New home builders Karen and Pete, with the help of Powerglide Elevators, incorporated specially commissioned work by local artist Megan Collier into the walls of their elevator. In doing so, they transformed a functional product into a beautiful, unique feature of their two-storey home.

"Once you're inside the lift you are fully surrounded by the art. I love it and I've never said that about a lift before," says Karen. The art, which is on three panels of the lift car, is covered in liquid glass and Karen says when the lighting in the lift is on it makes the colours 'pop'.

After meeting with Powerglide to share their vison, Powerglide modified the lighting and wall structure of the lift car so that the paintings sat flush with the walls. The finished product is stunning.

“We’re always excited when a client brings us fresh ideas,” says Allan of Powerglide Elevators. “Lifts don’t have to be boring, and we are seeing more and more that they are becoming a main feature in people’s homes."

“One of the advantages of building our lifts in NZ is that we are able to be involved from initial concept to completion. We liaise with architects, builders and homeowners to make sure we can deliver the best possible outcome for everyone involved.”

For Karen and Pete, the motivation behind installing a lift in their new home was twofold.

"Initially, we weren't sure how long we'd want to live in the Mount, so from a sales point of view we thought incorporating a lift would appeal to a wider market; and now that we're actually living in the house, we have no intention of moving. It's going to be our lifetime home, and the lift has future-proofed it for us."