Design Suite

Our Kitchen Design Process

From first ideas to a resolved kitchen, one considered step at a time.

At Design Suite Kitchen Design, our kitchen design process takes you from first ideas to a resolved kitchen, one considered step at a time. Every stage is designed around your home, how you live, and how you want to use the space, so each decision builds on the last and nothing is left to chance.

1. Discover: consultation and reading the home

We begin with you, and with the home itself.

Every kitchen starts with a conversation, and with the home itself. We begin by understanding you: how you cook, how you move through the space, your goals and the practical needs of your day. Just as much, we read the home it sits in: where the natural light falls through the day, the outlook you want to cook toward, and how the kitchen connects to the rooms around it, so it belongs to the house rather than being dropped into it. Whether we are reviewing your plans or meeting on site, we assess what is possible so your new kitchen or cabinetry fits the way you live. Design packages are flexible depending on where you are in your planning, from layout support through to a full scope of design and specification, tailored to suit you.

2. Design: creative direction and kitchen planning

Function first, then character.

With your brief resolved, we move into design, and we work in two deliberate stages. First we resolve function: how the household cooks, moves and lives, the layout, workflow and ergonomics, and how the kitchen connects to the rest of the home. Then we resolve character: colour, materials, texture and the finishes that bring it together. Keeping the two separate means neither is compromised for the other. You will see clear floorplans, 3D visuals, mood boards and a Fixtures and Fittings schedule, and from concept sketches through to full cabinetry and mechanical drawings for manufacture, every detail is considered, so the kitchen not only looks resolved but genuinely works, and lasts.

3. Deliver: coordination and completion

Held to the final detail.

With the design finalised, we provide everything needed to move into quoting, procurement and build. We coordinate with your chosen builder, or recommend trusted local trades, and manage the kitchen within the wider project, from final drawings through to procurement and install coordination, holding the detail through to completion. We design more than kitchens: we design kitchen interiors that are considered, functional and built for the way you live, extending into the scullery or laundry wherever the joinery goes.

Why Design Suite Kitchen Design

Qualified, personal, and local.

Qualified expertise. A qualified kitchen designer (CKDNZ), with specialist knowledge in kitchen planning, spatial design and cabinetry integration. Kate's background across professional kitchens, construction and psychology means the design is buildable, works in daily life, and suits how you want to live.

A personal studio. As a boutique studio, you work directly with Kate throughout, one considered hand from the first conversation to the final detail.

Local knowledge. Based in the Bay of Plenty and serving the wider region and into the Waikato, with a real understanding of local suppliers, builders, and how homes here are built and lived in.

Ready to begin?

The next step is simply a conversation. 

When you are ready, tell us about your home and how you want to live in it, and we will talk through how the design process could work for you. Begin a Design Conversation.

If you are still weighing things up, our kitchen cost guide is a straightforward place to start.

Begin a Design Conversation.

Not sure where to start?

An inspiration folder that will not turn into a plan. Most people I meet begin exactly here.

The kitchen style quiz is a quick way to find the starting point for your kitchen. In about five minutes, a few simple questions bring your taste, the way you live, and the way you want your kitchen to feel into one clear direction.

It will not tell me everything about you or your home, but it shows where you are right now, and that is what we need to make a start.

Once you have finished, I will send through the tools and thinking most relevant to your space. No pressure, and no overwhelm. Just a considered next step.

Take the quiz →

Meet Kate Blakeborough, Your Kitchen Designer

Design Suite Kitchen Design | Bay of Plenty and Waikato

Kate Blakeborough is a qualified kitchen designer (CKDNZ) and the founder of Design Suite Kitchen Design, a boutique studio serving Tauranga, the wider Bay of Plenty and into the Waikato. She designs considered kitchens for renovations and new builds, with a focus on resolved design, careful planning, and clients who are looked after from the first conversation to the final detail.

A Chef's Understanding of How a Kitchen Works

Designed for real use, not just to look at.

Kate began as a professional chef, so she understands how a kitchen has to perform under real use: how you move, how you reach, and how a space either works with you or against you every day. That means her kitchens do not only look resolved, they are intuitive and genuinely functional to live in.

