Project Overview
As part of the full site upgrade for MTF Kumeū, we installed a branded privacy frosting system across the internal office glazing.
The goal was to enhance the professionalism of the new space, provide seated privacy for staff and clients, and reinforce MTF’s updated national interior identity — without blocking natural light or enclosing the space.
The result is clean, modern, and functionally subtle — an interior branding feature that improves usability rather than competing visually with it.
Brief & Challenge
The office glazing is segmented into multiple joinery panels, meaning the negative fin-band had to align perfectly through 15 individual frosted sections — any drift in spacing would be immediately visible.
Additional complexity came from the joinery depth, requiring careful blade clearance and uniform pressure to avoid distortion of the pattern.
This was not a simple privacy strip — it was a multi-pane precision layout exercise.
What we did
We machine-cut the fin band as a continuous repeat and installed it through the centre of the frosting height — high enough for seated privacy, low enough to keep upper light flow unrestricted.
The etched-effect film retains brightness by diffusing light rather than blocking it, keeping both the meeting room and shared areas feeling open rather than segmented.
Film was applied with controlled wet-install to prevent trapping, silvering, or particulate contamination — critical for etched films under close viewing.
The alignment across mullions is seamless, visually reading as a single continuous branded element rather than individual panels.
• Installed full-panel etched-effect frosting across interior joinery wall
• Coverage: 3 panels tall × 5 panels wide (two-sided office wall)
• Each panel approx 700mm × 1100mm
• Negative fin-band motif cut through centre — repeating pattern
• Band positioned at ~1000mm height for functional privacy
• Precision alignment across joins and mullions
• Full glass surface preparation + contamination control prior to install
• Staged installation to coordinate with other construction and branding works
Materials
• Etched-effect privacy film
• Plotter-cut negative fin pattern
• Surface prep + cleaning solution
• Application fluids + blades
Processes
• Wet-application install
• Precision pattern alignment
• Multi-pane continuation control
• Joinery-depth trimming
• Staged installation to accommodate branch workflow
Outcome
The finished system gives MTF Kumeū’s internal offices a significantly more refined and functional environment:
✓ Privacy when seated inside meeting + advisory spaces
✓ Brand integration via fin motif without overpowering the room
✓ Light retention — no dark or enclosed feeling
✓ Interior consistency with the acrylic feature wall + exterior signage
This frosting treatment forms one of three interior brand elements installed at the Kumeū branch, alongside the 3D acrylic reception wall and full exterior fit-out — creating a unified customer experience from entry to meeting space.
Related Services
Window Frosting: https://www.signageworks.co.nz/other-services/window-frosting
Wall Graphics: https://www.signageworks.co.nz/other-services/wall-graphics