Among our more modest kitchen upgrades, our BoxMakers renovation in Bucklands Beach saw the addition of several cabinets and drawers. These included new internals such as hinges and runners, to improve the overall look and operation of the kitchen.
New Centre Cabinetry
The bulk of our work involved the centre cabinet collection, which required more room to accommodate a fridge, as well as new appliances. BoxMakers carefully designed a new set of cabinets around the central need of having fridge housing. This resulted in a distinct three-stage layout, featuring (from left to right) the appliance column, refrigerator, and pantry.
Fresh Panels & Appliances
Our panel selection came in Quarter Thorndon Cream from Prime Panels: a slick melamine on MDF combination that serves as a fitting partner for the fridge’s glossy cool white. Starting from the left, the unit features a dual-drawer layout with an overhead cabinet. The oven was also replaced, which came in Bosch’s 8 Series.
Central to the unit is the fridge housing, which offers large enough dimensions to accommodate a variety of modern refrigerators. Overhead is a horizontal cubby, perfect for storing kitchen rolls and coffee capsules.
Premium Pantry Unit Hardware
On the right is where the bulk of the cabinetry rests. Featuring a double door pantry with Häfele hinges and 4 tiers of shelving, it offers accommodations for all sorts of groceries and sundries. Below rests a triple assortment of drawers, carefully put together with Häfele’s Luxe handles. Their drawer system also features for silky smooth handling and a flush, handleless exterior. This new cabinet unit interacts exceptionally well under the existing skylight. It soaks in natural light to make rummaging a breeze.
BoxMakers are confident that this new unit provides excellent appliance accommodations without sacrificing storage space, thanks to our efficient design and smart use of internal hardware.
For our very special homes in Mt Albert, BoxMakers worked hard to create specially tailored, form-fitting, high-performance kitchens. Our work in Lot 2 was aimed at answering a typical family’s requirements in a sleek and functional solution.
The layout took the form of a slim L-shaped design with an island. This arrangement allowed for practical intensive cooking sessions with all major working areas mere steps away from each other. This also gives extra room for family convening and dining. We built the main kitchen area with two distinct depths. The outer cabinetry is distinguished by its Melteca Storm Pearl finish, which blends the lines between brown and dark blue, and inner cabinetry came in simple white melamine. We recessed the white overhead the bench, matching the vein-streaked splashback and icy white benchtop.
Modern minimalism is the name of the game for kitchen style. Featuring handleless cabinets and stainless-steel fixtures, this kitchen prides itself on smooth lines and accessible function. This was achievable thanks to Fit NZ’s push-to-open mechanisms and Häfele’s Luxe hidden handles. Every cabinet from the VIBO bottle organiser, to the corner cabinet and Tanova pull-out bin offered handleless operation.
With numerous LEDs, power points, and stainless-steel appliances, this modern and effective kitchen sports a stylish triple-colour combo. The suspended pendant light adds further aesthetic character with its unique double helix design. Its intertwining nature provides both ambient and local lighting.
This kitchen offers the full experience while presenting it in a sleek, minimalist package, combining all with instantaneous access to the dining and living rooms.
While having a beautiful, attractive, and aesthetically refined kitchen is of course important, looks can often overshadow performance, which is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s bustling modern household. Often playing second fiddle to outward appearances, the practicality of a kitchen entirely affects its usability. If appliances are the beating heart of a kitchen, then ergonomics are the circulatory system. Find out the science behind fine-tuning a kitchen, and why you should apply it.
Layout
Within a kitchen, you’ll often find yourself bouncing between the three main working areas: the sink, cooktop, and fridge. This trifecta of pivotal roles forms the foundation of kitchen design and make up the aptly named “kitchen work triangle”. Make sure these spaces are 1.2 to 2.4 metres apart, with 4 to 8 metres as the total perimeter, without any other work paths infringing on its space.
This triangle cuts down transition time drastically, while also ensuring that the space is free from any obstructions. As for entry, make sure you don’t have to walk the length of the kitchen just to enter it. This can be a problem with G-shaped kitchens if the entry isn’t positioned conveniently.
