Milieu: Architecture + Design

We worked with architect Kate from Milieu Architecture on a major renovation of our home in 2023/2024, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience and the result. From the outset, Kate was incredibly efficient, organised, and proactive, keeping the entire process moving smoothly and clearly communicating at every stage. While Kate listened to our vision for the house, she also introduced us to new design concepts and materials that we would have never considered on our own. She also helped with the interior design of our home, helping source beautiful tiles, stone and flooring, and helping with colour choices. She worked extremely well with our builders, creating a positive, professional working relationship, which we think helped in the overall building process, saving us time and money. Thanks to Kate’s vision, expertise, and attention to detail, we now have a beautiful new home that feels both unique and perfectly suited to the way we live. We highly recommend her services.

We first engaged Kate to renovate our house about three years ago. She completely—and creatively—reimagined our home in ways we didn’t think were possible, and the new kitchen became the true centerpiece of the house, transforming our home into a space we were proud to entertain in. We had no hesitation in contacting her again for stage two of our renovation. This time, she added both space and purpose to an area of a bedroom we would never have considered without her imagination. The improvements have brought new life and light into what was previously a slightly dark and underused room. Kate also introduced a clever, unexpected design feature that has added even more character to the house and become a real talking point. Kate excels not only in the practical side of architecture but also in the creative vision that makes a home feel unique. She consistently finds solutions and design ideas that enhance the existing character of the house while reflecting who we are. We couldn’t be happier with the results.

we employed Kate to design the renovation of our 1980 2 bedroom townhouse on Aucklands North Shore. She had been recommended by a friend and we were very impressed with the home she designed. We are an older couple and we wanted our one level townhouse to be updated to enable us to remain living independently as long as possible. From the first meeting Kate impressed us with her ability to connect with us, listen and ask great questions. The first plans she presented were a great start and her expertise was clear from early in the project. We worked together and the final plans evolved. Kate was always professional and has very good skills around the use of space and design so we now have spaces which are flexible, have multiple uses and features that can be adapted over time as needed. The home was basically in original condition but we now have a warm, light filled and easy living home with good quality fittings and services that is a delight to live in. Kate explored and responded to our colour/furnishing preferences and lifestyle and the wooden cabinetry, use of earthy colours and high raking ceilings are just right. She helped us navigate Council requirements and plans were delivered promptly with enquiries from us or the tradesmen being dealt with very promptly. We have no hesitation in recommending Kate as an architect and only sorry we will not have future projects.

Kate is awesome to work with, listens to what you need and is always happy to answer questions. We are so happy with the completion of our dream house, it is not often (we have high expectations) you can say that the initial design has exceeded expectations now that we are living in it!

We had a midcentury home that we loved but the layout was very clunky and tight on space. Our growing family was tripping over each other and during the last big lockdown it became evident that we needed more room. We didn’t want to build outwards/extend the original face of the house, and we figured making the kitchen more livable would reduce our Living Room space. MILIEU managed to find space we didn’t know we had! Our spacious kitchen is now a focus point of our entire house. Not only is it fun to cook in there now, with a place for everything, it’s keeping with the original era of the property and has a bold funky feel that guests absolutely love. Our new bathroom is equally complementary and flows from the living room much more organically than previously. The initial meetings with Kate at MILIEU were brilliant. We trusted her to work within our budget and brief but she still ran everything past us regarding the layout and design, presenting us with awesome renders and even virtual tours, which our teenager was very taken with! Kate brought in DC BUILDERS and we were impressed with their diligence, craftsmanship and friendly demeanor. Would 100% recommend MILIEU and DC BUILDERS to anyone who asks, and if our house needs more work in the future they’d be our first call.

We approached Kate after seeing the amazing transformation she completed on our friends' cottage in Eden Terrace. Working with her was the best decision we could have made- Kate's ability to unlock the potential of the limited space we had to work with, and design it around how we use the spaces, was incredible. The end result is well thought-out and tasteful- we love walking through the door of our 'new' house every time.

