MICHAEL MANSVELT DESIGN
Gardens, Interiors, Houses
Welcome to Michael Mansvelt Design, where inspiring Gardens, Interiors, and thoughtful House design come to life in remarkable ways. We are an interdisciplinary design studio crafting spaces that are inspired by the beauty of nature and meticulously tailored to align with your unique vision. Let us assist you in creating beauty in the details, ensuring that your environment reflects your personality and lifestyle — no matter where you are in the world.
About Michael Mansvelt
Michael Mansvelt Design is an award-winning design firm specialising in landscape, interior, and architectural projects, both across New Zealand and internationally. Founded by Michael Mansvelt, a designer of Māori (Te Arawa) and Dutch heritage, the firm is renowned for its ability to create beautiful, timeless spaces that blend sophistication with practical elegance. Mansvelt’s unique design aesthetic draws on time-honoured principles, yet applies them in fresh, innovative ways that breathe life into every project.
With over three decades of experience, Michael Mansvelt has cultivated a broad and loyal client base, working on a diverse range of projects that span from large country gardens and new home builds to urban interiors, cafés, and restaurants. His approach is grounded in the philosophy that true luxury can be found in everyday moments and spaces. By drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of Aotearoa’s diverse landscapes—lush gardens, pristine beaches, fertile farmlands, and vibrant cityscapes—Mansvelt integrates the outdoors seamlessly into his designs, creating spaces that are as functional as they are visually stunning.
His philosophy is captured in his book Everyday Opulence, which explores the idea that luxury is accessible to everyone, regardless of design budget or space constraints. In the book, Mansvelt offers practical tips and creative ideas for enhancing one’s environment, showing that elegance can be woven into the fabric of everyday life. He advocates for a design approach where opulence is not reserved for the extraordinary but can be integrated into the daily, transforming any space into a haven of comfort and sophistication.
Throughout his career, Mansvelt has garnered recognition not just for his design projects but also for his appearances on New Zealand television shows such as Mucking In and Back to Basics. His work has been featured in leading national publications, including NZ House & Garden, Stuff, Urbis, Your Home and Garden, and Trends. One of his most iconic projects, Te Arai Lodge, was showcased on Grand Designs New Zealand.
Michael Mansvelt Design provides a comprehensive service, guiding clients from the initial concept phase through to plant and product selection, construction, and project management if required. Whether transforming a garden, reimagining an interior, or designing a home from the ground up, the team works closely with clients to bring their vision to life—always with an emphasis on creating spaces that inspire and endure.
GARDENS
Immersive landscapes crafted to evoke natural elegance and serenity.
With nearly 30 years of award-winning experience, Michael Mansvelt Design transforms landscapes into refined, living works of art. Drawing inspiration from Aotearoa’s natural beauty, our gardens are crafted to harmonise with their surroundings, blending native and exotic flora in thoughtfully structured spaces that invite exploration and tranquility. Our expertise in identifying areas to highlight, and layered design creates immersive sanctuaries that evolve with the seasons, ensuring each garden offers enduring elegance and a unique sense of place.
Gardens with structure have a strong identity.
Those without structure can appear random, and an observer can only appreciate the beauty of individual plants.
Structure, however, guides our gaze and connects the garden to the house and environments.
Although a collection of favorite plants may seem liberating, a thoughtful approach enhances the overall design.
Structuring a garden considering a plant's form, function, and emotional impact allows for a more memorable creation for all to enjoy.
Project Spotlight:
Legacy Garden, 2013
For this project, we crafted a legacy garden that harmonises with the owners' boomerang-shaped home and their love for native plants. Our team established a central axis lined with majestic rimu trees, creating a powerful visual spine that ties the garden to the home’s unique angles. We carefully balanced structure with softness, incorporating native species like kōwhai and tī kōuka to bring year-round colour, fragrance, and support for local wildlife, while a border of Manchurian pears allows winter sunlight to flood into the home.
