Motide Raglan

The details in place. 🙌

A few close-ups of the ebonised joinery, natural oak accents, and finished surfaces now that this piece is installed in its home.🖤🤎🖤

Do you have a space in your home that needs a custom solution?
Drop us a DM or visit the link in our bio to chat through your project. We’d love to hear from you 😊



OSMO New Zealand

A chemical reaction, not a stain. 🪵🖤

Ebonising is one of our favorite ways to shift the tone of timber. By applying an iron solution (made from steel wool and vinegar), we trigger a natural reaction with the wood’s own tannins. It permanently darkens the fibers from the inside out, keeping the unique grain completely visible.

To protect the timber and lock in that deep almost black tone for the long haul, we finished it with a coat of Danish oil followed by Osmo oil.

Swipe through to see the workshop process, the grain pop during finishing, and the heavy on-site assembly as it all comes together. 🏋️‍♀️🏋️

Want to chat about a custom piece or a kitchen project for your own space? Send us a DM-we’d love to bring your ideas to life. ❤️



Custom timber furniture | plywood kitchens |bespoke joinery | ebonised wood | solid wood woodworks raglan |

Sometimes the biggest changes in life start with the smallest things.🌈

Looking back at these old photos, we can’t help but smile. At the time, we didn’t know where these little moments would lead.

It started with making a few toys for our daughter. A little wooden buggy. A few projects in the workshop. Simple things made with our own hands. 🧸

But somewhere along the way, we realised it wasn’t just about making things. It was about creating a home and a life that reflected what mattered to us - natural materials, thoughtful design, and things made to last. 💚

Those small beginnings eventually became Motide.

And even today, those same values are at the heart of everything we create.

Thank you for being part of our journey ♥️



I’ll be doing a little series of posts inspired by Martha and her Martha Keith ✱ Business Secrets Club .

From our workshop to your doorstep... ✨

Building a custom piece is the fun part. But ensuring a heavy, solid wood vanity survives a bumpy courier ride? That is a whole different workout. 😅

The tools might be down, but the job isn’t done until we know it’s 100% safe. We wedge, brace, and wrap every single corner so nothing can move a millimeter on the road. For this order, we also tucked a little handmade chopping board into the drawer as a surprise thank-you before the tape went on as it went all the way to Dunedin.

Update: This beauty has officially landed in its new home, completely safe, sound, and scratch-free. The wrestling match with the box was totally worth it. 💪😉

Around here, almost every day is Boxing Day. 🎁
If you’re ready to bring something truly unique, handmade, and custom-designed into your home, we’d love to build it for you (and wrap it with a ridiculous amount of care).

🔗 Tap the link in our bio to get in touch about your next project, or send us a DM!

handmadecabinetry plywoodkitchen customvanity fortheloveofplywood plywoodkitchens ikeahack mo-keakitchens

There is nothing quite like the text you get from a client who is completely over the moon. 🎉

The initial brief for this client vanity was clean, but looking at the raw samples on the bench, we knew it needed more character to hit that true modern-retro vibe.
So, we switched things up! We traded the original Birch concept for the rich grain of Gaboon plywood, paired it with solid blackwood, and grounded it all with timeless black steel legs.

It actually just left the workshop and landed in its new home—and the client is absolutely over the moon! (We even threw in a matching custom chopping board from the leftover blackwood offcuts to say thanks).

Beyond one-off showpieces, we love bringing spaces to life. We design and craft sustainable custom furniture and full kitchens from scratch.

Plus, we’ve just launched our custom IKEA kitchen and wardrobe fronts—giving you that high-end workshop quality on standard layouts.

(Oh, and for the DIY crew: we also offer interior design and CNC-ready drafting if you just want your designs prepped for the local cutshop!)

Drop a comment below—would you have stuck with the original Birch look, or are you team Gaboon? 👇

📲 Ready to upgrade your space?
Shoot us a DM for a casual chat about your ideas, or hit follow to see what we’re building next!

VanityDesign ModernRetro FurnitureDesign CabinetMaking DIYRenovation CNCDrafting

We don’t design showroom kitchens. We design beautiful workhorses. 🛠️✨

I wanted to show you the X-ray. Every orange line you see was a decision made about where your hands go, where the steam vents, and how to keep those 2.5mm gaps perfect.

Good design is usually about the stuff you don’t notice until it’s missing. Like the integrated rangehood (hidden in the lines!) or a spice drawer placed exactly where you’re standing at the stove.

We obsessed over the technical side not because we’re obsessed with details - okay, maybe a little - but because these details are what make a house feel easy to live in.

Safe design is easy. Unboring- balancing a high-voltage yellow concrete benchtop with plywood that can take a real-life beating, this where the joy is.

What’s the one thing in your kitchen that drives you crazy? For me, it’s always the ‘lucky dip’ drawers. 👇

And if you’re new here, WELCOME. As you can see, we’re obsessed with the ‘logic inside the plywood’ - the bridge between a technical drawing and a kitchen that actually stands up to a Monday morning scramble.
If you like to see more of the thoughts behind the design, follow along!

🧡🧡🧡

The best way to end a long weekend. 🌙

It’s been a beautiful few days here in Raglan - slow mornings, coastal air, and some sunsets that make you wanna stay a little longer.

Watching this home transition from the pink hues of sunset to the bright midday energy into that warm, interior glow is a reminder of why we design for the full 24 hours.

A home shouldn’t just look good in a photo; it should support you from your first coffee to the final ‘goodnight’.

I’m looking forward to getting back into the workshop tomorrow. I’ll be sharing some of the finer joinery details from this build, along with a ‘perfectly imperfect’ story about our latest ‘Local RAG’ feature. 📖✨

Hope your Easter was restorative. See you in the morning!

This is what it looks like to design for dopamine✨

There’s a lot of talk about ‘safe’ design or design rules, but my favorite projects are the ones where we throw the rulebook away and focus on what actually makes the person living there feel good.

Our client told me that every time he walks through his front door, he sees this fluorescent line glowing in his kitchen and it’s an instant mood-lifter. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s the heartbeat of the whole home.

Working on this project was a huge reminder for me that:

Yellow can pull the sun into a room, even when it’s pouring outside. 🌧️

Red creates a little ‘exclamation point’ that naturally draws people together.

Pink acts like a visual deep breath at the end of a long day.

We’re often taught to think about ‘the next owner’, but I think there’s so much power in building for the person you are right now. From the sustainable plywood to these pops of color, this home wasn’t built to be ‘correct’—it was built to be loved. 🩷🧡💚

I’d love to know—if you could add one ‘happy’ color to your home without overthinking it, what would it be? 👇

Let me know in the comments or send me heart in your favourite colour 💓

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