Tag: Kitchen renovation Auckland

Make Your Kitchen Feel High-End on a Budget
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.
November 12, 2025
Sleek, Beautiful, and Highly Functional — Sandringham Kitchen Renovation
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.
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 30, 2025
Realistic Timeline for an Auckland Kitchen Renovation
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.
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 30, 2025
Subtle European Influences in a Modern Kitchen Transformation
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.
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 23, 2025
What Affects the Cost of a Kitchen Renovation More, Layout or Materials?
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.
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 22, 2025
Saving Your Kitchen with Smart Storage
Nobody enjoys seeing bottles, boxes, and pans taking up precious benchtop space. A crowded kitchen isn’t just a practical nuisance – it can also be embarrassing when hosting guests. If you’ve fallen victim to loss of space – fear not! In 2025, it’s easier than ever to find advanced, yet affordable solutions to tackle clutter and tidy your kitchen to make it good as new.
Good Storage Planning
Over time, you may have experienced seeing less of your benchtop and more of your sundry kitchen goods. Gradual mess can become the bane of a kitchen’s existence, but kitchen planning and storage solutions can handily remedy that. Cabinet tech has been one of those silent innovators that have evolved quicker than people may realise. It used to be that going custom was the only way to get pull-out pantries, hidden bins, and intricate corner systems. Today, these capable kitchen add-ons are available from numerous retail and hardware stores, thanks to advances in materials, manufacturing, and global supply chains.
Storage Myth?
One of the biggest misconceptions about amassing storage space is that it’s all about having as many cabinets as possible. In truth, it’s all about making the space you have work for you, and using it as efficiently as possible. Now, pull-out pantries, integrated bins, and modular shelving are all easy to obtain and install, providing multiple levels, divisions, and angles of access.
Our Smart Storage Partners
BoxMakers have worked with trusted brands such as Häfele, Fit NZ, Blum, Enko, and more to deliver high quality kitchen solutions that look good, feel good, and have plenty of room for everything. Cabinets and drawers can all be upgraded with smooth operation mechanisms such as soft-close hinges and runners, and modern corner units can feature revolving shelves, multi-level operation, and advanced retraction mechanisms.
Using smart storage isn’t just efficient – it’s trendy. Pulling out your pantry solutions is a fast way to impress guests and retrieve kitchen essentials, all without obscuring your benchtop. You already have the space – now make the most of it.
Resources: https://linkmix.co/45465289
October 17, 2025
A Lush Green Sandringham Kitchen Renovation
Major Kitchen Renovation
For this exciting BoxMakers kitchen renovation in Sandringham, our team were called to transform a decades-old space into something modern and fresh. Notably unique about this project is the client’s special vision for their kitchen – with every material, colour, and fixture meticulously curated to bring their idea to life.
BoxMakers are always excited to carry out passion projects, and this one is no different. We know the importance of personally-chosen components as they can mean more than just a colour; it is a unique expression of personality and serves as an extension of one’s character. When the owner’s original kitchen was faced with aging joinery and loss of function, BoxMakers were called upon to carry out their fresh and original vision.
Unique Colour Palette and Materials
The highlight of this new kitchen is the colour scheme, with the cabinetry featuring Melteca’s Green Slate Pearl. It is an elegant hybrid of naturality and modernity – blending the best of both worlds in a revisionist-retro theme. This is exemplified by the plan for a stainless-steel benchtop – a staple of the late 20th century, now revived with modern features and design sensibilities. The stainless-steel theme extends to the Mercer Pressato sink and the Westinghouse fridge, the latter of which sits side by side a full-height pantry unit.
Häfele’s Luxe extrusion handles were also hand-picked by the owner. Their hidden nature allows the green of the cabinetry to be presented with a flush and uniform view. Also present is the Kesseboehmer pull-out set, perfect for oils and bottles. Fit’s drawer kits and pull-out bin were chosen for their smoothness of operation and quality materials.
So how is this project coming along? BoxMakers have recently finished the cabinetry fit-out and have prepared the benchtop template. Our next step is installing the sleek stainless-steel benchtop. We are excited to see this verdant kitchen to completion and can’t wait to see the finished job!
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 3, 2025
Cleverly Concealed Kitchen Conveniences
White Motif and Clean Lines
One of our recent projects in Cockle Bay, this shiny new kitchen was designed around a central white motif in keeping consistency with the rest of the home. This snowy design language extends to almost every corner of the positively glowing kitchen. Designed and crafted by the BoxMakers team, this cooking space exudes confidence and personality.
Aside from the colour uniformity, the Cockle Bay project also features a focus on clean lines and space-efficiency. The island runs parallel to the perfectly flush handleless designs of the main benchtop. This level design extends to the overhead cabinets, whose hidden handles and integrated rangehood provides a sleek, minimalist look. The cabinetry body is made from Prime Panels’ Melamine Embossed MDF range, while the face panels feature Decorpanel’s Matte Snow White.
Aesthetic Yet Practical Cooking Area
The benchtop is 30mm Uniquartz Engineered Stone, finished in Plain White, and the splashback features a delicate arrangement of subway tiles that sport a glossy and grooved texture – built around a modest sliding window. Aesthetically, it adds character and depth to the kitchen while practically, it provides both natural light and ventilation, dispersing cooking smoke and odours. Underlining the overhead cabinets is a subtle stretch of iLLUMAX’s LED lighting, which comes in a warm 3000K temperature.
