The best interior designers in Timaru handle far more than colour cards, taking on full renovations, new builds, commercial fit-outs and the custom curtains, blinds, upholstery and furniture that finish a room. Whether you need one window measured or a whole house scheme drawn up, South Canterbury has designers who work in your home as readily as from a showroom. Deborah Still Design and Maree Hynes Interiors lead the list below.
1Deborah Still Design
Deborah Still Design is a Timaru studio led by Deborah Still, who has more than 40 years in New Zealand interior design and over 1200 completed projects behind her. The practice covers residential renovation, commercial new builds and fit-outs, with sourcing, procurement and project management carried through to completion. Consultations run from the Seaview studio by appointment or by video, which suits clients further afield in Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
Services
- Residential interior design for renovations and new builds
- Custom window treatments, curtains and blinds
- Sourcing and procurement of furniture, finishes and materials
- Project management from concept through to completion
Highlights
- More than 40 years working at the forefront of New Zealand design
- Over 1200 projects completed
- ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Accreditation achieved in 1994, which is unusual for an interior design practice
- Specialist experience reimagining heritage and industrial buildings, including the restoration of The Empire Hotel in Timaru
- Commercial work across medical, dental and education fit-outs, with repeat Canterbury clients
Location & Contact
Name: Deborah Still Design
Address: 18 Matilda St, Seaview, Timaru 7910 (by appointment only)
Phone: 03 688 9673
Website: deborahstilldesign.co.nz
2Maree Hynes Interiors
Maree Hynes Interiors pairs an award-winning design service with a large showroom at Harlau on Beaconsfield Road, a couple of minutes south of Timaru. Maree Hynes brings more than 25 years of experience and works with her interiors team on projects of any size, from dressing a single room to a full new build or renovation. The showroom carries furniture, lighting, homewares and window furnishings, and shares its country setting with the Harlau House Cafe.
Services
- Interior design for new builds and renovations
- Colour consultancy and room dressing
- Custom drapes, curtains and blinds
- Upholstery
- Furniture, lighting and homewares from the showroom and online store
Highlights
- Award-winning interior designer with more than 25 years of experience
- Purpose-built showroom opened in 2022 on a country block south of Timaru
- Curtain and blind house lot packages from $7,750 for a three-bedroom home, including a $500 in-store voucher
- Complimentary measure and consultation before a quote is prepared
- Advice extends past window dressings to tiles, carpet and kitchen layout
Location & Contact
Name: Maree Hynes Interiors
Address: 253 Beaconsfield Road, Timaru
Phone: 03 686 6784
Website: mareehynesinteriors.co.nz
3McKenzie & Willis
McKenzie & Willis runs Timaru as a mobile, in-home service rather than a shop, with design consultants Sheryll Mcleod and Megan Dooley travelling to clients across South Canterbury. The work covers full interior design, spatial planning, furniture and lighting selection and custom window furnishings, on whole-home renovations, commercial projects and single-room makeovers. The wider business has been furnishing New Zealand homes since 1906, and its curtains and fabric blinds are made in the company workroom in Christchurch.
Services
- Full-service interior design, including spatial planning and furniture and lighting design
- Custom-made curtains, including blockout, thermal and sheer styles
- Custom-made blinds and shutters, with motorised options
- Design proposals with sketches, material samples and 3D renderings
- Project management and coordination with local tradespeople
Highlights
- Trading since 1906, with more than 120 years behind the business
- Two Timaru-based consultants, Sheryll Mcleod and Megan Dooley, who stay with a project from first consultation through to installation
- Complimentary in-home consultation, with a mobile design van carrying the full curtain fabric and blind sample gallery
- Curtains and fabric blinds made in the company’s own Christchurch workroom
- New home curtains and blinds package from $7,999
Location & Contact
Name: McKenzie & Willis
Address: Timaru (mobile in-home service across South Canterbury)
Phone: 0800 888 999
Website: mcw.nz
4Petronella’s Interior Design
Petronella’s Interior Design is a South Canterbury studio run by Ineke Winkelman from Hilton Highway, just north of Timaru. The work spans colour schemes, custom window furnishings, wallpaper, upholstery and home staging, alongside kitchen and bathroom design. The studio deliberately takes on a small number of clients at a time and works by appointment, which suits people who want one designer across the whole project.
