Milieu: Architecture + Design

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.