Height
In the age of increasing heights and diversifying demographics, it can be rare to feel a perfect fit with a new kitchen. Since most benchtops aren’t adjustable like desks, taking some time to get it right can save you from a lot of backache. The typical working benchtop height is between 85 to 95 cm. See what’s suitable for your height below:
150cm – 160cm = an 84cm high benchtop
160cm – 170cm = an 88cm high benchtop
170cm – 180cm = a 92cm high benchtop
180cm – 190cm = a 96cm high benchtop
A good rule of thumb is to put your palms flat on your benchtop and see if your elbows are resting at a 45-degree angle with your forearms. If so, then that height is a good fit. For placing shelves, keep them around 45-60 cm above the benchtop, or 65 cm above the cooktop, with essential shelves no more than 1.4 m off the floor. Proper shelving balances working space, accessibility, and cooktop clearance.
Drawer Opening
It can be finicky having multiple drawers open, especially when going back and forth, bumping around the kitchen. At the same time, pushing them shut brings noise and possible damage. Consider self-close drawer slides to make closing worry-free, or soft-close systems, which dampen sound and minimise impact – all with just a gentle push.
For lift-up cabinets, look for those with a stay-open mechanism so that you can retrieve goods with both hands. You can use the drawer size to sort goods: shallow drawers for cutlery, medium drawers for bowls, and deep drawers for pots and containers.
Convenience Mapping
Unless you want to treat cooking like a marathon, aim at minimising the amount of movement needed to retrieve any and all goods. This includes your whiteware, appliances, and cooking tools. For example, keep your pans right by your cooktop at waist or shoulder height, keep your tableware cabinets next to your dishwasher, and avoid tucking away your favourites in bottom cabinet corners – your back will thank you for it.
Having smart storage solutions can be a lifesaver in this instance: base cabinet pull-outs can provide easy access to pantry goods, while pull-out bins make short work of disposal with none of the smell. Consider putting your cabinet corner to work with a carousel unit for further space efficiency.
Safety
When working around all sorts of sharp objects and hot surfaces, getting hurt is the last thing anyone wants. In addition to having drawers & doors closed, sound footing is also important. Check just how “non-slip” your flooring actually is, and how it works with footwear and socks.
For nighttime working, consider installing task lighting such as under-cabinet LEDs for a focused work area. Toe kick illumination can be especially useful when left on after lights-off, providing you and your family with a guide and saving many a pinkie toe from those pesky stubs.
Focusing on form over function is understandably popular, but it’s best to get a measure of your kitchen’s usability. While the effects of aesthetics are apparent immediately and fully, the effects of layout, height, and operability are often not discovered until later. Building your dream kitchen is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many, and getting it right is just as important as ever. Make sure you get the ergonomics you want and find the balance that’s just right for you.
One of the staples of modern minimalism, the handleless trend is undoubtedly an ideal option for achieving the cleanest look possible. With so much noise and complexity in the world, coming home to a smooth and simple kitchen can bring a much-needed reprieve.
Aesthetics
With a surge in popularity over the past two decades, modern handleless cabinetry is often found playing leading roles in minimalist kitchens around the world. They’re a great partner for any type of cabinet finish, but with a tendency to work better with glossy, single-colour panels rather than rustic hardwood or overly detailed patterns. Shiny or reflective cabinets can benefit from having nothing that interrupts the flow.
Handleless cabinets are an ideal partner for melamine, vinyl, and subtle veneers. They’re also great for redirecting attention, drawing eyes to the material itself, nearby prized pieces like a benchtop or display shelf, and enriching their colours. Without a handle, the panels can achieve an extremely flush look, with the bare minimum of gaps to discern between cabinets. While the physical space handles take up is minimal, you’d be surprised by how much visual clutter can be freed by a handleless design.
Practicality
The absence of handles is also the most magical part of these cabinets. In the kitchen, you will often extrusion profile handles being used. These aluminium handles are fitted over the top or side of a panel to create a recessed well in which you can grip and pull, often resembling the letters G, L, and U. J-pull handles work similarly, but instead feature the groove cut directly into the panel material itself. Another mechanism is push-to-open, which operates exactly as it sounds.
