Classy & Compact Monochrome Kitchen

From old fashioned and small to a classy, monochrome kitchen design which offers light, versatility and plenty of hidden space!

Amy Johnston grew up with her mother’s love of cooking and enjoying food. She says she loved the idea of an open communal kitchen where she describes the hub of the kitchen being the cook top as opposed to a benchtop.

“In my mother’s kitchen we used to cook on either side of the benchtop and that’s why I wanted the same in my kitchen — it being a compact kitchen, we didn’t have enough space for an island and wanted to maximise space,” says Amy.

Jag Kitchens were happy to expand on her idea, also suggesting adding an oils and spice drawer below the cook top.

“This worked well, freeing up the benchtops for working space,” says Nairi, Jag Kitchens design consultant.

Being Amy and her husband Vincent’s first home, they had decided to make the kitchen a focal point and feature of the house makeover.

While Amy admits that having a baby and trying to renovate the kitchen at the same time may not have been the easiest time, she is extremely happy with the result and smooth transition thanks to Jag Kitchens. She praises Nairi’s work for achieving a quick turnaround for them during a very full on time for the family.

“We had a very tight time-frame and managed to do a lot in just four weeks,” says Amy. “I’ve moved around a bit and knew exactly what I wanted – and the communication between us was very good. Nairi has been amazing to work with,” she smiles.

Nairi adds that maximising space while keeping everything within reach was designed through clever kitchen storage solutions. “The pantry we included is a Blum space tower with five inner drawers to maximise storage space. And there are plenty of cupboards on the back of the island, giving Amy extra storage options as well as a benchtop to work on.”

Every part of the kitchen has been maximised for storage. There’s even storage on the back of the peninsular, which Amy has used to store their wine.

“We made a lot of changes in the kitchen, broke through a wall and extended it as well. Being an old state house, it needed a lot of work,” explains Amy, and says they were surprised to find natural Rimu flooring below the lino.

       

Amy’s husband Vincent was keen to design a black and white, monochrome kitchen. As a result, they chose a modern, bright and white kitchen, made from white woodgrain melamine cabinetry and 20mm white engineered stone benchtops with black contrasting handles. The handles match the back appliances and tap-ware Amy selected. She says that the handles have a little groove at the back that adds to the smooth finish.

“While melamine is our most affordable product, it is also our most durable. The stone we chose was part of our Select range, which is a range of our popular colours offered at a square meter rate, rather than per slab; this keeps costs down,” explains Nairi.

“We knew what we wanted and Nairi and Jag Kitchens made the process easy. We’d recommend Jag to anyone wanting a quick turn around with high quality results,” smiles Amy.

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

With an excellent reputation for designing and building for all budgets, Jag Kitchens provides 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.