Furniture designer Paul Roest’s Kaukapakapa home and studio

Paul Roest’s business was unwittingly started by transforming an old pallet into a coffee table. Fast forward four years and he now employs three full-time employees and more part-timers in his Industrial Design NZ business, creating fit-outs and furniture for New Zealand businesses.

Paul uses his grandfather’s tools, which his dad brought with him when he emigrated from Holland.

Paul is hugely inspired by craftsmen and innovators worldwide. “I think cafes and restaurants all over the world just have such cool ideas and I love how everyone pushes the boundaries with design and materials all the time,” he says.

Paul spends a lot of his time sourcing materials that catch his eye and stockpiling them – they need about six months to dry out before they can be used.

The day’s offcuts of timber are brought home and put in Paul’s custom-made rustic firewood box (pictured above) to use to keep the family warm on winter nights.

Looking around Paul’s home which he shares with wife Silvana, 33, and one-year-old daughter Mila, it’s blatantly obvious he’s a keen DIYer with a penchant for wood.

Paul is big on upcycling, searching for old furniture that was hand-built with solid wood and carpentry skills, complete with dove-tailed joints, which he can strip back and give new life to with the right paint or stain.

“I’ve always loved the idea of making a product out of something that essentially has no value, then turning it into something that does,” Paul says.

Paul’s master’s in environmental science gave him a real awareness of how much material goes to landfill and the desire to repurpose materials.

The vinyl music station is one of many examples of a unique piece of furniture which Paul has toiled over.

An upcycled blue cabinet in the dining room.