Even without noticeable handles, these panels are easy and intuitive to operate. It may seem hard to identify the grip location and opening direction, but these will come incredibly quickly and easily. Bereft of handles, you can also shed any worries of catching your clothes or bumping your hand.
Maintenance
Perhaps the best part of maintaining handleless cabinets, the surfaces are easy to clean with nothing in the way. They also don’t smudge as much due to where you grip them. Opening recessed handles only requires force from inside the groove, which means you can open it without ever leaving a fingerprint. That being said, the grooves themselves still need occasional cleaning. Horizontal designs should be cleaned more often than vertical or upside-down arrangements since they can collect debris easier.
Gentle cleaning with mild soap is perfect for keeping long term longevity of your handles. As far as durability is concerned, aluminium extrusion handles have next to nothing to worry about. Their recessed nature makes accidental damage next to impossible. For panels with recesses built into the cabinet material itself, harsh use can damage it over time, especially if cuts in the finish are left undiscovered, weakening the substrate.
With great aesthetics and easy maintenance, handleless cabinetry is a top choice for modern households. They can enhance kitchens, bathrooms, and living spaces alike, drawing or refocusing attention to different parts of your home. While they typically fetch a higher price than traditional handles, the upsides can be well worth it if you’re looking for a minimalist change. If you’ve been hooked by the Scandinavian, Japandi, or modern minimalist styles, look no further!
As part of a larger home renovation, this special Glenfield residence called for a kitchen to match. Citing aging hardware with mismatched appliances for their needs, the owner was keen to see a full BoxMakers makeover.
Surrounded by Features
Being the home’s pièce de resistance, special attention was paid to crafting this brilliant modern kitchen. Sporting a G-shape layout, this kitchen offers nearly 360 degrees of functionality, with an incredible amount of modern hardware and cabinetry, all with a perfectly positioned entry point for convenient access to the rest of the home.
The colours and themes revolved around the existing timber ceiling, which offered rich orange hues. To complement this, we chose a light colour palette across the board. The MDF cabinetry proudly features a light and breezy combination of Spanish White Velvet and Bleached Maple Woodgrain finishes from Prime Panels. We collaborated with Stone Space for a beautiful benchtop cut of Calacatta Bianco engineered stone, swimming with delicate flashes of gold and grey. When sunlight hits the room, the kitchen is positively glowing!
Advanced Appliances
New appliances were a core component of this upgrade. With ambitious levels of cooking in mind, we installed a 500-Series Induction Cooktop from Haier and FOTILE’s EMG-Series rangehood. Both are incredibly capable choices with a sleek, modern design chosen for their powerful ability to tackle the most complex of meals. Likewise, the Omison sink, Domenic Tap, FOTILE oven, and Bosch dishwasher were all versatile options. It even features an InSinkErator food disposal system, completing this comprehensive suite of fixtures and appliances.
Brilliant New Hardware
Behind the panels, you can find an abundance of kitchen hardware. Fit’s Tanova hidden bins and Duplo corner unit go hand in hand with Häfele’s pull-out set. Combined with BoxMakers’ abundantly positioned cabinets, the owner would want for nothing when it comes to storage space. Fleshed out with stunning LEDs, handles, and Häfele’s silky smooth drawer systems, every aspect of this kitchen is made for the modern power user.
Often notorious for being the most expensive amongst interior work, pricing a kitchen renovation can be a scary process, especially if your ambition outpaces your budget. This was the case for many decades, where it was only possible to get high-end looks with high-end spending – but no longer. Getting a film-worthy kitchen is more viable than ever.
Attaining a pricey-looking kitchen for cheap is all about distributing your budget. For a typical kitchen, you should put an emphasis on visuals. Walk through your kitchen as though it were an open home – what do you first see? The elements that take up the most visual real estate are the cabinetry and benchtop, then the lighting and splashback. A premium-looking kitchen revolves around aesthetic investment. This also works incredibly well for boosting your home value.
Here are some tips for the most essential parts of a kitchen:
Benchtop
Getting the look and feel of genuine imported Italian marble used to be a costly endeavour. With engineered stone, you get superior durability and usability while accurately replicating the mesmerising tones and intricate weaves of Calacatta or Statuario – all for a fraction of the price.
