For Ryan’s Kitchens And Joinery’s new Christchurch showroom, designer Alex Dawes chose to hero hardwearing Plymasters’ Italia White HPL ply. Used on the kitchen benchtop and for the cabinetry, it provides a crisp, contemporary and stylish finish, with the white contrasting with an eye-catching black faucet and black cupboard handles. The ply’s distinctive edge-grain detail adds subtle warmth and interest without overt distraction.

The result is an understated elegance which could be personalised with bursts of colour (perhaps cookbooks and lush pot-plants) or maintained in all its unfussy minimalism depending on the owner’s taste or even mood.

Alex says incorporating the HPL in the showroom is a great way to highlight both the strengths and aesthetic appeal of the product. “Ply has been so popular lately and it’s much easier to explain the benefits if a client can see it and touch it.”

The company had used Italia White, which has moisture resistant qualities, in a previous project and Alex says it had worked well in a demanding hospitality environment.

Alex shares a passion for joinery with her colleagues at the award-winning, owner-operated business which specialises in custom-made joinery, wardrobes, laundries and cabinetry. On completing her interior design studies, she decided that joinery would be her preferred career path – a specialisation she’s never regretted. “I love everything about it. The job offers something new every day and clients challenge you in different ways.”

• Products used for this project: HPL Italia Suede White