What sort of design do designers do for themselves? Is an architect's office instantly recognisable as such? More importantly are their offices a statement of ability, philosophy, or do they simply reflect the personal taste of the occupants.

Home and Building magazine visited four such offices in Auckland city and found four quite different practices, reflecting four quite different attitudes. Distinctly different from one another, each office did in many ways reflect the beliefs of the occupants, and each provided a fascinating glimpse at the enormous range of possibility that is artchitecture and design.