We engaged Kate initially to renovate our existing house. Kate helped set realistic expectations with us in what we can potentially achieve with the house. From there we decided to build instead. We decided to have Kate design our house. Kate outlined the process step by step and was very clear on what to expect next. We let her know what was important to us and left the rest to Kate. From the initial concept till the final design we only made 2 changes. Kate listened to what’s important to us and incorporated everything into the house. What we love about Kate is she challenged our thinking from time to time from a design and practicality perspective. We are very glad we listened to Kate. Kate is also very knowledgeable and this made things run smoothly with the council and our builder. Kate answers email and addresses issues promptly. Kate prepares notes on what was discussed onsite then would email them to us and the builder so there is no confusion which is amazing given we have to be aligned across so many details. The final product is an amazing sunny modern house, excellent utility and efficient use of space. We would definitely recommend Kate and if we are lucky enough to build another house, we will definitely engage Kate again.

Over the last 18months we have had the pleasure of working right through the design to build process with Kate on an Architectural new home from concept to budget creation, working drawings & pricing through to consent and construction. Over the last 19 years i have worked with dozens of great architects, but Kate and her team have really re-set the bar for me. From day one she understood how important it was to engage a builder and use their experience to help design a home that could have features but not blow a budget! Each design meeting was constructive, organised and well planned for myself and the client to be able to view samples, sections and renders of the home & we were able to collectively tweak structural elements of the home & create a smooth build process. Communication has always been quick and clear with rfi’s sorted almost immediately! This is crucial during the build. Each site visit was followed up with tidy Consultant advice notes and clear design details. My site foreman and builders have all raved about how friendly, open and helpful she is when visiting site, and the clients clearly trust her design style and so they should! Kates architectural detailing and plans are exceptional i have reviewed & priced literally thousands of plans over the years from some of Nz’s most well known architects and i would consider hers to be right their with the countries best! We are so excited to be handing this project over with you Kate, and only hope this is the first of many collaborations with you & the team at Milieu! Fingers crossed the project gets the recognition it deserves. Troy Jury, Director / Pm - QBS Construction 0212170003

We are in the concept phase of a house renovation and we are absolutely thrilled with Milieu: Architecture + Design's progress so far. Kate has absolutely nailed our brief, which was to honour the 70s architecture of our home whilst making the most of the footprint to create a more efficient and connected family home. Her initial concept was exceptional and we are so excited to move onto the next phase of this project with her expert guidance.

I engaged Kate to design an interior alteration to my house, including a new kitchen and bathroom. She was involved from the initial design through to the completion of the project, including liaising with the builder's, supplier's and cabinetmaker. The whole process went extremely smoothly with Kate at the helm. Having an Architect to manage the whole process was fantastic, enabling me to relax throughout. In the process I learnt that employing a top architect was worth the investment. The result was exemplary and the kitchen and bathroom have been much admired. Both spaces function extremely well. I would be happy to recommend Kate to anyone considering a renovation project.

We are currently the builders working with Kate on one of her New Build projects on the North Shore, which we are nearing completion early in the new year. Kate's attention to detail in her designs/concepts clearly has a flow on effect into the construction drawings. They are extremely well detailed and are a pleasure to build from. One stand out item is Kate's response time, to us builders its imperative we get quick responses if we have any queries to keep the project running smoothly, Kate is super efficient in her work and that meant we never had any delays onsite. Kate is very pragmatic and is always understanding of the buildability aspects onsite while staying true to her design and clients needs. Nothing is ever a problem onsite and its a pleasure to work with an Architect which is so positive in overcoming challenges onsite, because lets face it there are always challenges!. Our entire site team has enjoyed working with Kate and would jump at every opportunity to work with her in future. We highly recommend working with Milieu Architecture + Design.

Kate thought of fixes within our footprint we had never considered. As a result we have better flow and far more storage than we ever thought we could achieve.

Kate from Milieu designed our 250sqm coastal family home on Aucklands North Shore. She came up with a design that delivered everything we were looking for within a fairly restricted site, with her clever and creative design. We have really enjoyed the whole process and found Kate easy to work with. She finds a good balance between challenging us as clients when we need it and listening to what we want. We have always found Kate to be respectful of our budget and timeline and good at communicating when our decisions affect the scope of the project. We highly recommend working with Milieu Architecture + Design.

