For more than a decade, KFD Interiors and founder Kirsten Ford have been recognised by New Zealand and international media - across television, online, and print - for a considered, architecturally-led approach to high-end residential interiors.

 

Television

NZ'S Best Homes With Phil Spencer · TVNZ 1 / TVNZ+ · Series 1, 2024

Cliffhanger - Featured on NZ's Best Homes with Phil Spencer, Episode 1

KFD Interiors' Cliffhanger project - designed in collaboration with Studio John Irving Architects - was selected as one of the hero homes in the opening episode of the TVNZ series, which drew an average audience of 490,000 viewers on its first night. The clifftop new build on Auckland's North Shore was celebrated for its dramatic interplay of blackened concrete, waxed steel, and cedar.

Online & Digital Press

Channel Magazine • North Shore • Monthly

KFD Interiors' Regular Design Column

KFD Interiors' founder, Kirsten Ford, contributes a monthly column to Channel Magazine, sharing practical design expertise, emerging trends, and thoughtful inspiration with homeowners across Auckland's North Shore.

The Local Project (AU) · September 2023

Unexpected Encounter - Cliffhanger by Studio John Irving Architects

Australian architecture and design publication The Local Project featured Cliffhanger as a full project profile, with KFD Interiors' interior design described as a refined counterpoint to the home's exposed concrete and waxed-steel structure above the Auckland coastline.

Property Style · NZ Sotheby's · June 2023

KFD Interiors as featured in Property Style

KFD Interiors was featured in the prestige property and design publication produced by NZ Sotheby's International Realty, showcasing the studio's residential interior design work to a high-net-worth readership.

NZ Herald on Sunday - Reset · 2022 / 2023

KFD Curated featured in the Herald on Sunday Reset Supplement

KFD Curated - the curated furnishings and product arm of KFD Interiors - was featured in the NZ Herald on Sunday's Reset lifestyle supplement, introducing the brand's carefully selected range of home furnishing products.

Stuff - Homed · March 2023

Major renovation saves homeowners from selling Auckland home

Stuff's Homed section profiled a KFD Interiors full renovation of a 1950s Milford home, showing how considered interior design transformed an outdated property into a home the owners chose to stay in rather than sell.

HOME Magazine · February / March 2022

KFD Interiors featured in HOME Magazine

KFD Interiors' work appeared in the February–March 2022 issue of HOME Magazine, New Zealand's premier architecture and design publication, presenting the studio's approach to considered residential interiors.

HOME Magazine · December 2021 / January 2022

KFD Interiors featured in HOME Magazine

KFD Interiors was featured across two consecutive issues of HOME Magazine in late 2021 and early 2022, reflecting sustained editorial interest in the studio's high-end residential portfolio.

NZ House & Garden · May 2021

KFD Interiors featured in NZ House & Garden

KFD Interiors' residential work was featured in the May 2021 issue of New Zealand's leading home and interiors magazine, NZ House & Garden.

RMB - House of the Year · 2021

KFD Interiors in the House of the Year 2021 Publication

KFD Interiors' work was included in the official Auckland and Northland / Coromandel 2021 House of the Year publication, recognising exceptional residential design and build quality.

NZ House & Garden · 2020 - Home of the Month

Element of Surprise - Home of the Month

KFD Interiors was awarded Home of the Month in NZ House & Garden, with the feature showcasing a family home north of Auckland that proves family-friendly interiors can be bold, stylish, and full of personality.

Food Magazine · Winter 2019

KFD Interiors featured in Food Magazine, Winter edition

KFD Interiors' approach to kitchen design and entertaining spaces was featured in the winter edition of Food Magazine, connecting considered interior design with the New Zealand love of food and home entertaining.

Channel Magazine · June 2019

Translating Milan's Latest Design Trends for Your Home

Following her trip to the Salone Internazionale del Mobile as New Zealand's competition winner, Kirsten Ford shared how the global trends she observed in Milan could be interpreted for North Shore and Auckland homes.

