People of Asuwere - Buster Caldwell
Buster Caldwell runs Wonder, a full-service interior practice shaping spaces across New Zealand - from warehouse conversions to tiny kiosks. He designed Asuwere's Commercial Bay store, won a gold pin for his own studio (which used to be a brothel), and has been an Asuwere customer for years. We caught up to talk discipline, craft, and why good design is more about editing than adding.
- Wonder dabbles in everything from warehouse conversions to hospitality interiors to tiny kiosks. What stays the same, no matter the size?
Discipline first. Craft second.
The discipline is non-negotiable. No matter the scale, you’ve got to get the fundamentals right… plan properly, sort the layout, choose materials that feel good in the hand and age well, and set a clear logic for how people move and work in the space. If the bones are right you can do less on top. It lands harder and lasts longer.
Craft comes after. That’s the layer you feel more than see. A few well-made pieces with a story, the things people notice, talk about, and remember. That’s where a space gets its soul.
We work closely with craftspeople around the country to make those elements properly, steelworkers, ceramicists, glass makers, people who know their trade. Fewer things. Made well.
- What’s one thing most people get wrong about designing a space?
They treat design like decoration.
Most people focus on the nice stuff… furniture, art, finishes. That’s the easy part. The real cost and pain sit in the first 90% - planning, circulation, servicing, lighting, consenting, construction. Get that wrong and you pay for it forever.
The best projects are the ones where there’s real clarity on what the space needs to do, not just how it needs to look. Nail that first and the aesthetic tends to take care of itself.
- Your studio won a gold pin - and used to be a brothel. What’s the story?
With a lot less drama than the backstory suggests, and a lot more sanding.
The studio’s in a character building on Ponsonby Road, just on the corner of Crummer. It had a past life and you really feel that in the proportions and the odd little moments you don’t get in new builds. We didn’t want to erase that, just quieten it down.
The aim was a refined, restrained home base where open space and residential details do the heavy lifting. We spend more time at work than at home, so it became a bit of a ‘dream house’ for the team.
There’s a communal table spanning 6 meters that we built ourselves from timber milled at my family farm. Dotted throughout the interior are a lot of one-off, handmade pieces, by friends of the studio. It makes the office a genuinely good place to spend time, which I feel matters more than people may realise.
- If you could give one piece of advice to someone about to invest serious money in a new space, what would it be?
Spend longer at the beginning than you think you need to.That’s where you buy yourself calm later.
Set a tight brief, a realistic budget and an honest timeline early. Once those three are locked, the project becomes simpler… not necessarily easy, but controlled.
That’s the difference between a build you’re steering and one that feels like it’s happening to you.Critical also is to build the right team around you. It’s rarely best to go with the cheapest option, it’s about doing fewer things and getting the right people to nail them.
- What do people get wrong about “good taste” in design?
They think taste is about adding.Most of the time, taste is editing… knowing what to leave out and being consistent enough to let a few strong moves carry the whole space. The best interiors are a bit like a good uniform, not loud, not trend-chasing, just properly considered. Use art & object to introduce attitude, things you can easily adjust over time as the tone needs to change.
- You’ve been part of the Asuwere crew for a while - what are your go-to pieces or anything you have your eye on?
I’m pretty one-dimensional with clothes. Less formality, more comfort. I don’t shop often, so longevity and ease of care matter.
I enjoy a tight kit. Pieces that hold their shape, don’t shout, and work from site to studio to meetings to workshop without a costume change. There’s a lot of crossover with interiors there… solid cut, great material, built to last.Polos seem to get a fair hammering, as do the blue striped swim shorts from last summer - still going strong. I don’t wear much outerwear as I run hot but I’ve got my eye on the Forest check Mechanic jacket from this shoot!
On an install at Commercial Bay I was up a ladder & my pants ripped right down the seam. Sam came to the rescue with a pair of classic chino’s in black, still going strong 5 years later.
Thinking about what I wear sits pretty low on my priority list, so everything needs to be idiot-proof and mix and match without fuss.
Buster wears our March Collection
Available for pre-order now.