In the heart of the property, we designed an inviting outdoor lanai featuring a fireplace and pizza oven, making it a perfect gathering spot with views over the garden. Our work extended to establishing an orchard and kitchen garden for seasonal abundance, introducing shade-loving plants as the garden matured, and adding unique elements like a fishpond and terracotta urns. This evolving landscape now thrives as a serene sanctuary, blending formal structure with lush, natural beauty for the owners to enjoy year-round.
INTERIORS
Sophisticated interiors, thoughtfully layered for timeless allure and warmth
We are proud of our award-winning interiors, where we pride ourselves on interiors that are both stylish and deeply personal. Our approach layers texture, colour, and art to create visually stunning, welcoming spaces that are timeless yet uniquely tailored. By blending contemporary and classic elements, our interiors are curated to reflect each home’s style, resulting in sophisticated yet non-fussy retreats that inspire and endure — A testament to our collaborative relationships and processes with our clients.
“We all have unique gifts and personalities. Humanity and nature are a celebration and showcase of diversity. Every person sees the world differently and our homes should reflect that. To me, painting walls all white only, or strictly following the latest ‘copy and paste’ trend, stifles our imagination and creativity.” - Michael
“Safe” choices inhibit great interior design; instead embrace the exuberance of colour, pattern, and texture.
Introduce unpredictable elements that invite a sense of joy and wonder. Pattern — whether through wallpaper, fabric, or tile — breathes life and personality into a home.
It’s in these moments of creative risk that truly remarkable spaces emerge.
Interiors Project Spotlight:
1990s redesign
This interior refurbishment of a 1990s house gave a much needed aesthetic update while working within the homes original intent and style. Here with the help of highly skilled crafts-people and a little imagination. we gave the interiors of this home another life. Chocolate toned walnut. pavlova cream, limestone and jade velvet colours amplify the opulence of natures bounty outside, viewable from the many large windows in this home, and offset by accents of our signature navy blue accents. A semi circular window became my muse for the recessed ceiling in the formal lounge area, and pure NZ Wool carpet and the circular custom made sofa echoed the pièce de résistance above.
HOUSES
Refined sanctuaries that harmoniously blend luxury with nature’s beauty.
We are proud to create and curate spaces that sensibly merge luxury with grounded functionality. Each project reflects our dedication to timeless design, with carefully selected natural materials and bespoke details that enhance both opulence with sustainability. By creating a harmonious flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, our homes become personal havens, designed with a sophisticated touch that speaks to the heart of refined living.
House Project Spotlight:
Taupo Lakehouse
We transformed this Taupo house into a refined lakeside retreat that honours both our client’s vision and the natural beauty of its surroundings. We refreshed the exterior with crisp white brick and cedar accents, creating a timeless and low-maintenance facade. Inside, we curated a palette of blues, greens, and golds, echoing the lake and landscape, while integrating luxurious materials like mahogany and custom limestone finishes to create a warm and enduring sanctuary. By adapting our design to reflect the clients’ desire for a harmonious and welcoming space, we crafted a home that truly celebrates Lake Taupo’s essence.
We believe a home should feel like it truly belongs — to the landscape, its context, and to the people living in it.
Our approach is all about creating spaces that blend naturally with their surroundings, using materials and forms that stand the test of time.
We design houses that feel as comfortable as they are refined, bringing together elegance and a deep sense of place and belonging.
Luxury Accomodation
Tailored elegance for luxury accommodation that inspire, indulge, and leave a lasting impression.
We have been fortunate to apply our expertise to luxury accommodation, with projects like Te Arai Lodge — featured on Grand Designs New Zealand — and St Georges by the Sea. Working with the owners Vince and Cathy, Te Arai Lodge showcases our combined architectural approach to blend functional design with breathtaking, opulent landscapes, crafting a hideaway that harmonises with its natural setting.
