Tag: Kitchen renovation

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 Covert and Minimalist Black Kitchen in Helensville
Nestled away in the sunny Helensville countryside, this tranquil rural home recently saw a brand new BoxMakers kitchen. What was special about this project was its colour palette, which was pure matt black with minimalist style.
Conveniently Located Kitchen
Instead of being part of the main home, this was a unique kitchen tailored to fit a detached workshop. With convenience and versatility in mind, the client wanted an accessible way to prepare meals in the comfort of their own workplace. This meant no more back and forth travel or clashed occupancy of the main kitchen. The main themes of this kitchen were being utilitarian, covert, and minimalist. BoxMakers knew the assignment well, and aimed to strike a balance between professionalism and elegance, all while adhering to the surrounding purpose and themes.
Distinct Colour Theme
The owner wanted black to be the central colour of the kitchen, and BoxMaker delivered. With 16mm MDF as the core material, all of the bench cabinets were finished in Black Pearl melamine by Melteca – a midnight finish that strikingly swallows light, yet glistens under the right conditions. This clandestine cabinet collection contained a carefully curated composition of drawers, providing a striking resemblance to tool storage units, in running with the utility-centric theme.
Materials & Storage Solutions
Häfele’s Luxe handles were chose for their hidden profile design, creating flush and uniform cabinet faces. Mardeco’s 2006 series handle was chosen for the larger cabinet. All of them, of course, came in black. Inside the cabinetry, you can find Häfele’s signature drawer hardware, as well as Enko’s Uni-Bin Soft Close Waste bins for disguising waste.
The focal point of this kitchen is the benchtop. In close collaboration with the owner, we decided on a finish that matched the stealthy aesthetic while weaving in some of the colour of the floor’s dark wood. UniQuartz’s Brown Forest was chosen – streaks of golden-brown woven against a mesmerising obsidian grey backdrop.
Appliances
The client’s fixtures and appliances were meticulously chosen to reflect their vision. Carysil’s Enigma sink was chosen for its true-to-name mysterious yet modern appearance while Casa’s sink mixer made for a perfect minimalist pairing. A compact 2-zone cooktop by Vogue continued the dark, minimalist trend.
Taking in design cues from utility-oriented storage, BoxMakers delivered a highly modern single-benchtop kitchen that is just as capable as it is dark. The room’s warm overhead lights make each cooking session a bold cinematic experience.
Designer: Mona Simathamchai
👉 Get in touch with us today to book your first free consultation.
October 16, 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
Fit: Saving Space with Smart Storage
Kiwi-owned and operated, Fit are a proud manufacturer of innovative home and kitchen storage solutions. Their own brands, Giamo and Tanova, provide powerful options in both kitchen storage and hidden bins respectively – both of which are incredible in reducing clutter and providing convenience.
Giamo Range
Fit’s Giamo range tackles the increasingly relevant problem of kitchen and pantry storage, with units dedicated to food, cookware, and utility storage. BoxMakers have consistently called upon Giamo for intricate and smart pull-out pantries, corner units, and drawer units. Their solutions have helped our kitchens to be incredibly efficient in both physical space and visual clutter. Dedicated in-cabinet units easily sort and conceal bottles, pans, and spices, saving valuable benchtop space.
Tanova Series
Fit’s Tanova series provides pull-out bin solutions, an effective way of freeing up kitchen space while also adding convenience. Instead of having a kitchen bin take up valuable corner space, Fit’s Tanova bins sit in an accessible in-bench location. In keeping with our goal of delivering space-efficient kitchens, these pull-out bins provide more movement room but also conceal the sight and smell of kitchen waste.
Fit’s range of products have helped BoxMakers immensely in creating versatile and highly functional kitchens. Their solutions are tailored towards space-saving and convenience, with a range of pull-out solutions, making sure that each of our kitchens is more than meets the eye.
Discuss your next plan with us now
September 19, 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
Plentiful Pantry Storage in Avondale kitchen renovation
One of our more recent projects, this Kitchen renovation in Avondale called for an extensive facelift, including brand new custom cabinets, kitchen fixtures, and a slew of storage additions.
Overview
This renovation was performed primarily to tackle the shortage of space in the original kitchen which resulted in a cramped layout with no room for appliances. This spurred the need for new cabinetry units, especially across the kitchen overhead.
Cabinet details
Our cabinetmaking team carefully selected embossed melamine for the new units, settling on Prime Panels’ Prime White for the colour, a clear choice to compliment the walls. Installation called for the removal of a tall double-door cabinet that took up far more storage space than it provided. This freed up room for the new benchtop to continue around the corner, granting valuable oven-space.
The renewed space also opened up room for a collection of overhead and bench unit cabinets, making storage and accessibility far more accommodating than before.
Above the new Bosch cooktop, a hidden rangehood is accommodated by the overhead cabinetry, significantly reducing visual clutter while also contributing to the sleek, featureful nature of the kitchen.
