Design professionals Matt and Dan built their dream home

When design professionals Matt Genefaas and Dan Craig started searching for their first home, they quickly realised that in order to be truly happy, they’d need to start from scratch. Having relocated to Tauranga from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland just before Covid hit, the founders of homeware brand Made of Tomorrow had found themselves feeling a little displaced.

“We’d been burning the candle at both ends, working really hard to further establish Made of Tomorrow, and felt that we needed a change, so I took a job at a magazine in Tauranga,” says Matt. “The offer was a great opportunity that forced us to move here, but due to Covid, the job didn’t last very long. Eventually, though, as many people found during those times, our flame for Made of Tomorrow was reignited. That time allowed us to find more direction and motivation to make our business what we’d wanted it to be for a long time.

Cover image: Matt (left) and Dan in their living space, on their Muse sofa by Sarah Ellison, with a trio of Florence mirrors by McMullin & Co and a Parentesi lamp by Flos from ECC suspended beside them.

“After the first lockdown, we got a warehouse space, and from there Made of Tomorrow grew in leaps and bounds,” he continues. “Within a few months, we had two spaces and we recently moved into a new warehouse space and showroom in Tauriko. Made of Tomorrow really found itself and its style. At the beginning, we’d wanted it to become a household name, and now it has, which is quite surreal.”

The growth of the brand — for which Matt and Dan create minimalist, functional objects and paper goods to enhance everyday life, “designed in New Zealand with the essence of tomorrow’s trends” — presented the pair with an opportunity to buy their first house, but after viewing a few open homes, they still hadn’t found what they were looking for, so they started to search for the perfect plot of land instead. 

They spotted it on the outskirts of town, in the rural-adjacent suburb of Poike, in a new subdivision surrounded by paddocks and marshland, with an outlook across the water towards Mount Maunganui.

“It was Christmas Eve when we found it and fell in love with the view,” says Matt. “We decided we had to have it.”

Matt and Dan signed on with a local building company, who were excited about the collaborative project. They worked closely with the company’s architects to develop the plan they wanted, then hired their own contractors, suppliers and industry connections to bring it all to life. Having worked in design for eight years, when it came to the build, they discovered their aesthetic understanding and attention to detail were both a blessing and a curse. “We found that knowledge can be to your detriment!” says Matt.

Being 100% sure of what they wanted and conveying that to contractors was tricky at times, as they sought to execute their vision with precision and finesse. “We wanted to achieve a lot, but like most projects like this, we were balancing a budget,” says Matt. “We wanted to create a high-spec home as affordably as possible.”

And so they did. One of the many ways in which they made the three-bedroom home their own was to take the rectangular footprint and push out certain areas to slightly extend the floorplan, giving it different dimensions, creating areas of drama and paving the way for the bulkheads that have become much-loved elements in several spaces. Seeking to further enhance the feeling of expansiveness within the relatively modest 170m2, they also raised the height of the ceiling in the entryway and living areas to 5m.

As well as this soaring ceiling, the couple added all sorts of bespoke details to evoke the calm and sophisticated atmosphere they were after. For example, a Venetian plaster feature wall in the living space brings beautiful texture to the neutral palette beside full-height cavity sliders painted green with custom handles. They played on the lack of natural light in the main bathroom to create an elegant sanctuary with a dark grey ceiling and mosaic tiles that promote a feeling of luxury.

In drawing on their professional experience, the couple aimed to really showcase what they could do on a residential project. “To spark our creativity, we wanted to challenge ourselves with product design for our home, but we didn’t want any existing Made of Tomorrow pieces in the house,” says Dan. “Instead of bringing work home in that way, we created new pieces that have since become part of the Made of Tomorrow collection.”

Bringing in a boutique ambience to offset the stresses of their busy work life, Matt and Dan incorporated a fragrance pump into the ducted air conditioning. Any given moment will find them with soothing music playing and candles burning. They hardly ever use their downlights, preferring softer lamplight instead.

When asked about their favourite items, they find it hard to choose just one. “We don’t have a lot of stuff, but everything we do have has its place and purpose,” says Dan.

“Ultimately, we’re really proud of what we’ve created,” he continues. “This house is a product of us — every detail, big or small, from each paver to the way the outdoor wall curves, and almost every piece of furniture was designed by us. There’s a lot that goes into a build. This was a huge project and we didn’t have a team of interior designers making those calls.”

Next up for this creative duo? A one-way ticket to Indonesia. “We’ve decided to head to Bali for a while and see where it takes us,” says Matt. “Now the build is finished and the business is in a good place, we’re excited to get away and reset, and discover new inspirations to further fuel the fire.” 

Words Monique Hemmingson

Photography Adrienne Pitts