Gerard Dombroski

Gerard is an architect, artist and furniture maker. He’s the mastermind behind cool spaces, hospitality venues, and sculptures around the capital and beyond. Gerard’s steel, skate ramp inspired building called the Picolo cabin made the 2022 Dezeen Awards longlist, and was nominated for the 2023 ArchDaily Building of the Year Award.

Favourite room to design/decorate…. For me it’s any room where there’s a chance to play with natural light and an excuse for furniture or joinery; funnily enough, that almost qualifies any room. I love to design.

Your style in five words… While I try not to lock myself into one style, a friend did summarise my work along the lines of “silly chic.” I strive for simple, natural, and beautiful with a good dose of whimsy.

Biggest mistake people make when designing their homes… Forgetting where the sun is. The sun is very important to human wellbeing, mentally and physically, and there are some beautifully simple ways to use sunlight in the home to improve our daily lives.

Favourite item in your home… A painting by my friend Paul Cornwell of a little project I built in the Coromandel. He helped me with the build, so while it’s a cool picture it also highlights a special memory.

Colours you’re drawn to… Pastels, pink, blue, yellow, green –the ones that are a little punchy.

Favourite home trend for 2023… I don’t really follow trends. Trends are a slippery slope and you’re better off going your own way.

Worst trend from the past 10 years… Real estate agents may tell you to paint everything white and design around resale, but I’m an advocate for adding some personality. This could be through colour, shape, volume, texture or objects.

Listen to your inner child: Sometimes I have to remind myself to be silly and to enjoy the small things. We should be a little childish with the spaces we make. Add something funny into your home – a strange bit of furniture, a weirdly small door, a net mezzanine.

Wear your heart on your shelf: The spaces I inhabit I fill with things I or my friends have made, and ideas I’m exploring. We all tie meaning and memories to objects, so there’s no need to hide everything in a cupboard for the sake of the minimalist aesthetic.

Ask for help: Often people may not think to talk to an architect, as they believe their job is too small. I think you would be pleasantly surprised. Sometimes a project can be transformed by small and simple interventions, and all it may take is a second set of eyes.

A shameless self-plug. This chair I designed for the Kilbirnie Café. The low back allowed the table tops to be read as ripples.I've developed it to have different seat base options. They’re made in my workshop here in town.

Dombroski, $499

This is another chair of mine. I welded a steel frame single-seater and a double-seater, and wove recycled pool noodles to build up the chair form.

Dombroski, $6,000

I like Kathryn Tsui's work and know she's a lovely person. I don't own any of her work at this point, but hope to in the future.

Page Galleries

This stool is so hot! Jamie Jenkins is an artist from Tauranga and I absolutely love her work.

Jhana Millers Gallery

I like indoor plants, especially in my office. My hack to keep them alive is to also get a peace lily, as the leaves go super droopy when they want water, so it reminds me to water my plants – thank me later.

Palmers

Mirimar,

$68

Hiromi Yang

Hiromi, Senior Interior Designer for Studio Pacific Architecture, discovered her love for design in an unconventional way, when she was studying Clinical Psychology. A lecturer told her to think about how space can affect connection to herself and others.

Tactile, understated, evocative,

Favourite room to design/decorate… Transitioning space like corridors and hallways. It’s challenging, as those spaces can often be very small, but it’s where reflections and conversations can happen.

Biggest mistake people make when designing their homes… Creating a static mission to get your space perfect and complete. Connections to self, others, and the space are what makes it into the place that you’d call home. Don’t worry if there is something missing to complete your mission.

It’s nice to have a room grow, and nurture it with what you have and what you will have.

Favourite item in your home… My kids’ artwork. In your house you would never find… Keeping shoes on at home.

Colours you’re drawn to… Green hues from plants. Favourite home trend for 2023… Warm earth tones and textures.

Worst trend from the past 10 years… Feature walls. “Feature” is my least favourite word.

It’s what’s inside that counts: Use feather inners to make cushions plumper and comfier. If your cushions came with cotton inners, swap them for feather. You can recycle the cotton inners to make soft toys.

Well-hung: Having well-made curtain headers not only makes fabric fall gracefully, but also makes rooms look planned. Try to allow tracks to fit the entire wall length, and curtains to drape down to the floor.

Lighting is everything: Lighting is a key ingredient to create mood and character. I minimise downlight on the ceiling for domestic environments unless it’s in functional spaces. Wall lights, lamps, and pendants add soft accents to the room.

There is a story to tell with this artifact; through its functionality (as a storage for butter), its sculptural form, and how the wood has been aged. Now it's your turn to re-purpose it.

Small Acorns, $125

Made of New Zealand wool, and thoughtfully designed by a Finnish designer, this will comfort you in the coming chilly months.

Newtown House, $75

I love this for its form and ribbed tinted glass as well as the warm glow it gives off.

Tickadeeboo Store, $398

I would really like to have this delicate embroidery work by Sarah Munro in my own home.

Page Galleries

Weaving has been one of my strong interests lately. I admire the design and the quality of Johanna Gullichsen’s textile range.

Living Room, $185