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Delivering ‘Gucci on a Glassons budget’ with Wonder Group

Buster Caldwell is director of Wonder Group, a full-service concept and interior design studio. Their office is an expression of local collaborations and DIY skills…

So Buster, how did you find this spot? Luck through persistence. I searched for more than a year for a space we could name as our home. I was shown an off-market site still wrapped in scaffolding. Patterson Architects were on the build; it was an immediate standout. We asked the landlord their terms and signed the next day.

How did you want the space to feel? Neutrality was the go — it must feel equally elevated for an established property developer and approachable to an emerging retailer looking to trust our team with their special projects. Our desking is open and a central oversized social table was injected to work from and share. We aim to feel fluid, together, ready to do our best work. We leaned towards a delicate residential flavour that keeps things calm and softens the stress. Our team operate at high bandwidth, so a soothing palette softens the blow of working at pace.

ABOVE The height, scale, age, history and aspect of the premises immediately appealed and the layout was obvious at first glance. In an interior that is soft, classic, open and inviting for all, the Wonder Group team built the central table themselves. “It carries a strength that only hands-on work can form,” says Buster.

How has this come together materially? Warmth was key. Weak tea-toned plaster wraps the walls, tobacco-tinted oak frames the alcoves, finely woven linen shades the sun, mineral-rich stone forms hard surfaces, art is used as subtle jewellery to bring attitude. The lighting floats gracefully within the height and moves around with the breeze as the windows are opened.

ABOVE On occasion, Buster likes to take Joey the office dog out for coffee at Roost.

Which artists and artisans did you work with? Casett crafted our kitchen island from locally grown eucalyptus. Above our social leaner hangs an array of glass pendants by Luke Jacomb, with colours inspired by The Rainbow Fish, a favourite childhood book. Matt Torr created a series of clay domino tiles that finish our kitchen – a random array of dots with no special meaning. Avara Moody crafted the vases and small ceramics that hold seasonal flowers and Christchurch-based potter Richard Beauchamp created custom plates, bowls and cups for all things food. We are lucky to have a forever table by Motueka-based Woodwrights, a sofa by Ellison Studios that seats our whole team and a coffee table by favourite cabinetmaker Dan Manalos.

TOP The boardroom was ditched in favour of a generous lounge, a comfortable space in which both casual and important conversations can flow. It is furnished with a sofa by Ellison Studios from Slow Store, a coffee table by Dan Manalos and an oversized concrete hex-pot poured by landscape architect Winston Dewhirst to house an enormous monstera. ABOVE Levi Hawken contributed a brutalist concrete totem mounted on a tōtara post which is displayed near the Woodwrights table.

Tell us about some special design pieces in the space. The most priceless piece is our large central table, which we built together as a team. Over a weekend on my family farm, with help from my dad, we hand-milled timber from a fallen mataī. Everyone was stoked to pitch in, stripping bark from the legs with grinders and staying late after work to laminate and sand the hardwood top.
The six-metre table feels monumental and enduring — a metaphor for our intentions with this project.

TOP Even the materials library is displayed as a work of art. ABOVE The central table was handmade by the Wonder Group team and colourful Luke Jacomb pendants hang above it. In this studio where materials flow from one to the other, and there is very little distinction from one space to the next, visual simplicity was critical. Buster wanted to avoid ceiling roses. “I worked with our electrician to detail a blind-cable fixing, where the cable disappears through the plasterboard and fixes on the hidden side.” The beautifully clean ceiling honours the building’s character.

How does the process of designing for yourself compare to designing for clients? I thought it would be seamless. In reality, it was chaos. Client work came first, so our own project had to slot in around the edges — after hours, between meetings, in bits and pieces. We ended up turning ourselves into builders to manage the budget and the quality we envisioned.

How does it feel to work here? Honestly, it’s a dream. We’re producing work I didn’t think possible, surrounded by people who feel more like friends than colleagues, working with clients I deeply admire. The space gives us the platform to push further and proves the importance of a physical environment for company growth. It has made me reject the work-from-home concept — the best ideas come from being under one roof, together. What I enjoy is how comfortable we are, the benchmark we’ve set for ourselves and the constant improvement that comes from having a space designed for our vision.

Any rituals the team enjoy to start or end the day? Coffee — on. Music — on. We like to light incense or use some Aēsop Catherine oil burner blend. It’s lovely arriving at work when the space smells nice.

Where do you draw inspiration from? From our best local designers — I’ve always looked up. Nat Cheshire, Rufus Knight, Jeff Fearon and Tim Hay, Katie Lockhart, Bec Snelling and many others. My team also introduce ideas I wouldn’t get to myself. They’re clever and push boundaries that bring edge to our projects. We’ve hired well. I subscribe to Ark Journal, full of textured craft and analogue detail, and I dive into abstract hardcovers like Codex Seraphinianus, to uncover the oddball thinking. Blogs like Leibal, Ignant and Divisare (an atlas of architecture) are places I turn to for detail and wild ideas. Inspiration is drenching — it’s everywhere. Maybe the art is in keeping your ideas simple and contained.

What mood for interiors do you hope to see in 2025? More local collaborations and a return to celebrating craft. There are so many incredible makers, but imports and mass production are often easier on the wallet. We hope to see fewer but more meaningful items in spaces — pieces that tell a story. This approach can be hard to justify upfront but, after a few years of living with them, we find our clients truly appreciate the one-offs and adore the nature of the narrative.
wonder.group

Interview Alice Lines
Photography Jono Parker
Portraits Jake Dennis

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