Interior Designers in NZ

Interior Designers in NZ

Interior design is not a licensed occupation in New Zealand. There is no register, no protected title, and no licence specific to the trade. Anyone can call themselves an interior designer, and plenty do.

But here is the part most homeowners never hear until it is too late: some design work is restricted building work. If your project touches the primary structure of the house or its external moisture management, it must be carried out or supervised by someone holding a Design licence class under the Licensed Building Practitioner scheme. An interior designer with a beautiful portfolio and no design LBP licence simply cannot sign that off.

The line between "a lovely refresh" and "this needs a licensed designer" is not obvious from the outside. This guide is about finding it before you sign anything.

How We Researched This Guide

We started with the Building Act 2004 and Building Performance's guidance on restricted building work, because that is where the actual rules for interior design in New Zealand live. The definition of design restricted building work is set out in full on legislation.govt.nz, and it is narrower than people assume — but it catches more projects than they expect.

One thing surprised us. There is a Site licence class in the LBP scheme, and holders of it cannot carry out or supervise restricted building work at all. The Site class covers coordination and oversight only. So a builder whose only LBP class is Site cannot sign off the restricted work either — a genuinely non-obvious trap we have spelled out below. We also noted that registered architects and chartered professional engineers are automatically treated as Design 3 LBPs.

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The Quick Summary (60-Second Version)

If you only read one part of this guide, read this.

• Interior design is unregulated in NZ — no licence, no register, no protected title. Anyone can use the name.
• But design restricted building work must be done or supervised by someone holding a Design LBP licence class.
• Designers cannot contract out of the Certificate of Design Work obligation when preparing consent documents.
• Ask which Design area of practice they hold — Design 1, 2, or 3 — and check it on the public register.
• Interior work also pulls in electricians and plumbers, both licensed with their own public registers.
• Fees are usually hourly, fixed per stage, or a percentage of project cost — and there may be a product margin on top.

What an Interior Designer Actually Does — and Where the Law Draws a Line

A good interior designer solves the plan before they solve the palette. How you cook, where the laundry goes, how many people get ready at once in the morning — those questions come first. Layout, light and storage matter more than the finish, and a beautiful material palette on a bad plan stays a bad plan.

Where it gets legally interesting is when the design touches the building itself. Some design work is restricted building work, and that can only be carried out or supervised by someone holding a Design licence class. Design restricted building work includes preparing any drawing or specification according to which the primary structure of a house is proposed to be constructed or altered, or any external moisture-management system attached to the building is altered.

The Certificate of Design Work

When preparing plans, specifications and documents for a building consent application, designers must provide enough relevant information and must detail all restricted building work in the project in a Certificate of Design Work. Designers cannot contract out of this obligation.

In practice: if your interior project involves structural alterations, new openings, removing or adding load-bearing walls, or altering the building envelope, an LBP designer has to be involved and a Certificate of Design Work has to be produced for the consent. Ask early. It is a screening question, and the answer tells you a lot.

The Design Licence Areas of Practice

There is one Design licence class, divided into three areas of practice. Design 1 covers drawings and specifications for Category 1 buildings. Design 2 covers Category 2. Design 3 covers Categories 1, 2 and 3 and also manages the design and construction process. New Zealand registered architects and chartered professional engineers are automatically treated as Design 3 LBPs.

Watch the Site licence trap. Site LBPs cover coordination and oversight, are not licensed to actually carry out building work, cannot carry out or supervise restricted building work, and cannot issue Records of Building Work. If someone's only LBP class is Site, they cannot sign off your restricted work — no matter how experienced they are on site.

The Other Licensed Trades in an Interior Project

Interior work routinely involves trades that are licensed, and both operate within their own licence classes. An interior designer who coordinates trades should expect you to verify those licences independently — and a good one will encourage it.

Both the electrical and plumbing registers are free to search and take minutes. The class or endorsement has to cover the specific work being done — a licensed practitioner in the wrong class is effectively unlicensed for that job.

What Actually Distinguishes One Designer From Another

Whether they ask how you live in the space rather than starting with a mood board. Whether they can produce technical documentation a builder can price and build from, or only a concept. Whether they hold a design LBP licence if the work needs one. Whether they are honest about budget — a designer who shows you options you cannot afford is not designing for you.

Also worth asking: whether they specify products actually available in New Zealand with a realistic lead time, whether they will work with what you already own, and whether the fee structure is clear. The best value in interiors is usually in the layout, the light and the joinery — not the tapware.

How the Fees Are Structured

Interior design fees commonly take one of three shapes: an hourly or daily rate, a fixed fee per stage or per room, or a percentage of the project cost. On top of the fee there may be a margin taken on products and furniture the designer supplies. Ask directly whether that margin exists, because it changes the advice you get.

The project cost breaks into design fees, joinery and cabinetry (usually the largest single item), surfaces and finishes, fixtures, furniture, lighting and electrical work, window treatments, and the trade labour to install it all. The honest framing: the fee is the small number and the joinery is the big one. Ask what the joinery allowance is, because that is where a budget most often fails.

Questions You Might Have

Do I need a licensed designer for a cosmetic refresh?

No. Paint, furniture, soft furnishings and styling do not touch restricted building work, so no LBP licence is required. The moment the plan changes structure or the building envelope, that changes. If you are unsure, describe the work to your council before you start.

How do I check whether a designer holds a Design LBP licence?

Ask for their licence ID — digital or a printout, which carries a QR code you can scan. Or search the public LBP register directly. The register shows whether they are licensed, their licence class, their area of practice, and whether they have been disciplined in the last three years.

What if I am unhappy with the designer's work?

The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 applies to the service. It must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Give the designer a chance to fix the problem first — in writing — before you consider getting it remedied elsewhere, because going elsewhere first can cost you your remedy.

Can a designer take a margin on products they recommend?

Sometimes, yes. It is not unlawful, but it should be disclosed. Ask whether the fee is a flat amount or whether the designer also earns on the products they specify. A designer who answers that question plainly is a designer who has thought about it.

Where does a dispute go if it cannot be resolved?

The Disputes Tribunal can settle claims up to $60,000 — the limit rose from $30,000 on 24 January 2026. Fees range from $62 for claims under $2,000 up to $496 for claims between $30,001 and $60,000. Free help with a claim is available from the Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law Centres.

What Matters Most

The single most useful thing to know is that interior design sits on a boundary. The occupation is unregulated, but the work is not always. If your project moves walls, changes structure, or touches the building envelope, you need a Design LBP in the right area of practice, and you need a Certificate of Design Work for the consent.

Ask that question before you look at a single mood board. It is a two-minute check that tells you whether the person in front of you can actually deliver what you are asking for.

Beyond that, the same rules apply as to any trade: get the fee structure in writing, agree the allowances, check the licensed trades independently, and keep a paper trail. Get those right and the design is the fun part.