Cabinetry
Consistence and modernity are key to making your cabinets punch above their weight class. MDF is a reliable core material, and can support an incredible range of surfaces from realistic veneers to glossy laminates. It can be an affordable combination for shiny cabinets in your colour of choice.
Lighting
Often overlooked as an optional kitchen accessory, good lighting can practically transform your kitchen. Pendant lights, under-cabinet lights, and toe-kick lights can seriously give the impression of a premium kitchen while adding practicality. Even a handful of select, budget-friendly options can make a big difference.
Splashback
While acrylic splashbacks may be the most affordable, they may not pass the eye test when under scrutiny. Tile splashbacks provide a genuine look and feel with plenty of affordable options. Both offer high variety in terms of looks but tiles will hold up better over time.
Layout
The flow of a kitchen is essential to a “luxury” feel. Openness is king in the modern landscape. Layout changes, however, can be an unnecessary expense as it requires more work in design and service connections. You should consider a layout change if your kitchen feels obstructed. A good kitchen should never feel difficult to enter.
Hardware
Complete your kitchen with finishing touches. Among kitchen hardware, handles are the most visually prominent. They can be subtle, eye-catching, or anything in between – even budget handles offer premium aesthetics nowadays. Tactilely, soft-close mechanism can make cabinet operation feel premium, and in-cabinet storage solutions provide practical packing – their value is seen through daily use.
Appliances
Pick mid-range appliances from known brands. Don’t be upsold on rarely-used features offered by their flagship range. Realistically, their mid-tier offerings have a more than ample feature set for day-to-day use.
Luxury doesn’t have to be replicated through cost alone. Through careful selection and thoughtful planning, you can achieve the look of kitchens many times your budget while still having incredible performance.
This recently completed Sandringham kitchen renovation transforms a compact second-storey space into a sleek, modern hub designed for both style and functionality. The homeowner’s vision called for a striking Kombu green and stainless steel colour palette, paired with an array of smart kitchen storage solutions, and BoxMakers delivered every detail with precision.
Packed with Storage Solution
Overlooking the scenic suburbs of Sandringham, this modern kitchen combines clever design with practical storage. The base cabinets feature a Kesseboehmer dual-level pull-out set and Tanova Simplex dual pull-out bins, keeping daily essentials organised and easily accessible. Häfele extrusion handles and drawer runners were selected for a clean, professional finish that complements the kitchen’s contemporary look.
A standout feature of this project is the custom fridge-side cabinet, designed to match the height of the fridge enclosure. This tall pantry unit includes a combination of open shelves, mid-size drawers, and large handled drawers — 2 of each — using Harn Ritma drawer kits supplied by Fit NZ. This design allows for multiple storage options in a convenient, central location, perfect for everyday kitchen use.
Colour palette & Design intentions
The kitchen’s Melteca Green Slate Pearl cabinetry is paired with a stainless-steel benchtop from Classic Stainless, measuring 25mm in thickness. Rare in contemporary kitchens, this professional-grade benchtop offers heat resistance, durability, and hygienic performance while adding a sleek, industrial touch that complements the two-tone design.
With its combination of bold colours, intelligent storage solutions, and professional-grade materials, this modern Sandringham kitchen balances aesthetic appeal with unmatched functionality. It’s a space designed for the ambitious household chef — stylish, efficient, and built to last.
Renovating your kitchen is an exciting journey that can breathe new life into your home. Depending on your scale and ambition, the process as a whole can get quite lengthy. Here’s a quick guide to get you up to speed on what you can expect out of your kitchen renovation’s timeline.
Design & Consultation
When you first begin, you’ll likely be looking for a trusted designer who can deliver everything you want out of your new kitchen. Visiting different designers and weighing their catalogues, selections, and quotes can be a great way of finding a good fit, but being reliable, experienced, and trustworthy is important too. When you’ve chosen your designer, working with them to determine the scale of work, kitchen design, layout, and more can last a few weeks but largely depends on the rate of communication between you and the designer. You can expect site visits and measurements during this phase.