Storage Highlights
One of the highlights of this kitchen is the large pantry unit, built into what was once a storage closet. It comes complete with a set of 90-degree shelves, three drawers, and a small benchtop to mirror the kitchen. It allows for perfectly concealable and convenient food storage while making the most of the room provided.
Häfele, once again, was our choice for the drawer runners. This time however, we sought to include their Cooking Agent base cabinet as its feature-set aligned perfectly with our vision. Their AGO-vario cutlery trays also proved a convenient addition, and their subtle extrusion handles allowed for a uniform, invisible-grip design. Another base cabinet secret was the dual kitchen bin by FIT’s Tanova line. These features combine to make the kitchen appear as clean and simple as possible, while hiding an exceptionally versatile feature-set.
This Cockle Bay project serves as a great example of BoxMakers’ design philosophies in maximising both practicality and aesthetics by applying innovations in materials, fixtures, and techniques.
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
September 30, 2025
A Special Scandinavian Kitchen in Mt Albert
Our ongoing work at this Mt Albert home is helping bring to life the owner’s visionary passion project. Envisaging a crystal-clear idea of exactly what they wanted for their family, the owner worked closely with BoxMakers to ensure part of the kitchen and cabinetry was how they dreamt it to be.
Core Philosophy
The core design philosophy behind this project is to create a minimalist, clean, and airy kitchen that feels simply freeing the moment you step in. A simple and light Scandinavian-style kitchen was the goal. The colours were selected to mirror this relieving nature, being a warm beige and gentle white. Melteca’s French Cream was chosen as the primary colour, a decadent tone evocative of elegantly-presented desserts.
Palette and Materials
Prime Panels’ Embossed White fills out the rest of the scene with hints of levity. Beneath the melamine colours, the cabinetry’s core material is a sturdy MDF – a versatile substrate for hosting such a palette. Uniquartz’s Sparkling White makes an appearance as the benchtop’s finish. The textured grey of the engineered stone strikes a perfect midpoint between the cream and white.
For the handles and drawer features, we found Häfele to hit all the right notes for the owner’s vision. Their intricately engineered drawer runners, sides, and faces made storage both satisfying and accommodating. In keeping with a flush, minimalist design, Häfele’s Luxe series were chosen to serve as hidden extrusion handles, hiding away even the slightest amount of visual clutter. The theme continues with Enko’s Vibo Pull-Out Bottle Organiser, and FIT’s Tanova Dual Pull-Out Bin.
Cohesive Entry Way
The centrepiece of the cabinetry, however, is the full-height glass display cabinet, right beside the kitchen. It comes complete with a full set of per-shelf LED lighting, primed for figurine display.
BoxMakers’ work continues on another home in the same complex, with much of the same principles carried over, such as a clean, minimalist design, and a feature-set designed to cater to all generations of a growing family. The project’s tenets of simplicity, durability, and versatility can be seen in both lots, but the former is undeniably something special.
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
September 26, 2025
Freeing Up a Remuera Kitchen
One of our most recent kitchen renovations, this stylish project in Remuera was commissioned with the purpose of renewing, revitalising, and also expanding this aging kitchen. Aside from the broken hinges and general wear, the project sought to ambitiously relieve the kitchen of an aesthetic column that the owners found obtrusive. BoxMakers aimed to perform a comprehensive kitchen upgrade centred around the newly freed space.
Design Intentions
While the existing column served as aesthetical divider for the kitchen, it also doubled as a barrier, both physically and visually.
Interconnectedness was a key priority of BoxMakers’ plan for this project, aiming to free up both working space and visual clutter, as well as generating an enhanced sense of connectivity to the living space, as befit the home’s open floor plan. Great care and effort were taken in removal and preparation. The result was an unobstructed sightline into the kitchen and much more room for the new benchtop – which also meant more kitchen at no cost to space.
In addition to the column removal, a comprehensive renovation was also performed on the kitchen space itself, significantly replacing the joinery, benchtop, and fixtures. The new U-benchtop was of engineered stone, finished in Carrara Gold by Horizon Stone: a glossy white finish with fine veins of gold weave sewn into its design. The splashback featured the same design, extending up to the custom cabinetry.
Smart Storage System
With an emphasis on “shiny and new”, the main cabinet faces were finished in glossy White Swan by Decorpanel, bringing an unmatched level of sheen and polish to the kitchen. We chose a minimalist style of handles by Enko to support this design. Beneath the benchtop, we installed a dual-tiered Magic Corner unit from FIT’s Giamo series, as well as a hidden dual-bin from their Tanova series. The rest of the custom cabinetry featured a melamine finish of Prime Maple by Primepanels, which housed a tandem pantry unit by Kesseböhmer – and if that wasn’t enough storage, the under-sink cabinetry also featured a pull-out unit, likewise by Kesseböhmer.
The majority of the appliances were also replaced, such as a new Haier oven and a new Bosch cooktop and rangehood. A broad array of LED lighting was also installed, completing the new and modern look of the kitchen.
BoxMakers was able to achieve this dazzling result thanks to a diligent understanding of the client’s vision, combined with our experience in designing any type of kitchen aesthetic – whether it’s matte and traditional, or glossy and modern.
Discuss your next plan now
September 4, 2025