Which kitchen trends are worth building into an Auckland renovation and which to keep swappable, judged on durability, cost to undo and cleaning, with a real Massey kitchen.
The three tests we put every kitchen trend through
Every kitchen trend looks right in the photo. The question for a renovation is what it costs you in ten years, when the look has moved on and the kitchen hasn't. A green island can be repainted in a weekend. A scullery with its own sink, a wall that's been taken out, or an induction hob on a new circuit is built into the house. Those decisions stay.
That's how we approach timeless kitchen design at Superior Renovations. You can follow trends. The trick is putting each trend where its cost to undo matches how long you expect to like it.
If you want the trends themselves, our full list of kitchen design trends and the ones to avoid covers them one by one. This guide does a different job. It runs the trends Auckland homeowners ask us about through three tests, sorts them into "build it in" and "keep it swappable", and shows how that played out in a real open-plan kitchen in Massey.
Kitchen renovation in Massey: These ‘pop out power outlets’ were installed on the counter top which can be pulled up when needed and pushed back down when not in need.
It's written for anyone planning a full kitchen renovation who has a folder of saved photos and a nagging worry about which of them will date.
Magazines judge trends on looks. A renovation has to judge them on what happens after handover. We use three questions.
Durability: will it still work in ten years?
Some trends wear out physically before they go out of fashion. A handleless kitchen depends on its drawer runners and hinges doing the work a handle used to do. A marble benchtop etches.
A cheap laminate floor near the sink swells if water sits on it. A trend that fails in use dates twice as fast as one that only goes out of style.
Cost to undo: what's it built into?
This is the test most trend guides skip, and it's the one a renovation company thinks about first. Paint, handles, pendants and stools sit on the surface.
Kitchen renovation in West Auckland Massey - Our client in Massey wanted black cabinets against white to give a luxurious feel to his kitchen. LED lights were also installed under the cabinet handles to add to the glamour of the kitchen.
Layout, plumbing, gas, wiring, extraction ducts and walls sit inside the structure. Changing a surface item later costs you the item. Changing a structural one means stripping out part of a finished kitchen and bringing back the trades.
Cleaning: how much daily attention does it ask for?
Auckland kitchens deal with steam, grease and humidity. Anything with ledges, grout, open edges or a finish that shows fingerprints costs you time every week. Some people are happy to pay that. It's still worth knowing before you choose.
Kitchen renovation in Mangere Bridge: American Ashwood was used as the benchtop to add texture and a natural element to the kitchen.
Run a trend through all three and the answer is usually obvious. Here's how the common ones land.
Kitchen renovation in Stanmore Bay: The Spanish tiles installed in this kitchen are a great design element that can be used to enliven a space.
Kitchen renovation in Parnell: We added textured 3D tiles as a backsplash for this client to add character and interest in the kitchen wall.
Kitchen trends worth building into the renovation
These are the ones that pass all three tests, and they have something in common.
Kitchen renovation in Bucklands Beach: We engineered stone to look like black marble which was then infused with shiny specs to add a touch of luxury for this kitchen renovation.
They're expensive to add later, so the renovation is the cheapest time you'll ever get to do them.
Kitchen renovation in Stanmore Bay: Engineered stone used to look like pattered granite. The pattern chosen by our client was Autumn Leaf.
Open or broken-plan layouts
Open and broken-plan layouts are on Superior Renovations' own trend list, and for good reason. It changes how the house works, not just how it looks. It's also the least reversible decision in the kitchen, so it's the one to get right.
The first question is structural, not stylistic. Under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, removing an internal wall in an existing home is generally exempt from building consent, but MBIE's guidance says the exemption doesn't apply if the wall is load-bearing, part of the bracing, a fire separation or masonry. In many 1970s and 1980s homes in West and South Auckland the wall boxing in the kitchen comes out cleanly. In a 1910s villa in Grey Lynn or Mt Eden, almost every wall may be doing some structural work.
Pull out rubbish and recycling bins.
Custom built pantry drawers to add convenience and maximise storage.
Magic corners to utilise the space in corner cabinets.
A different variation of a magic corner to effectively utilise corner space for cabinets.
Custom built storage solution for cabinets to store condiments.
Have a Chartered Professional Engineer or a Licensed Building Practitioner confirm what the wall is doing before you design around its absence. Our guide to taking out a wall for open-plan living covers the engineering and consent steps in detail.
Broken-plan (open, but zoned with an island, a change of flooring or a run of tall cabinetry) passes the tests even better. You get the connection without losing somewhere to put the fridge and the pantry.
A scullery or a proper pantry
Little Giant Interiors reports that the scullery has become a near-standard request in the Auckland kitchens it quotes. We'd build one in wherever the floor area allows it, because it keeps the main kitchen clear and it's very hard to retrofit.
Kitchen renovation in South Auckland: Floating open shelves were added to increase storage and add a design element to the kitchen.