Buildable, and Calmly Managed

Design insight, with the practical side handled.

Alongside her design qualification, Kate has a background in business, construction and psychology. She understands budgets, schedules and the realities of a build, and brings a calm, organised presence to the whole process, so a renovation feels managed rather than overwhelming. It is also why her designs are buildable, not just good on paper.

Boutique by Choice

One considered hand, from concept to completion.

Kate works with a small number of clients at a time, and each kitchen is designed around how you live and the home it sits in, never fitted to a showroom range. There are no templates and no shortcuts, just one considered hand holding the detail throughout.

Ready to Begin?

The next step is simply a conversation.

For homeowners making a significant, long-term investment in their home, Kate brings practical experience, design insight and personal service together in one place. If that is the kind of kitchen you are planning, the best next step is a conversation.

Begin a Design Conversation.

Kitchen Design Backed by a Trusted Network

Good design is quietly coordinated.

Good kitchen design does not happen in isolation. Behind every resolved kitchen is a coordinated network of trades, suppliers and manufacturers, working together so the design is delivered exactly as it was drawn. Kate works with a select group of professionals who share the studio's standards for craftsmanship, reliability and thoughtful design, and many of these relationships are long-standing.

What This Means for You

A designer, and a network behind every choice.

When you work with Design Suite, you are not only working with a qualified kitchen designer. You have access to a wider network across cabinetry, benchtops, appliances, lighting and hardware, so every choice is made with real product knowledge and tailored to how you live. Through these trade relationships, clients also benefit from trade pricing and product insight that retail channels do not always offer, so your budget goes further without compromising on quality.

A Coordinated Project, Held for You

You should never have to chase a supplier.

The studio's approach is deliberate and collaborative. By working closely with trusted trades, Kate aligns the technical detail, manages lead times, and coordinates the project from concept through to completion. You do not need to chase suppliers, check compatibility or track timelines, that is handled for you. And because the people who build and install your kitchen are professionals Kate trusts, it is delivered with the same care it was designed with.

One Hand, One Standard

Designed by one hand, delivered to one standard.

Whether you are renovating a family kitchen in the Bay of Plenty or planning a new build in the Waikato, this connected approach means every element, from layout to the final finish, is handled with professional care. Choosing Design Suite is more than engaging a kitchen designer. It is one considered hand, supported by a team who deliver to the same standard.

Full-Service Kitchen Design for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato

Design-led, resolved, and made for how you live.

Design Suite Kitchen Design specialises in kitchen design and renovation for homeowners across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, from Tauranga to Morrinsville. Led by Kate Blakeborough, a qualified kitchen designer (CKDNZ) with a background in professional kitchens and construction, the studio brings clarity, care and precision to every stage, and designs kitchens that are as functional as they are resolved.

Independent Kitchen Design, a Personal Approach

Designed to you, never fitted to a range.

As an independent studio, our recommendations are unbiased and made solely around your needs. Every kitchen is designed from the ground up, with no templates and no shortcuts, and the layout, finishes and fittings are all chosen to suit how you live and use the space. Design packages are flexible to suit the size and budget of your project, whether you need a single consultation, a full concept and development package, or a complete set of plans ready for manufacture.

From Consultation to Construction Plans

A full scope, resolved with accuracy.

We offer the full spectrum of kitchen design, beginning with a consultation to understand your goals and style. From there we develop clear concepts, detailed spatial layouts, 3D visuals and manufacturing-ready plans, including mechanical drawings and a full Fixtures and Fittings schedule, so your renovation or new build is guided with accuracy and confidence.

Design Beyond the Kitchen

One considered hand, through the whole home.

Our work does not stop at the kitchen. We also design cohesive, functional interiors through the home, including laundries, sculleries, wardrobes, media units and custom joinery. Each space is approached with the same thought and care, so the result stays consistent from room to room.

Your Partner in Kitchen Renovation

Considered kitchens, designed to live beautifully.

If you are ready for a kitchen that feels personal, practical and resolved, we are here to guide you at every stage, with professional support, clear communication, and a result that is genuinely yours. 

Begin a Design Conversation.