Kitchen Awards

Last year we asked you to send in your recently completed kitchen projects and, boy, did you deliver! We were blown away by the response and had a tough time narrowing down the entries to our five finalists, who are all featured, including our winner, in the following pages. Biggest lesson learned? You don’t need a whopping budget to create your dream kitchen!

THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS WERE JUDGED ON DESIGN, FUNCTIONALITY, STYLE, CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND ACCESSORISING. TURN THE PAGE TO SEE OUR FIVE FINALISTS AND DISCOVER THE OVERALL WINNER, WHO WINS A HOME PRIZE PACKAGE WORTH MORE THAN $6000!

- Sally Conor

Blue ribbon

Installed as part of a new-build, this Auckland kitchen was the judges’ favourite for its warm feel and clever use of materials

MEET + GREET Katie Harris, 29 (hand therapist and Optic Build’s administrator),

Daniel Harris, 30 (builder and owner of Optic Build), and Olive, 3 months, plus dogs Chief and Lucy.

KEY TRADES/SUPPLIERS Project manager and builder Optic Build

Tiler Euro Tiling

Cabinetry IQ Kitchens

Benchtop AGB Stone

What was the inspiration for your kitchen?

Katie: The style of our new house is a modern bungalow so we wanted a kitchen that tied into this style, with modern features and plenty of bench space. I really wanted to add some colour and texture to the kitchen as I was concerned the space was in danger of looking a little sterile.

What materials did you choose and why?

We chose white acrylic cabinetry under the bench as it is hard-wearing and easy to clean, and inset handles add a modern touch. The top cabinets are tongue-and-groove painted in Resene Karen Walker ‘Quarter Powder Blue’. The tongue-and-groove ties into the rest of the house’s modern bungalow style as our internal doors and soffit linings are also grooved.

We chose a subway tile with a ripple effect and slightly irregular edges from Tile Warehouse for the splashback as we love how it complements the grooved cabinetry without making a big statement.

The bench is engineered stone with marble-style veins running through it and, combined with the brass tap from Plumbing World, it was a great way to add interesting detail.