The catch is the plumbing. A scullery with its own sink adds a sanitary fixture, and the Schedule 1 exemption for altering existing sanitary plumbing only covers work where the number of fixtures doesn't go up. Sink and waste work must be done by an authorised plumber either way. Check the consent position with Auckland Council or an LBP before you lock in a second sink. If the space won't take a sink, a walk-in or tall pull-out pantry gets you most of the benefit with no plumbing at all.
Storage and hardware that you'll use every day
Deep drawers instead of low cupboards, tall larders, corner pull-outs and a built-in bin all pass the three tests. They're decided at the cabinetry design stage, and swapping them later means rebuilding cabinet boxes.
Kitchen renovation in Bucklands Beach: Ceramic tiles which mimic hardwood were installed for easy maintenance and as a cost effective option
Spend on the drawer runners and hinges before you spend on the door finish. You'll open those drawers thousands of times, and the hardware is what decides whether they still close properly in year eight.
Layered lighting, wired in now
Layered lighting (ambient, task and accent) is on our trend list too, and it's one of the few trends that's really about function. Under-cabinet strips light the bench where you're chopping. Pendants mark the island. Dimmable ceiling lights take the kitchen from cooking to dinner.
Kitchen renovation in Blockhouse Bay: Custom built large island which doubles as a storage solution with cabinets and as a breakfast and prep bar.
Kitchen renovation in Stanmore Bay: An island bar which doubles as a dining table and cooking bench.
The light fittings themselves are easy to change later. The cable runs, switch positions and circuits are not, because they're behind the gib and inside the cabinetry. Plan them before the linings go up, and treat the fittings as the swappable layer.
Kitchen renovation in Massey: Kitchen island extending into the living room space to double as a bar that can be used for entertaining.
Induction cooking and extraction that goes outside
Induction appears on SR's trend list under eco-friendly kitchens, and it passes our tests too: a flat glass surface wipes clean, and there are no burners or grates to scrub. The part to plan is the supply. Moving from gas, or adding an oven tower, can mean new wiring back to the switchboard, and that's work for a licensed electrician. Gas work has no homeowner exemption at all.
Extraction is the other half. A rangehood that recirculates through a filter is easy to fit and easy to regret in a humid Auckland kitchen. A rangehood duct of up to 300mm through a wall or roof is exempt from consent in a detached house of up to three storeys, but it still has to be weatherproofed properly where it leaves the building.
Kitchen renovation in Bucklands Beach: Hexagon shaped black and grey textured tiles were added as a backplash to add interest, drama and texture to the kitchen.
Decide the duct route while the ceiling is open. The canopy on the end of it can be as plain or as dramatic as you like, and changed later. If you're weighing up which parts of this you could do yourself, our breakdown of who's legally allowed to move a kitchen sink or gas line sets out where the lines fall.
Kitchen trends to keep on the surface, where they're cheap to change
Each of these can work well. They belong in the layer of the kitchen you can replace without calling back the plumber.
Bold cabinet colour
Dark cabinetry and blue or green islands both feature on our trend list, and they can look great. Put the strong colour on the island or one run of doors, and keep the main runs calmer. Doors can be refaced or replaced without touching the carcasses, but a whole kitchen of doors is a real cost. For the cabinetry side, see Little Giant Interiors' read on which kitchen finishes last, our sister company's guide, including why it rates matte finishes over high gloss for everyday use.
Mixed metals and statement hardware
Brass taps, black handles and gold pendants are the easiest trend in the kitchen to follow and the easiest to undo. Handles unscrew. Pendants swap over. A tap is a plumber's visit, not a rebuild. This is where we'd tell you to be as bold as you like.
Open shelving
Open shelves can make a small kitchen feel bigger and they're cheap to install or remove. They fail the cleaning test, though.
Anything on an open shelf near the hob collects grease and dust. Keep open shelving away from the cooking zone, and keep it short. One or two shelves for things you use daily works. A wall of them becomes a weekly chore.
Smart gadgets
Sensor taps and app-controlled lighting are useful. Tech built into cabinetry, though, ages at the speed of the device and its app, not the speed of the kitchen. Choose smart features that can be replaced as a unit, and avoid anything that has to be designed into a cabinet opening of a particular size.
Statement rangehoods
A striking steel or plastered canopy can anchor a kitchen. The canopy is a surface choice. The duct behind it is the structural one, as above. Get the duct right and the hood itself stays swappable.
Benchtops and floors through the same three tests
Benchtops and floors sit in the middle. They're not buried in the walls, but replacing them means disturbing the cabinetry, so they're worth choosing for the long haul.
Benchtops
Engineered stone is non-porous, so it doesn't need sealing and shrugs off most stains, but its resin binder can scorch under a hot pan. Granite handles heat better and needs resealing now and then. Marble is soft and reacts to acid, so lemon juice or wine left on it etches the surface.
