CTRL Space’s vast portfolio includes vibrant hospitality spots across New Zealand such as Soda in Queenstown, Lilian and Hotel Ponsonby in Auckland — all of which have positioned the design studio as master-designers in this space. Winning numerous awards for its work over the years, including a 2023 Interior Award for Picnicka Bar & Grill in Tauranga, this year, Metita restaurant in Auckland is a 2024 Interior Awards finalist.

Stevens says “the last 15 years have been incredible though not without their challenges. But we live for change and as they say, ‘adversity births creativity’. We’ve delivered that in abundance and I am so proud of the work that we have produced. We are very grateful to all of our clients, for the trust they award us and for allowing us to flex our creativity. The creative journey is a collaborative one and we are excited for this next chapter.”

Stevens and the team now turn their minds to the next 15 years ahead, with a future strategy that includes bolstering its Australian offering, the Brisbane studio led by Director, Jessica White, and expanding its design avenues and focus on the hotel and accommodation space.

The updated branding and identity was developed in partnership with Seachange Studio and aims to better reflect Stevens’ ethos. The design articulates these concepts and ideas by evoking genuine engagement with the consumer and creating a strong design narrative.

CTRL Space has recently partnered with LA Co. (Leisure Accommodation Collective), a new Australian lifestyle accommodation enterprise, on a series of five ‘Drifter’ hybrid-hotels across New Zealand, with the first opening in Christchurch earlier this month. The concept is unique and experimental in its offering. It has a focus on social interaction and showcases the true impact of design on the customer experience.

“With tourism making its way back to strength in New Zealand and across the ditch, we see so much opportunity for CTRL Space to lead the way forward, into a new era of design-thinking for the industry. The world has changed, customer expectations have evolved. Experiences like the pandemic, and the cost of living challenges, have re-focussed our priorities in terms of how and where we spend our time and money. Venue-owners will need to evolve their offerings if they want to survive. And we can help with that. The potential for, and power of, design to impact experience and influence behaviour is huge and we’re here for it”, says Stevens.

CTRL Space have released part 1 of a video series on Instagram in collaboration with Build Interiors’ Sam Newell. Watch at @build.nz and @ctrl.space and check out CTRL Space’s new-look website here.