Services
- Interior and exterior colour schemes specified in Resene and Dulux
- Custom-made curtains, roman blinds, roller blinds, shutters and honeycomb blinds
- Wallpaper, wall panels and murals from international manufacturers
- Upholstery and soft furnishings, including cushions, throws, bedding and rugs
- Home staging for spec homes and properties going to market
Highlights
- Ineke Winkelman graduated with a Diploma in Interior Design in 2006
- Winner of the National Master Joiners Best Kitchen Design Award
- Kitchen and bathroom design offered alongside decorating and furnishing work
- Construction industry knowledge, coordinating trades and sub-trades through a project
- Bespoke furniture developed with New Zealand makers including David Shaw, Kovacs and Timbersoul
Location & Contact
Name: Petronella’s Interior Design
Address: 106 Hilton Highway, Timaru 7910
Phone: 021 027 21230
Website: petronellasdesign.com
Interior Designers in Timaru at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Deborah Still Design | Seaview | More than 40 years working at the forefront of New Zealand design |
| Maree Hynes Interiors | Timaru | Award-winning interior designer with more than 25 years of experience |
| McKenzie & Willis | — | Trading since 1906, with more than 120 years behind the business |
| Petronella’s Interior Design | Timaru | Ineke Winkelman graduated with a Diploma in Interior Design in 2006 |
How to Choose the Right Interior Designer in Timaru
- Decide whether you want a full design service or help with one element, such as a colour scheme or window furnishings, because studios are structured and priced differently for each.
- Ask where the work is actually made. Curtains, blinds and upholstery may be sewn locally, made in a Christchurch workroom, or imported, and that changes lead times.
- Check whether the designer will come to you. Fabric, paint and carpet read very differently in your own light than under showroom lighting.
- Match the designer to the building. Heritage restorations, commercial fit-outs and new builds each call for different experience and different suppliers.
- Confirm who manages the trades. Some designers coordinate builders, painters and installers themselves, while others hand over a scheme and leave delivery to you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Timaru Interior Designers
How much does an interior designer in Timaru cost?
It depends entirely on scope, and most studios quote after an initial consultation rather than publishing hourly rates. Some package pricing is public: Maree Hynes Interiors lists curtain and blind house lot packages from $7,750 for a three-bedroom home, and McKenzie and Willis lists a new home curtains and blinds package from $7,999. Ask early whether the first consultation is charged, fixed fee, or credited against the job.
Do Timaru interior designers charge for the first consultation?
It varies by studio. Maree Hynes Interiors advertises a complimentary measure and consultation, and McKenzie and Willis offers a free in-home consultation for curtains and blinds. Design-led studios such as Deborah Still Design and Petronella’s Interior Design start with a booked consultation, so confirm the fee and what it covers before you book.
Do I need building consent for an interior renovation?
Cosmetic work such as painting, wallpapering, new curtains, carpet and furniture does not need consent. Consent is generally required once you remove or alter structural walls, change plumbing or drainage, or change what a room is used for. Timaru District Council processes consents for the district, and the national rules and exemptions are set out by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment at building.govt.nz.
What is the difference between an interior designer and an architect?
An interior designer works within the existing shell on layout, finishes, colour, lighting, joinery specification and furnishings, and usually manages sourcing and installation. An architect or a licensed building practitioner is the right call once the structure, the roofline or the building envelope changes. On larger renovations the two roles often run in parallel, with the designer handling everything the occupant sees and touches.
Can a Timaru interior designer take on commercial work?
Yes. Deborah Still Design has completed commercial fit-outs across medical, dental, education and hospitality projects, including the restoration of The Empire Hotel in Timaru. Petronella’s Interior Design also offers commercial schemes covering exterior and interior colour, custom joinery design and furniture selection.
Will a designer come to my house, or do I visit a showroom?
Both models operate in Timaru. McKenzie and Willis runs its Timaru service entirely in-home, with a design van carrying the full sample range. Maree Hynes Interiors has a showroom at Harlau on Beaconsfield Road. Deborah Still Design and Petronella’s Interior Design work by appointment from their studios and travel to clients, and Deborah Still Design also consults by video.
How far outside Timaru do these designers travel?
Deborah Still Design serves Canterbury, Otago and Southland. McKenzie and Willis covers South Canterbury, naming Ashburton, Geraldine, Temuka, Timaru, Waimate, Oamaru, Fairlie, Tekapo and Twizel. Maree Hynes Interiors and Petronella’s Interior Design both describe themselves as South Canterbury based, so it is worth asking about travel on projects outside the district.
How long do custom curtains and blinds take?
Lead times depend on fabric availability and workroom load rather than a fixed schedule. McKenzie and Willis makes its curtains and fabric blinds in its own Christchurch workroom, and Petronella’s Interior Design has curtains and roman blinds hand sewn locally, which both shorten the chain compared with imported ready-made products. Ask for an estimated installation date at quote stage, and allow extra time if the fabric is coming from an international textile house.
How We Chose the Best Interior Designers in Timaru
Every business in this guide was found by searching for interior designers in Timaru, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Timaru, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.