Amber Ruckes (Tūhoe – African American) has several years of professional practice experience, including high-end residential, retail design, commercial office fit-outs and engaging with Māori communities. Amber’s passion for the development of Māori architectural design and practice is currently being extended through her PhD study with Creative Practice at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, where she is exploring what a hapū-specific architectural typology could be, inspired by the works of her tūpuna.

Do you have a favourite interior space, either here in Aotearoa or overseas, that has inspired you or your design thinking?

A project I have enjoyed lately is the Laneway Glass House, a collaboration between Brad Swartz Architects and product and industrial designer Henry Wilson, who is the client. The conversation of craft between the collaborators can be seen throughout the various scales of the house. For example, Wilson cast the components of the circular stair, which plays a crucial role in connecting the vertical levels throughout the home while resolving circulation challenges. The purposeful organisation and use of materiality emphasise the scale transition of the home further, with tiles resembling slabs due to the deliberate absence of grout lines. These points help build depth and expand the interior space of this work despite the compact site. It’s evident to me that the quality of the collaboration played a massive role in the care and ambition of the project – something I would like to develop in my future works. 

Is there a particular interior project you would like to design for someone – and, if yes, who would it be for and why?

Building on the collaboration kaupapa above, I would like to work with my koro tūpuna (great grandfather) George Wepīha Melbourne, who was what we might call an architect or designer in his day. Melbourne did many works within our hapū and iwi and obviously did not go to an architecture or design school the same way we do today. I think it would be a simple but loaded experience and, to be honest, I am not sure if it is the work or the conversations I would be more interested in. 

What will you be looking forward to while judging the Interior Awards 2023? 

I enjoy brave works – experimentation and collaborations with a high social and cultural consciousness. Yes, sometimes these works may not be as refined but that gives us space to grow and reinvent what could be. I’m keen to see works that not only engage with our diverse communities but also demonstrate an evolution of design processes and outcomes in a way that challenges our current expectations of interior design.

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