moller Architects
Bathroom of the Year
Heirloom — Shelley Ferguson Studio
Kitchen of the Year
Brightwater — Sticks + Stones Design
Resene Colour Award
North Tree Cottage — Little & Fox Interior Design
Emerging Designer of the Year
Georgia Duncan — Edwards White Architects
This year’s Readers’ Choice Interior of the Year resulted in a rare tie, with the public honour shared by Mt Cardrona Station Homestead by Leuschke Group Architects and Russell McVeagh Wellington by Unispace and Emma Hofmann.
Clare Chapman, Director of Nook Publishing and Editor-in-Chief of HOME, said the 2026 programme marked an important milestone for the awards.
“The expansion of Interior of the Year reflects the extraordinary strength of New Zealand’s interior architecture and design industry. From private homes to major civic infrastructure, healthcare environments, workplaces and hospitality venues, this year’s winners demonstrate not only exceptional creativity, but a profound understanding of how interior environments shape the way we live, work and connect.
“It is a privilege to celebrate these projects and the talented designers behind them, and to showcase their work to audiences across New Zealand and internationally.”
The expansion of the awards coincides with the launch of Architecture Aotearoa — a new quarterly publication edited by Federico Monsalve and produced in partnership with the New Zealand Institute of Architects — dedicated to New Zealand’s buildings, cities and culture, further strengthening the programme’s commitment to recognising excellence across both residential and commercial interior architecture.
“It is an honour to be able to recognise the critical role played by the interiors industry in the wider architectural discourse,” says Interior of the Year awards convenor and Editor-in-Chief of Architecture Aotearoa, Federico Monsalve. “We look forward to exploring the depth of the industry, its awe-inspiring designers, crafts-people, and purveyors of quality projects,
products and services who continue to define our built environment.”
Interior of the Year is presented by HOME and Architecture Aotearoa in partnership with Inzide, Autex Acoustics, Laminex, Resene, Plumbline, Forté, PeterFell and Powersurge.
About Interior of the Year
Interior of the Year is New Zealand’s premier awards programme celebrating excellence in interior architecture and design. Presented annually by Nook Publishing, the publishers of HOME and Architecture Aotearoa, the awards recognise outstanding residential, commercial and civic interiors.
Launched in 2021, the programme showcases New Zealand’s leading designers and architects to audiences across Aotearoa and internationally through print, digital, social media and video, reaching more than one million people each month.
Explore the winners, projects and latest news at homeofarchitecture.co.nz
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
Original url