At St Georges by the Sea, we curated interiors that combine elegance with comfort, reflecting the beauty of the coastal surroundings in every luxurious detail.
Each project exemplifies our commitment to creating high-end spaces that offer a refined, immersive experience for guests.
Luxury accommodation project spotlight:
St Georges by the Sea
The interiors at St. Georges by the Sea demonstrates our approach to luxury accommodation, blending refined elegance with functional comfort. Situated within this stunning coastal property in Taranaki, New Zealand, the communal areas and rooms combines open, airy spaces with beautiful views or private spaces, to harmonise beautifully with the breaktaking surroundings and volcanic river stone abundant on the grounds. Each space has a mix of high-end furnishings and familiar pieces that delight the owners, my beautiful clients, who use the property as their summer retreat from their primary base in Canada.
St Georges by the Sea reflect both Caribbean-inspired architecture and the coastal beauty of Taranaki that celebrate both the mountain and sea views. We understood our role to help the owners, and visitors to the retreat, feel at once, both elegant and comfortable
Everyday Opulence
By Michael Mansvelt, Photography by Gina Fabish, Foreword by Reuben Patterson, RRP NZ$69.95
"Everyday Opulence" published by Bateman Books and released 1 October 2024, is Michael Mansvelt’s first book. Michael invites readers into his vision for bringing paradise home. Luxurious yet inviting, this book explores how true beauty and tranquility stem from creating spaces that reflect personal joy and harmony with the surrounding landscape. Michael, a New Zealand-based landscape, home, and interior designer with over three decades of experience, shares his philosophy on enhancing daily life through thoughtful touches—whether it's a plush velvet sofa, textured seagrass wallpaper, or vibrant planters filled with orchids. Embrace a touch of opulence and let it enrich your soul and space. A perfect Christmas present gift, click on button to find retailers.
Recent media for Everyday Opulence:
Michael Mansvelt on creating beautiful spaces, no matter the place or budget - Radio interview on RNZ’s Nine to Noon show with Kathryn Ryan
Michael Mansvelt and a question of opulence - The Post/Stuff NZ Q&A with Helen Harvey
Everyday Opulence book review - Karen McMillian for NZ Book Lovers
Follow us: socials
Stay inspired and connected with Michael Mansvelt Design on social media, on Instagram and Facebook, where we share our latest projects, behind-the-scenes moments, and design insights. Follow along to see how we bring elegance and natural beauty to life in our gardens, interiors, and homes, and join us on our journey of timeless, sophisticated design.
You can also follow Jungle Nurseries on Instagram and Facebook, or visit us if you are in New Plymouth
Contract us
Contact us for a design consultation
At Michael Mansvelt Design, we invite clients to experience our collaborative approach, whether seeking garden design, house design, interior design, or the seamless integration of all three.
Guided by a commitment to creating a true sense of place, our process is tailored to deliver stylish, timeless design that reflects your vision.
With meticulous attention to aesthetics and functionality, we manage each project from concept to completion, ensuring it’s delivered on time and within budget, transforming your space into something uniquely enduring and effortlessly elegant.
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Please phone or email us with any inquiry you may have, whether it be for advice, to talk about your new garden or the house of your dreams, our experienced team look forward to assisting you.
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The next stage is to book in for an initial site-based consultation. This is to establish your vision for the project and the design brief in which we use to plan and design from. This stage is important to understand your exact requirements, the scope of the job and any site factors to take into consideration when designing. After the initial consultation, we will email you with the costings for any further design work before moving forward.
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Landscape Design, Interior Design and Architectural Design: We produce a full set of plans, 3D modelling, Elevations, planting plan and design details.
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We offer a specialist in-house project management service to take your project through to completion.
Contact Us
From concept to completion, we’re here to bring your design vision to life. Our client-focused approach fosters your ideas, addresses any concerns, and delivers craftsmanship we can all take pride in — just as many of our previous clients have.