More Than a Showroom

Ask ten people what AD Library is, and you'll get ten different answers.

"It's a showroom, right?" "Isn't it members only?" "Oh, that's the tile place."

Sort of — and also, not even close.

It's a library. A real one. Except instead of borrowing novels, you borrow carpet swatches, paint samples and benchtop options. And yes, there's plenty to see too — two working kitchens (with a third being made) fitted out with real storage solutions, bathrooms, including an accessible bathroom that proves accessible design doesn't have to look like a hospital ward. In fact, close to 95% of the building itself is made from the same brands and products sitting in the library. Walk through, and almost everything you touch can be sourced for your own project.

That's the difference. It's not staged rooms designed to sell you a look. It's a working building, doing double duty as a full-scale demonstration of what's possible — paired with honest advice, not a sales pitch. Along the way, you might grab a coffee and twenty minutes with someone who knows exactly why two benchtops that look identical will behave completely differently in a busy kitchen.

AD Library doesn't sell anything. It doesn't represent one brand. And you don't need to be an architect to walk through the doors (but, lots of professionals do use our space to source for their projects, and if you need some help with your project we can introduce you to them).

Getting started is easy. Just come in and wander through, Monday to Friday, 10am–2pm — no booking required. If you know you'll want some dedicated help, book a 30-minute Discovery Chat first, since we can't always guarantee someone's free on the spot. From there, access is flexible — come in for help with a single item, or set up access for the full duration of your project.

Why We started it this way

If you've ever built or renovated, you know the drill: one showroom has the flooring, another has benchtops, someone else has the taps, and by the time you've done the rounds you've burned a month of weekends and still can't compare anything side by side.

That's the exact problem we set out to solve when we started AD Library nearly six years ago — first in a 100-square-metre space in Wānaka, now approaching 1,000 square metres, with a new library opening in Dunedin this August.

Instead of chasing products around town, you come to one place with samples from more than 90 brands — flooring, cladding, benchtops, paint, lighting and more — and compare them properly, under one roof, without a sales pitch.

AD Library doesn't sell products. It helps people understand them.