He Kupenga Matauranga | Civic & Community Library Fit-Out | Greymouth, West Coast
He Kupenga Mātauranga, the new Greymouth Library, is a civic and community facility for the Grey District Council. The building brings together the library collection, public computer areas, a café, meeting and breakout rooms, and flexible spaces used by all ages. Coastwood supplied and installed furniture across 15 spaces over two floors, from the welcome foyer through to the West Coast Room. As a Greymouth manufacturer, we were proud to deliver this one in our own backyard.
The Brief
The Grey District Council and the project team needed furniture that would suit a busy public building used every day, by people of all ages. It had to:
- Work across a range of settings, from the café and foyer to quiet reading and computer areas
- Meet the colour and fabric palette set for the fit-out
- Stand up to constant public use and hold its finish
- Arrive on programme and be ready for a coordinated install
The project also set out to involve as many local and New Zealand businesses as possible, without giving up the quality, robustness and style a public building of this profile deserved.
Coastwood's Approach
We worked alongside the council, interior designer RM Designs and project manager SMART Project Management, from product selection right through to installation. We supplied and coordinated the full furniture package across the building, combining pieces we designed and manufactured with commercial items we specified and brought in to suit each space, the brief and the budget.
We delivered samples for sign off with the client and the design team, kept communication clear throughout, flagged supply risks early so there were no surprises, and delivered to site on the agreed programme in May 2026, organised and ready to install.
Products Supplied
- Welcome foyer & concourse: Kaikoura lounge seating, Lily end tables and TC-2511 chairs
- Children's area: Snug two-seaters, Barc coffee tables and colourful seat cushions
- Main collection area: Lily dining tables, Clyde and Camille chairs, Kaikoura seating and end tables
- Young adults area: Trimm booth seating
- Make & Create room: HPL-topped tables and stacking chairs
- Public computers: Workstations with privacy screens and Clyde chairs
- West Coast Room: Kaikoura seating, Oliver and Barc tables and TC-2511 chairs
- Study, teaching & meeting rooms: Boost flip tables and Coco chairs
- Breakout rooms: Oliver round tables and TC-2511 chairs
- Café & staff kitchenette: Oliver and Jaz tables, Hari dining tables and chairs, Kaikoura seating
- Parents room and umbrella storage
Pieces were finished in the colours and commercial-grade fabrics selected for the fit-out.
The Result
The finished spaces are being well used by the Greymouth community, across every age group. The café and the West Coast Room have been early favourites, and the window seating and computer areas have proven popular with the public. The furniture looks the part and is standing up well to daily public use.
In Their Words
"From choosing the furniture through to the colours, fabrics and the install, Coastwood made the whole process easy. The café and the West Coast Room are favourites of mine, the colours are lovely, and the seating along the windows and the computer areas have been popular with the public. We are delighted with the result."
Penny Kirk, Group Manager Community, Grey District Council
"Working with Coastwood on the Greymouth Library fit-out was straightforward. They kept me updated throughout, flagged supply risks early so there were no surprises, and delivered to site on schedule. That kind of communication makes my job as project manager a lot easier."
Sam Summerton, Project Manager, SMART Project Management
"Coastwood competed on price and quality with national suppliers of commercial furniture. Although our focus for the project was including as many local businesses as possible, we were dubious that the quality, robustness and style the project deserved could come from local industry. Meeting Laurie and his wider team put our mind at ease. Greg impressed with his clear programming around production. Andrew delivered samples for sign off with the client and our team to everyone's satisfaction, and Paige made sure all the comms were crystal clear. The results speak for themselves, and with the community of all ages using their products, the client can rest easy with a full commercial guarantee. Don't you love it when you can talk direct to the owner of a company. In this case it's a real family show."
RM Designs, Interior Designer
More Spaces
Planning a library, civic or community project? We make and supply custom commercial furniture and complete project fit-outs to your brief, with a 4 to 6 week lead time from order confirmation. Talk to James Dorairaj, National Sales Manager, on 021 859 169 or 0800 369 963, or get in touch here.