Material Selection & Ordering
Here you’ll be finalising the materials used for your kitchen, including everything from the benchtop and cabinetry to fixed appliances such as the oven, cooktop, and rangehood. Once they’re locked in, the designer will order them. The ordering itself typically only takes 2 weeks, but finalising materials has the potential to drag out a renovation job. Constant communication and settling topics quickly can speed up the timeline. During this phase, you can spend the time getting your home ready for the kitchen work, such as setting up a temporary kitchen, protecting the floors, and making room for the tradespeople to move.
Demolition
When all is decided and the major components are ready, demolition can begin. This is when the old kitchen is removed, along with any other parts, such as flooring, walls, or columns. The used kitchen parts are typically dismantled and recycled, but good condition parts can be sold or repurposed for another room. Demolition usually only lasts a week, but could be longer if more than just your kitchen needs to be removed.
Fabrication
For designers that provide custom cabinetry (such as ourselves), they take time to manufacture your tailor-made cabinets in-house. This typically takes place after the design and renovation is locked in, and can take place concurrently with on-site efforts such as demolition and preparation. Fabrication involves taking the chosen cabinet materials and custom cutting them to match your home’s dimensions, leading to a much better fit compared to flat-pack or premade cabinets. This includes personalised accommodations for appliances and in-cabinet storage solutions. Fabrication typically lasts around 3 – 4 weeks.
Site Prep & Rough-in
This is when the old kitchen has been removed, and the tradespeople are preparing the room for the new kitchen. The process typically involves readying the electrical and plumbing systems with new wires and pipes. This phase can be long or short depending on the scale of your project. Notably, if your kitchen layout is planned to change, then the service connections will need rerouting, which requires more time. Complex renovations may require more than a month.
Installation
When the site is prepared and ready for your new kitchen, putting the parts together is the final phase of your renovation. This includes installing the cabinetry, benchtop, flooring, and hardware such as hinges, handles, and drawer systems. After, the splashback and fixed appliances are installed, with everything properly connected to your home’s services. Finally, the finishing touches are applied, followed by the final inspection and clean-up. Installation typically lasts 2 weeks.
Design & Consultation: Weeks to months depending on communication.
Material Selection & Ordering: 2 weeks, longer if more deliberation required.
Demolition: 1 week.
Fabrication: 3 – 4 weeks.
Site Prep: Highly varies depending on the layout and the scope of the project
Installation: 2 weeks.
Overall, you can expect your kitchen to be out of commission for around 1 – 2 months, while the whole process may last several months depending on how much consultation is required and how complex the project is. While the process itself can be quite involved, it is a highly rewarding experience and an opportunity to make your kitchen truly yours.
For this kitchen renovation in Murray’s Bay, the end result is completely unrecognisable! Having inherited mediterranean influences, the home featured several indoor archways in both the kitchen and living spaces, but was long due for an overhaul.
Signs Calling For Renovation
The primary reason for renovation was aging hardware – in both style and performance. It was clear that the walls and floors were in rough shape from decades of use, and the open shelf cupboards were practically bursting at the seams. Citing clutter and wear, the client called for a modern, clean, and practical kitchen. One of the most notable changes required was the removal of the mediterranean brick-style arch that doubled as the kitchen entryway. This provided a seamless connection to the neighbouring room and allowed for an extra end of the kitchen bench to be usable.
Storage-oriented Kitchen
BoxMakers chose to keep the same U-shape layout as it was still a highly efficient way of arranging the kitchen and maximising space. This allowed for the easy connection of new appliances, such as the rangehood and cooktop. We noted that the original kitchen suffered most from a dearth of storage space, which shaped our decision to create a storage-oriented kitchen. This, of course, called for an abundant supply of cabinetry, including numerous floor-to-ceiling units.
The cabinets were MDF, finished in white melamine – a theme that was kept consistent across the entire kitchen. In place of the open cupboards, BoxMakers installed a full-height shelf unit covered by an elegant bifold door solution. Perpendicular to it, the fan favourite Kesseböhmer Tandem pantry unit made an appearance, right beside the fridge. Allowing for a gargantuan level of storage, the unit is complemented by additional cabinets and drawers.
