Blum’s new architectural building in Christchurch

Blum has opened its new home of storage inspiration in New Zealand. The new showroom sits at 16 Avenger Crescent in Wigram, an architectural property concept aligned with company values. It features high-tech sustainable design and materials, unique, innovative spaces for office, showroom, trade training workshop and warehouse to support their South Island distribution.

The new showroom presents moving ideas and concepts for innovative kitchen and cabinetry solutions. It also allows customers to experience their own storage story first-hand with a 1:1 scale kitchen test drive. The manufacturer of furniture fittings from Austria would like to show its South Island customers how creative interior design can be implemented with high-quality fittings - not only in kitchens and bathrooms but also in living areas, big and small.

Blum teamed up with Warren and Mahoney Architects leader in Environmentally Sustainable Design, to develop the purposebuilt property. “Design decisions were focused on wellness and employee well being, with plenty of natural light, outdoor areas to take time out, acoustic design that provides comfortable noise levels, and materials to complement the natural local environment,” explains Senior Associate, Simon Laurie of Warren and Mahoney Architects, Christchurch.

“Architecturally, the design expresses a streamlined, finely tuned and engineered outcome closely aligned with the precision of products the building will deliver. The scale of the warehouse is broken up by a pitched frontage more representative of an urban scale”, says Laurie. “The showroom is a splendid double height light filled space that visually connects with the outside and features a cantilevered stair clad in blue steel. The finished building is testament to the effort put in by the whole design team, delivering a building that has sustainability at its core.”

The key features are geothermal heating, natural ventilation systems, solar thermal for hot water generation, water recycling system and charging station for electric cars. Future-proofing was also important, allowing for business growth without multiple extensions.

“The architectural design matches our heirloom, but we also want to be relevant in the current business climate, supporting local businesses by hosting events, industry meetings, seminars and training workshops for architects, designers and cabinet makers,” says Michael Hawkins, Managing Director, Blum New Zealand.

One of the main objectives of the family-owned company is to work together with customers and partners to improve the quality of living for furniture buyers. Blum strives for beautiful, functional and long-lasting products based on findings from global research.

Showroom Consultant

Blum New Zealand would like to introduce Alexis Webster, as their Showroom Consultant for the new Christchurch premises.

A born and bred Cantabrian who enjoys ice skating and socializing. Alexis joins the Blum team after completing a Diploma in Residential Interior Design, alongside working in commercial kitchens for the last 3.5 years. She is very passionate about the design industry and has found her diploma a great way to use her artistic flair in a practical way. Alexis finds working with the Blum products in the new and innovative showroom space exciting, as she gets to show people the flexibility of different storage solutions that are available for their kitchens.

Alexis looks forward to welcoming customers to the showroom and working with them to experience their own storage story first-hand with a full-scale kitchen test drive.

New Zealand