Australia has banned engineered stone over silicosis risk to the workers who cut it. It remains legal in New Zealand, and MBIE's position is that an installed benchtop isn't hazardous; the risk sits with fabrication dust. If you choose engineered stone, ask your fabricator how they control dust when they cut it. For a family kitchen that takes a beating, the low-maintenance surface usually wins, and the showpiece stone can go on the island where it's seen more than it's worked on.
A sky blue backplash was added to add some colour into a neutral themed kitchen in Papatoetoe
Floors
Our trend list still rates timber and timber-look floors, but the choice underneath the look matters more. Laminate is hard-wearing and good value, but it can't be sanded back, so once the wear layer goes it's replaced. Near a sink, check it's rated water-resistant with tight-locking joints.
Engineered timber has a real oak top on a plywood core that copes with humidity better than solid boards. Solid timber is the only one you can sand and refinish again and again. Whatever you pick, ask what's under it. BRANZ reports that around 92% of new NZ houses are built on a concrete slab, and a slab that isn't sealed can push ground moisture into the floor above.
What a Massey entertainer's kitchen shows about building trends in
The owners of one West Auckland home loved having people over, but their kitchen was a separate room behind a door. The result was an open-plan entertainer's kitchen and bar in Massey. We took out the walls between the kitchen and the living areas, which in this home was possible without major structural work, and designed the kitchen, lounge, dining and a built-in bar as one space. The photos below show the original kitchen before (left) and the new sink run after (right).
Look at how the trends were split. The structural choices were the open layout, a custom pantry with pull-out shelves, magic-corner shelving, pull-out bins and a Stefano handleless system on Blum soft-close hinges and DTC soft-close runners. The surface layer carried the personality: matte black doors, warm gold LED lighting in the handle rails, a white marble-look engineered stone benchtop and a mirror-finish glass splashback that wipes clean and bounces light. Light laminate went through the living area, picked partly because it's easy to keep clean.
Kitchen renovation in Stanmore Bay: Textured Brass sink and tap fixtures added metal elements to this kitchen in Orewa.
The one trend that deserves real care in a scheme like this is the dark colour, and the project's designer explained how it was handled.
Black, white and gold is a scheme that can tip into looking heavy if you're not careful. The trick here was contrast and reflection. White stone against the matte black lifts the whole room, and the mirror finishes bounce light around so a dark palette still feels open. — Dorothy Li, Designer, Superior Renovations
The open plan, the pantry and the hardware are the parts of that kitchen that would be hardest to change. They're also the parts built around how the owners live, rather than around a colour scheme.
Where trend choices land in a kitchen renovation budget
Superior Renovations publishes $26,000 to $35,000 for a mid-range Auckland kitchen renovation, roughly $2,300 per square metre for a typical 10 to 12m² kitchen. Larger kitchens of 18m² and up, or premium specifications with custom joinery, stone and integrated appliances, run from $62,000 to $138,000 and beyond. Qualified trades in Auckland charge $120 to $150 an hour.
The three tests explain where the money goes inside those ranges. Build-in trends move the budget through trades and structure: a wall out, a sink moved, a new circuit, a duct through the roof. Surface trends move it through products you can choose at any price point. When you're deciding where to stretch, stretch on the first group and save on the second. You can price your own kitchen scope in our online calculator before you talk to anyone, then see how Superior Renovations plans a kitchen renovation around the services behind the walls.
Timeless kitchen design FAQs
What makes a kitchen design timeless?
A timeless kitchen puts its long-lasting decisions (layout, storage, plumbing, wiring and extraction) around how you actually cook and live, and keeps fashion in the parts that are cheap to change: colour, handles, lighting fittings and accessories. It also uses durable, easy-clean surfaces where the kitchen works hardest.
Which kitchen trends date the fastest?
The fastest to date are trends built into expensive layers for looks alone, such as a whole kitchen in one bold colour, tech fitted into cabinetry, or finishes that show wear quickly. Colour on an island, statement handles and pendants date too, but they're cheap to swap, so they're a low-risk way to follow a trend.
Is an open-plan kitchen still worth it in Auckland?
For most households, yes, and broken-plan zoning with an island or tall cabinetry keeps the benefits while giving each area a job. Check first whether the wall is load-bearing, bracing or a fire separation. A Chartered Professional Engineer or a Licensed Building Practitioner can confirm, and Auckland Council decides on consent.
Rustic looking bronze hanging lights also added to the rustic feature of this kitchen in Orewa.
Does a scullery need building consent?
It can. A scullery with a second sink adds a sanitary fixture, which isn't covered by the Schedule 1 exemption for altering existing plumbing, and the plumbing must be done by an authorised plumber. Confirm your scope with Auckland Council or a Licensed Building Practitioner before the design is finalised.
Bring your saved photos and we'll sort them into build-in and swappable with you. Superior Renovations designs and builds kitchens across Auckland from our Wairau Valley showroom at 16B Link Drive, and you'll find our kitchen projects on superiorrenovations.co.nz. Book a free consultation and bring your saved kitchen photos.
