Showcasing Excellence: Our 2026 House of the Year Entries
Each year, the Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards celebrate the very best in New Zealand home design and construction. Designers and builders from across the country enter their top projects, all hoping to impress the judges and take home a coveted Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, or even the ultimate national title.
This year, we’re excited to share a preview of the homes we’ve entered for the 2026 judging panel, along with the categories we’re competing in. Good luck to our clients and the talented teams behind these exceptional, one-of-a-kind homes. We’ll keep you posted on how we go!
Design Builders Taupō
Awards evening: 18 July 2026
Category: GIB Show Home
Beautè Noir
The Showhome embodies style and functionality. Its raw material palette is characterised by dark and earthy colours that add a natural touch. Top-of-the-line fittings and fixtures enhance the luxurious feel of the interior spaces, creating an atmosphere of comfortable elegance. The main living space features an effortless transition from indoors to a covered outdoor entertainment area, perfect for relaxed gatherings in front of the fire.
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Design Builders Canterbury
Awards evening: 17 July 2026
Category: New Home $500,000 – $750,000
The Onyx
Designed to make the most of its compact site, this striking pavilion-style home combines low-maintenance living with thoughtful architectural detail. A strategic pop-in design allows natural light to flow into the kitchen and living areas, while feature raking ceilings create a heightened sense of space throughout the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living zones.
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Design Builders Hawke’s Bay
Awards evening: 1 August 2026
Category: Renovation $1 million–$2 million
Renovate To Celebrate
It’s hard to believe, but this house north of Napier was once tired, dated, and forlorn. Given its prized position above the treeline and ocean, it deserved much more than a once-over-lightly makeover.
The home has been completely reimagined, with every element thoughtfully replaced, upgraded, and refined. Contemporary materials such as vertical shiplap and iron, clean architectural lines, and expansive decking and patios now define the home’s exterior style.
Design Builders Franklin
Awards evening: 8 August 2026
Category: APL New Home $1.5 million–$2 million
Best of Both Worlds
This 289sqm house has all the benefits of a modern build, but all the charm of an era beloved by the owners. They wanted a property that suited its position in rural south Auckland as well as a canvas for their furniture and collectibles.
From the exterior, the double pavilion-style design is all clean lines and understated elegance in vertical timber and reclaimed bricks. Windows, picture, clerestory and high-placed ribbon glazing, and wide brick chimney are all reminiscent of the architectural style from the 1940s to the late 60s.
Design Builders Waikato
Awards evening: 25 August 2026
Category: APL New Home $1.5 million–$2 million
Riverside Retreat
Designed to maximise its stunning riverfront outlook, this 330sqm home combines light, space, and architectural simplicity to create a family retreat. Raking ceilings, clerestory windows, and feature skylights enhance the sense of volume, while open-plan living areas flow seamlessly to outdoor entertaining spaces complete with built-in cooking facilities and a double-sided fireplace.
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