Kitchen with Scandinavian Flair

Yukie Guo believes the kitchen is the heart of the house. With that in mind, she began renovations on her 1970s Pakuranga Heights home with a new Jag Kitchens design and is delighted with the resulting style and flexibility the space gives.

“It’s made a huge change. The previous kitchen was really tiny with hardly any bench space and storage space was minimal too. The fittings were also all in colourful 70s’ style,” says Yukie. She moved from China to settle here with her husband seventeen years ago. Now with two young sons studying at nearby schools, she works locally as a medical receptionist while her husband, Devo Peng is a well-known hairstylist who recently opened his own salon, Studio C.

Jag Kitchens designer Emma Weeber, (who describes herself as a ‘Chiwi’ or Kiwi-Chinese) worked closely with Yukie on the plan for the new kitchen. Both young women are very happy with the result, which has a distinct Scandinavian flair using neutral colours and the latest appliances.

“The original layout was not making full use of the space. Yukie’s needs are very different from the previous owners and were very clear for me to design around,” Emma says. “We took this closed-in, tiny kitchen and made it feel open and spacious.”

Yukie explains she needed more bench space and workable areas for cooking. “I love baking – it is my favourite hobby and I now have plenty of bench space to indulge in that. I have been teaching my six-year old son to bake and that was a really memorable experience as he was so proud of the results. There is heaps of room too for rolling out traditional dumplings,” Yukie adds. “We changed the kitchen so much, but it all worked out under budget! All of my friends love this kitchen, especially the Mondo corner mechanism.”

The benchtops are in engineered stone with melamine cabinets using the new Bestwood colour of Limestone. An on-bench pantry has been worked in around a window in the corner of the kitchen, making use of a previously unused area.

Yukie also utilised several modern appliances and hardware for finishing touches. The handles on the Blum ‘soft closing’ drawers are new to New Zealand –  made in Denmark by Furnipart and have a very sleek look. The new refrigerator is a Samsung with the chic double French door design, while the induction cooktop is from Neff, and the range-hood, wall oven and dishwasher are all by Smeg.

Special hexagon tiles were selected for the splashback and add a dash of design interest, while modern
LED light fittings blend well with the European styling. For the floor, planks of wood-look vinyl have been used very effectively. It resembles blond oak and gives the kitchen a light ambience.

Jag Kitchens specialise in custom-designed kitchens and have their own manufacturing plant. The staff also use a state-of- the-art 3D computer design programme to show clients beforehand exactly how their new kitchen will look.

Jag Kitchens has an excellent reputation for designing and building for all budgets and for providing an outstanding design service with sound advice. Their professional design quotes are free of charge.

Visit the Jag Kitchens Showroom, located inside the Danske Mobler building at the Botany Town Centre, for more information on a wide range of materials and design options or to see more kitchen examples