Smart Storage Solutions
That’s not the only hidden feature either – a pull-out Kesseböhmer pantry is built into the bench cabinetry, and dual Tanova soft close bins are tucked away down beside the kitchen sink. Behind the kitchen corner, dual pull-out shelves by Artia allow for seamless kitchenware storage.
On the other side of the doorway is the fridge unit and accommodating cabinetry. The top level features a dual-door cabinet with custom notched shelving for accessible rear access. Beneath it lies a rolling door unit by Sage Doors – also finished in matching white, used to prevent dust accumulation on dormant appliances and dampen visual clutter.
Setting the mood
The benchtop is White Ice Engineered Stone by Uniquartz, which completes the white-themed kitchen. Providing a sleek accent are the Mardeco cabinet handles, finished in Brushed Nickel, with a colour-matching kitchen mixer by Galaxy Homeware.
To top it all off, the overhead cabinets are equipped with undermounted warm LED lighting strips, making for delicate nighttime illumination, and introducing a sunny accent to the cool-white kitchen.
Discuss your next plan now
August 21, 2025
A Stylishly renovated Kitchen Packed With Features
In mid-2025, the BoxMakers team were called to deliver a kitchen and bathroom renovation project in Mount Roskill. On top of delivering custom shelves and cabinetry, the project also called for the installation of a variety of modern kitchen features, such as a rotating corner solution, hidden kitchen bins, and a pullout bottle rack.
Sleek and Subtle Cabinetry
For the kitchen cabinet face panels, the project called for melamine MDF in a white finish. The overhead panels operate on a handleless design, adding a smooth, flush, and contemporary aesthetic to the upper strip of the kitchen. Underneath, the base cabinets feature sleek angular chrome handles which add a clean and contemporary accent to the kitchen.
Featureful Living
Beneath the new 30mm Cararra Gold quartz benchtop, a range of unique kitchen amenities are tucked away. While they may seem like simple cabinets at first glance, the units in fact sport a variety of hidden solutions. The corner unit is a two-tiered revolving carousel featuring ample room for pots, bowls, and trays. Beside the stovetop, a convenient double-bin drawer rests along soft-close slides, providing generous room for waste disposal without the sight and smell. Also present is a pullout bottle rack, which adds liberal storage for cooking ingredients without having to walk across the room.
An Enhanced Bathroom Experience
As with the kitchen work, BoxMakers also performed significant work on the bathroom, replacing the tile shower base, shower glass, and handling tile installation across multiple rooms. In addition to this, we also undertook electrical, carpentry, and plumbing work. A range of new fittings were also installed, such as toilets, bathtubs, and vanities, their selection carefully curated by the owner. The backlit LED mirrors provided a futuristic touch to the vanities. These renewed bathrooms sported superior watertightness, functionality, and overall polish.
We are proud to have finished work on a highly capable kitchen and bathroom renovation to create something that is more than what meets the eye. The refreshing aesthetics and featureful inclusions are sure to carry this home well into the future.
Planning a renovation? We design and build integrated cabinetry that transforms spaces from cluttered to considered.

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August 14, 2025
Must-Have Features for Your Custom Kitchen
Make your kitchen smarter, sleeker, and built for everyday living.
When it comes to designing your dream kitchen, it’s not just about looks — it’s about making it work for you. At BoxMakers, we believe good design should solve problems, simplify daily routines, and spark a little joy every time you open a drawer.
Here are 10 must-have features to consider in your custom kitchen:
1. Soft-Close Drawers and Doors
No more slamming! Soft-close hinges and drawer runners add a premium feel, extend the life of your cabinetry, and keep things calm and quiet — even on busy mornings.
2. Pull-Out Pantry Units
Maximise vertical space and keep everything within reach. Pull-out pantries make spices, cans, and snacks easy to see and access, especially in narrow kitchens.
3. Corner Storage Solutions
Say goodbye to the dark abyss of corner cabinets. Solutions like lazy Susans, magic corners, or corner drawers turn wasted space into storage gold.
4. Hidden Bin or Recycling Station
Keep your kitchen looking clean with pull-out bin drawers that hide rubbish and recycling while keeping them easily accessible where you need them most.
5. Under-Cabinet Lighting
Integrated LED strips under wall cabinets improve visibility while cooking and add an ambient glow in the evenings — practical and beautiful.
6. Built-In Spice Racks or Knife Drawers
Custom inserts for spice jars, knives, and utensils make meal prep faster and safer, while keeping your benchtop clutter-free.
7. Deep Drawers for Pots and Pans
Ditch the old-school base cabinets. Deep drawers glide out effortlessly and let you store heavy cookware without the bending and digging.
8. Appliance Garage
Tuck away your toaster, blender, or coffee machine in a custom-built cabinet with a lift-up or roll-down door — easy to access, easy to hide.
9. Charging Station or Power Drawer
Stay connected with built-in USB ports or concealed power strips in a drawer — perfect for charging phones or powering small appliances without messy cables.
10. Open Shelving for Display and Personality
Balance function with style by adding open shelves for cookbooks, ceramics, or plants — bring warmth and personality into the heart of your home.
Discuss your next plan now
July 2, 2025