Pauanui Kitchen by Michelle Gillbanks

By Kitchens by Design

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Client Brief

My clients came to me to design the kitchen in their holiday home that was about to break ground in a beautiful location in the Coromandel. Their brief was that they wanted something different to the black-and-white, contemporary, minimal design of the kitchen in their architecturally designed Te Awamutu home. My challenge was to create a kitchen with the opposite look and feel to their existing kitchen, whilst still providing a functional, user-friendly space for their friends and family to enjoy throughout the year.

Designer’s Response

I set about creating a warm and welcoming space, with organic and earthy hues, materials and textures – even incorporating a space high up on the back wall for a spread of high-quality faux plants (that can be washed in the dishwasher, when needed). Yet the design still needed to have a modern edge, so it would fit into seamlessly with the contemporary aesthetic of my client’s new holiday home.

The space very quickly became the hub of this six-bedroom holiday home, sitting centre stage, adjacent to exterior decking and the busy waterway activities and views. It needed to be capable of entertaining upwards of 20 people at any given time, and having the storage capability for up to 10 guests’ holiday food, platters, wine and beer was essential. This storage requirement was translated into a large, working scullery that houses a large fridge and freezer to fit prepared platters and leftovers, and tall storage for excess food and drinks. Day-to-day food and beverages were to be kept in the main kitchen, with a bar area for coffee making and drink preparation.

Being easy to clean and having low maintenance surfaces was also important for my clients, as the house could be vacant for long periods of time. So, we sourced high quality stone benchtops and splashbacks that could withstand the parties that would bring family in from all around the North Island.

Working closely with the architect and builder was paramount as the building evolved and grew into a warm, inviting space that was soft and elegant with aspects of each individual family member dotted throughout the home.

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Pauanui Kitchen by Michelle Gillbanks

About the
Professional

Beautiful Kitchens by experienced designers using exquisite materials

The design team at Kitchens By Design — Marianne Gailer, Michelle Gillbanks and Sue Gillbanks — are passionate about great design and are all certified and qualified design professionals. They maintain reliable relationships with their manufacturers and suppliers that span over 30 years, so our clients can be assured they are in expert hands every step of the way to their new kitchen.

At Kitchens By Design, we are passionate about creating functional lifestyle spaces for your home and will guide you through the myriad products and materials that are available in the marketplace today. We design bespoke kitchens and bathrooms, and living spaces, as individual as the clients who live in them. And our expertise extends to working with our clients throughout the entire project – from concept design through to manufacturing and installation of the finished product.

Over 70 design awards and hundreds of happy and satisfied clients are testament to the talents and professionalism of our design team.