Built to shine
Nightworks Studio has cemented its commitment to Christchurch with the opening of a purpose-built headquarters in Sydenham, creating a space that reflects both the company’s design philosophy and its ambitions for the future.
The new Lawson Street studio occupies a former warehouse that has been transformed into a light-filled, highly functional workspace tailored specifically to the needs of the growing lighting design business.
Led by Kiri Morgan, Nightworks Studio has built a reputation for refined, contemporary lighting that balances form and function. Its award-winning collections are recognised for exceptional craftsmanship, progressive manufacturing, and enduring quality, attracting clients throughout New Zealand, Australia, and an expanding international market.
After outgrowing the company’s central Christchurch premises, the search began for a new home. It took around 18 months to find the right building.
The studio has been designed with flexibility in mind. Movable curtains allow workspaces to expand or contract as required, ensuring the building can evolve alongside the business.
“We’ve designed it so it’s a flexible space,” Kiri says. “Should we ever outgrow an area, like our office space, it’s easy to expand or reconfigure.”
The project began by stripping the warehouse back to its shell before rebuilding it to suit the studio’s workflow. Today, it incorporates offices, meeting rooms, breakout spaces, storage, a finishing workshop, and a generous kitchen, all carefully considered to support both creativity and collaboration.
The material palette reflects the same philosophy seen in Nightworks Studio’s lighting collections.
“It represents who we are as a business,” Kiri says. “We’re creative in our use of materials.”
Rather than concealing the building’s industrial character, the team embraced it. Affordable OSB (oriented strand board) forms much of the interior structure, while scaffolding frames have been repurposed into workbenches. These raw materials are contrasted with premium lighting and refined finishes, softened by sheer curtains and whitewashed walls.
“We’ve used materials in a clever way,” Kiri says. “OSB is an affordable material that I love, but when paired with high-end fittings, it elevates everything.”
The project was also a hands-on effort, with every member of the Nightworks Studio team contributing to the transformation.
“We all chipped in and helped out,” Kiri says. “Everyone brought the space to life in one way or another.”
The creative thinking extends to the street frontage. Although the studio operates primarily by appointment, the team wanted something that engaged passers-by, commissioning Christchurch street artist Dcypher to create a mural using the company’s distinctive brand colours.
For Kiri, however, one of the greatest advantages of the move has been becoming part of Sydenham’s thriving maker community.
“What excites me about this space is the location to incredible manufacturers locally,” she says. “We have a whole lot of manufacturers within walking distance. We walk things to them, and they walk things back to us.”