Design and Materials
The benchtop was decided in close collaboration with the owner – Uniquartz’s Calacatta Grigio, a grey-based cut of engineered stone. It features a striking arrangement of stoney colours from marble white to dark slate. The patten is notable for resembling rippling waves against a temperamental backdrop of achromatic lightning – a particularly detailed piece evocative of the stormy Mediterranean Sea, which ties in perfectly with the home’s original style and the iconic Italian Carrara marble from which Calacatta Grigio is inspired by.
In keeping with the clean, modern aesthetic, Mardeco’s extrusion handles were selected, finished in simple white. These allowed for handleless designs across almost the entire kitchen, completing its unobtrusive appearance. Below the bench, Artia supplied the Italian-made Sige pull-out corner unit, while Häfele supplied the Kesseboehmer base pull-out set. For the appliances, the owner chose Asko, another European brand. This extended to the dishwasher, oven, and cooktop.
BoxMakers delivered on a highly capable modern kitchen that featured an incredible variety of storage solutions that is capable of sorting out any level of clutter. In close direction with the owner, we were able to install purpose-built drawers to contain what they wanted, where they wanted. While it may look like a simple modern kitchen at a glance, the renovation is packed with advanced storage solutions throughout, carefully interwoven with European influences.
Knowing where to invest your kitchen budget can be invaluable to both cost saving and maximising performance. Two of the most significant cost-affecting areas of a kitchen renovation are its layout and materials, but in most residential renovations, it’s the materials that tend to move the price tag more.
So How Does Layout Affect Cost?
Your kitchen’s layout defines the positioning of all your fixtures, furniture, and appliances. It dictates the ebb and flow of your kitchen, making sure that everything you need is placed smartly, efficiently, and conveniently. Typical kitchen layouts include: single wall, galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, peninsula, and island.
The more benchtop area used, the more expensive a kitchen is typically going to be; as it doesn’t simply demand more benchtop material, but also the unit’s cabinetry and hardware.
However, for most home renovations, layout changes alone don’t cause dramatic budget jumps. Many homeowners choose to retain their existing layout, which keeps costs manageable by avoiding plumbing or electrical rework. Even when redesigning the space, the expense of moving services or breaking walls can often be contained compared to what premium materials might cost.
What About Materials?
Here’s where the numbers can really start to climb. Choosing high end materials can make even single wall layouts fetch hefty price tags. The two major areas that can eat up your budget are the benchtop and cabinetry, but smart selection and efficient planning can cut down costs while looking akin to more premium offerings. Elsewhere, the floor, splashback, and accessories can also vary in material price.
Chiefly among renovators’ minds is the kitchen benchtop. Often seen as the centrepiece of one’s kitchen, it comes as no surprise that a hefty amount of the budget is dedicated to the bench. Laminate benchtops are the cheapest and provide excellent value for money. Engineered stone is a popular mid-range choices that may require maintenance. Porcelain and real stone, though undeniably stunning, can easily double or triple the material cost, especially in large kitchens.
Cabinetry also has the potential to quickly drive up costs. Here, materials typically come in the form of the core material and the finish. For the core, MDF strikes a good balance between durability, price, and finish variety. At the high-end, real wood is a pricey yet premium option. For the finish, melamine is affordable with a good range of aesthetics. A shift from white melamine to real wood veneer, for example, can dramatically elevate the look and the cost.
The splashback also has a diverse number of options, with tile being the cheapest yet perhaps the most versatile. Even within tile options, price can still vary drastically depending on material. Glass, stainless steel, and engineered stone are all valid mid-range choices. Porcelain makes another appearance as an expensive choice here. Elsewhere, the little things such as handle materials and cabinet systems can slowly add to the price.
The Verdict
While layout changes certainly impact cost, particularly if you’re knocking down walls or moving plumbing. In most residential kitchen renovations, it’s the materials that make the bigger difference.
A change from laminate to porcelain, or from melamine to real timber veneer, can easily outweigh the expense of reworking your layout. That said, the final cost always depends on your project’s scale, style, and priorities.
The best approach? Start with a clear vision of what matters most, functionality, finishes, or both, and plan your renovation around that balance.