Kate has been great to work with over the past 18 months, from the initial discussion of services she might offer, through all the stages of design, discussions with builder, and the consent process. From the outset, Kate provided clear and accurate information about her services and the costs involved. Kate listened closely in order to get a complete understanding of what I wanted, and to help me clarify my own ideas when needed.

Kate and team have been absolutely amazing throughout our renovation process. We loved the plans Kate designed for our house - they were unique and interesting, whilst being sympathetic to the existing structure. Kate has always been fast to respond to communications, offered practical advice and is always happy to take feedback and make changes. Her interior advice was an added bonus and we've taken on a lot of her suggestions relating to materials and layout. They have continued to support us throughout the build process, coming on site to consult with the builders. I'd definitely recommend Milieu to anyone looking for an architect for their new build or renovation project.

Kate has been fantastic. She has taken our full house reconfiguration from concept to building consent with some cabinetry design as well. Her design work, professionalism and communication are excellent. Highly recommend.

We engaged Milieu to design an alteration to our architecturally designed home. The design that Kate created was very sensitive to the existing architecture and also provided many unexpected solutions to the problems we didn't even know we had. We would highly recommend Milieu as being able to provide sensible and creative solutions, even on our tight budget. Thank you so much for always meeting our deadlines and helping with the construction process as well.

Kate organized our renovation. This included drawing the plans, submitting plans to council for consent, doing our lighting plan and built in furniture. She was a pleasure to work with. Professional, organized, punctual and detailed. I recommend her as an excellent architect

We hired Kate to draw up a summer house for our plot in the Stockholm archipelago (Sweden) and she did not disappoint! She was able to conceptualise our vision and create a functional, yet beautiful space that is full of personality. All deadlines were met and her professionalism and knowledge certainly helped the project along, despite encountering foreign planning laws and restrictions. Highly recommended!

Kate Is an amazingly talented architect and all round great person. She takes time to understand your needs and delivers creative designs to match both your brief and budget. She is a fantastic communicator and has great knowledge of building practises and codes. She follows a proven process from concept to finished drawings and keeps you well informed and on top of timings. We loved the way Kate interpreted our ideas and came back with fresh thinking that opened up spaces in ways that we couldn't imagine. She managed all the details in terms of finishes and took all that hassle away. We have and would continue to recommend Kate to anyone.

Kate is an indispensable resource to have for any building project. Given the current climate of the building industry, it is difficult to decipher some of the services different companies provide and what is chargeable or not. Kate at Milieu is not only open and honest, her communication skills are impeccable. She provides a clear plan on what the project will require and guides you through so you understand enough to make an informed decision. Kate took care of our building consent for our coffee shop and helped answer questions we didn't even know were required. She took a difficult space and designed an amazing layout that will allow for the workflow we will need. Flexible and quick to respond to questions, she made sure our consent was on track and we were able to get it submitted on a very tight deadline. I would absolutely use her services again and will keep her mind when we expand to a second location or a personal residential renovation.

Kate was amazing to work with. She took our brief, vague descriptions and ideas and turned them into our dream home. We had no experience with this and really needed our hand held - she was fantastic in breaking it all down with what needed to be done, seeking out/recommending other professionals for us, and explaining and navigating the proposed Auckland unitary plan. Unfortunately, our house renovation/rebuild did not go ahead due to budget constraints - however this was nothing to do with Kate and was simply the market conditions at the time of our project. If our circumstances change or something else comes up we will be going to Kate in the first instance, and will be recommending her to anyone who is wanting to renovate or build.

Kate is a fantastic architect to work with as she is dedicated to her clients. She has gone over and above in researching different design and construction options for her clients so that they can make informed choices and get value for money in their construction choices. Fastidious in the service she provides to her clients, Kate is also a talented designer and is always able to find solutions that balance practicality with delight.

Kate was highly recommended to us by some friends so we contacted her to redesign the interior / exterior of our house. We had a specific design brief and asked Kate to bring her ideas to design our dream home. Kate was very friendly and helpful and we are very happy with what she provided us. We can't wait to put it in place now :)

Kate's used her professional's knowledge and experience in renovating small spaces to create a kitchen plan that makes the best use of space, is functional and looks great. The Concept design plan was innovative, beautiful and created elements that I hadn't previously considered. I'm looking forward to working with Kate to compete the renovation.