M2 Woman Magazine · 2019

North Shore Designer Wins Place at Milan's Salone del Mobile

M2 Woman Magazine covered Kirsten Ford's selection as New Zealand's winner of the Schneider Electric global competition, highlighting her journey from the North Shore to Milan's prestigious international design fair.

Stuff · April 2019

Reflections from Milan's famous furniture fair, Salone del Mobile

Kirsten Ford contributed a first-person column to Stuff following the 2019 Salone del Mobile, sharing emerging design trends - including the shift away from grey toward richer, warmer palettes - with a nationwide readership.

Lucire · April 2019

Kirsten Ford represents New Zealand at the Salone del Mobile competition

International fashion and lifestyle magazine Lucire profiled Kirsten Ford as New Zealand's sole representative in the Schneider Electric global design competition, which secured her a trip to the 58th Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan.

Channel Magazine · April 2019

Talking Design with Kirsten Ford

Channel Magazine profiled Kirsten Ford ahead of her Milan trip, introducing her studio and approach to creating homes that reflect each client's individual personality, lifestyle, and values.

Stuff - Regional Newspapers · May 2019

Milan Design Tips - syndicated across regional newspapers

Following the 2019 Salone del Mobile, Kirsten Ford's design insights were syndicated across Stuff's regional network - from the Manawatu Property Weekly to the Marlborough Express - with practical takeaways from Milan's design week.

Good · April 2019

Kirsten Ford's Milan design highlights

Good featured Kirsten Ford in its April edition, sharing her highlights from Milan's Salone del Mobile and the standout interior trends she brought home to inspire New Zealand spaces.

NZ Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly · 2019

KFD Interiors featured in NZ Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly

KFD Interiors' kitchen and bathroom design work was featured in the specialist trade and consumer publication covering the New Zealand kitchen and bathroom industry.

Kovacs Design Furniture · November 2018

Interior-gation: Kirsten Ford

New Zealand furniture brand Kovacs Design interviewed Kirsten Ford about her design philosophy, her transition from corporate marketing to interior design, and her approach to sourcing considered, well-crafted pieces.

 
 

International Award Highlight

Schneider Electric Global Design Competition
- New Zealand Winner

Milan, Italy · Salone Internazionale Del Mobile 2019

Kirsten Ford was selected by an international judging panel as New Zealand's sole winner in the Schneider Electric Global Interior Design Competition - one of seven national winners chosen from across Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and Spain. Her winning entry was the interiors of Cliffhanger, a dramatic clifftop new build by Studio John Irving Architects on Auckland's North Shore. As New Zealand's winner she received an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the 58th Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, hosting over 2,000 international exhibitors. The same home was later selected for Episode 1 of TVNZ's NZ's Best Homes with Phil Spencer in 2024.

Schneider Electric Global Design Competition Logos
 

 
 

About KFD Interiors

KFD Interiors is an award-winning Auckland interior design studio, working across high-end homes and boutique commercial spaces, founded in 2016 by Kirsten Ford - a designer whose work is defined by luxurious, timeless interiors with signature style and edge.

Kirsten’s approach draws on her formal training with the New Zealand Interior Design Institute, a 15-year corporate marketing background, and years living and working in Europe. This breadth of experience shapes KFD Interior’s approach: beautifully considered interiors, delivered with the discipline and precision that complex projects demand.

The studio works across new builds, full renovations and bespoke interior schemes - managing every detail from concept through to completion, alongside architects, builders and trusted trades.

KFD Interiors’ work has earned recognition both locally and internationally, including Kirsten’s selection as the New Zealand winner of a Schneider Electric global design competition - an honour that took her to Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. The studio’s commentary and projects have been featured across HOME Magazine, NZ House & Garden, The Local Project, Stuff, Channel Magazine, Lucire and NZ Kitchens & Bathrooms, with projects appearing in Registered Master Builders House of the Year publications. This collection of press features, design awards and media recognition reflects the quality of KFD Interiors’ work and its established presence within New Zealand interior design.