Blair Paterson and Tobin Smith of CoLab Architecture illuminate a cohesive vision of interior and exterior design.

The interior of a new build can be an afterthought, something left to the new owners or a designer to put their own stamp on. Blair Paterson and Tobin Smith of CoLab Architecture, well known for designing beautiful exteriors, are just as skilled at crafting exceptional interiors. A love for intrinsically simple, timeless elegance resonates through all their work and their belief that good design has a cohesive vision that echoes through the whole house means owners can work directly with the CoLab team to ensure a seamless integration of design throughout. The devil is in the detail, and with the CoLab team, the detail is always divine.

Image 1: This is the entry of a recently completed house featuring a custom open stair with blackened steel detailing and timber treads and balustrade. We custom make stairs a lot as they become quite an important feature in our houses. People often justify the money spent as it feels like a piece of sculpture once complete. The external cladding is brought internally through the entry to define the sense of circulation, almost as though you’re stepping outside when you move between the living room and bedroom spaces.

Image 2: This project was a collaboration between ourselves and Spanish kitchen designers/manufacturers Porcelanosa. This is not a kitchen we designed, but a successful process of us working alongside a reputable supplier to customise a successful outcome for our client.

Image 3: A bathroom renovation within an old villa featuring hexagonal mosaic white tiles with black highlights. A tasteful balance of old and new by using simple tones and beautiful textures.

Image 4: We often treat our joinery as ‘pod’ like elements within a space. In this instance the joinery finish conceals not only the kitchen but also the scullery and guest toilet tucked in behind. The cooking appliances are concealed behind pocket doors to further enhance the solidity of the ‘pod’.

Image 5: Plywood-clad kitchen accompanies a black steel-framed island unit. We often look at the island as a piece of furniture rather than solid built-in cabinetry.

Image 6: External materials (i.e. cobbles, steel cladding) are drawn into this entry way.

Image 7: Double-height entry volume, featuring a custom stair with skylight over. Raw concrete features quite heavily in this internal space, plus frosted glass at the end of the space creates a bit of drama through illumination in the evening.

Image 8 and Image 9: These two examples show how one piece of joinery serves two functions by extending over two levels to transition from a piece of living room joinery to a balustrade above.

Image 10: This piece of joinery sits alongside a freestanding studio burner, so houses firewood in a blackened steel surround. Built-in joinery of White Lacquer and Natural Oak Veneer layer detail and offer beautiful tones within the interior space. This is a development project, so tones are strategically neutral to appeal to a wider audience.  

colabarch.co.nz