Related Business Directory listing:
- 09 820 5051
- 621 Rosebank Rd
If you’ve never described a storage system as “life changing,” chances are you haven’t experienced Blum’s premium quality hardware.
“We create storage solutions that help people’s lives every day,” says Holly Pugh, Marketing Specialist at Blum. Think hinges, drawer runners, and other hardware. Every Blum product is manufactured in Austria, and most come with a limited lifetime guarantee. And inside Blum’s newly refreshed showroom on Rosebank Road, Kiwi designers and cabinetmakers can see the products in action across multiple areas of the home, including bathrooms, bedrooms, and entertainment areas.
“We’ve generally been perceived as just having hardware for the kitchen,” Holly says, “but we actually produce a lot more.”
Founded in Austria, the journey of this globally renowned hardware manufacturer started with a single stud – a horseshoe stud. From there, says Holly, “the business progressed into making hinges, and then it snowballed into the global company it is today.” Fifteen years ago, Blum took over an existing hardware company here in Aotearoa, and Blum New Zealand was founded. There are now two showrooms, one in Christchurch and the other here in Rosebank.
Blum’s customers are furniture designers and cabinetmakers, who come in to tour the showroom when they need inspiration or the perfect product to suit their next build. (Local designers and cabinetmakers have also built most of the showroom itself, combining Blum’s European manufacturing with top quality Kiwi design and craftmanship.)
“We don’t sell directly to consumers,” explains Holly, “so a homeowner wouldn’t come in off the street and purchase directly from our showroom.” Instead, designers specify the product – or, in layman’s terms, “the designers design a specific style of furniture, the cabinetmaker makes that style, and we provide all of the hardware.”
The motion technologies on offer go far beyond your average runners for the cutlery drawer. Soft closing BLUMOTION can be integrated into lift systems, doors, and drawers. Also at your fingertips – literally – are products for easy-open doors and drawers. “We have technologies like SERVO-DRIVE, an electronic function where you can open and close your cabinet with a light touch or the push of a button,” says Holly. “We’ve also got a mechanical technology called TIP-ON, which is where you just tap the cupboard and it will pop open.”
The Blum SPACE TOWER – a pull-out drawer system that allows access to your items from three sides – is the ultimate in space-saving storage. “It’s life changing,” says Holly. “That’s our premium pantry system, but it works really well in bathrooms and other areas as well.”
The refresh of the Rosebank Road showroom has allowed the Blum team to showcase the use of their hardware in a variety of ways. Focusing on different incorporations of their products across the home, the showroom features kitchen and lounge areas, a home office area, as well as solutions for the laundry and bathroom. “We’ve got a really cool custom-built couch where we’ve fitted runners and a drawer in one end,” says Holly. “You pull the drawer out, and it’s a rack for a couple of wine glasses and bottles. There’s also an area where you can see how to conceal a little home office with a pocket door system.”
Next year, she says, the showroom will add a complete bedroom unit. “We want our customers to see how the product flows and functions across different areas.”
Blum’s products stand out, Holly says, because of their enduring quality. “Our products go through years of testing before we launch them,” she says. “So when we launch a product, it’s pretty much perfect. It’s ready to go. Our products have limited lifetime guarantees because we know they will last a lifetime.”
The longevity of the Blum New Zealand team is indicative of a high quality internal culture, too. “A majority of the staff here have been here for 10+ years,” says Holly. “We have some people who were here with the company before it became Blum, so that’s 30+ plus years. We’ve got some absolute veterans.”
The employees across the Christchurch and Auckland sites number around 50 in total, and Holly describes the team as “quite close knit.” “We do a lot of team building stuff,” she says. “Lots of barbeques and things like that. And every month, a couple of staff members cook for the entire business, and everyone comes and has lunch together.
“We’re a really, really close company. Everyone’s very friendly because everyone’s been here for so long.”
Thanks to Blum’s rigorous testing and quality standards, and a team dedicated to displaying their products in the best light, Blum’s Rosebank showroom is the perfect place to see Blum in action within modern spaces. “We’re showcasing a lot of trends in our showroom,” says Holly. “There’s a cream kitchen – cream kitchens are very popular at the moment – and we’ve got really beautiful textured drawer fronts that match the benchtop, which is quite cool.”
But, she emphasises, Blum’s technologies and their Auckland and Christchurch display spaces are built to outlast any interior design flavor of the month.
“Our products have an impressive longevity, and the showroom is built for longevity, too.”
Roundabout Magazine
This article was published in Roundabout Magazine Issue 225 (December/January 2026).