Vision of Style, Space and Practicality Comes to Life

When mum of three and salon owner Sarah Westerlund decided to revamp her kitchen, time was of the essence.

Many of her Onehunga hairdressing clients had spoken highly of Jag Kitchens, and the North Park resident felt especially confident thanks to Jag’s engaging professional kitchen design consultants and their free design quote system which is created at the first appointment. “There was no mucking around, whereas other companies took two weeks.”

Sarah and her husband Webb, were renovating their traditional Howick home and had a 20 year old kitchen with two bulky pantries that were not the best use of space. “The pantries were small but had large timber frames. There were solid walls around the fridge as well, so everything was boxed in and there wasn’t a lot of space at all. Jag Kitchens replaced the pantries with tall, slim cabinetry with plenty of shelves giving lots of storage,” says Sarah.

A frosted cabinet door serves to break up the uniformity of the design and helps distinguish between the food and crockery cabinets. Having worked with many kitchens similar to Sarah’s which are reflective of Howick and the era it was built in, Jag confidently worked out a layout to ensure the most efficient use of space.

Sarah, who as a hairdresser, likes to keep up to date with colour trends, was particularly happy with the aim to keep things modern. “I didn’t want lots of colour. The trend towards strong colour is fading and I know that if you put in too much colour it dates – so I’d rather add my own colours in by accessorising.”

The result is a Melteca “Mist” kitchen with a chunky white stone bench. The bar back is a complimentary Melteca in “New Stainless Steel”. Both colours are extremely practical for Sarah’s family – no smudges on the bench and no footmarks under the breakfast bar.

“I love my big, open bench that I can clean easily. It’s so good and really practical when it comes to bread and cracker crumbs – they don’t show. I just use a wet cloth and everything comes off leaving a sparkling surface.”

Not only practical, the kitchen is also central to the Westerlunds’ lifestyle. Sarah took special care to ensure there was enough room around the bench to sit comfortably for meals. “I wanted to be able to sit with the kids eating breakfast. And when we have friends over, they like to congregate in the kitchen so I wanted it to be a big area for everyone.”

To free up more space, the microwave was fitted neatly into the cabinetry using a melamine trim kit. “Beforehand, the microwave sat on top of the bench and it drove me nuts,” says Sarah. “Now it’s really handy for the kids, perfect for their height.”

The Jag Kitchens design team also suggested installing an induction hob instead of traditional gas hobs and Sarah couldn’t be more pleased. “The induction hob is amazing. It has great control of temperature – nothing burns – but it’s still very powerful. It’s also safer for my children and so easy to clean.”

Another feature that Sarah appreciated is the way the sink tap is mounted into the stone. This is a feature that her sister, who also had a kitchen renovation recently, always comments on when comparing the two kitchens. “My sister is really jealous. She went to another company and spent double the money that I spent. My kitchen renovation was so much more cost-effective and with a nice outcome.”

With work, children and renovations to worry about, Jag Kitchens was a dream to work with says Sarah. “Everything was done on the day it was said and they were quick and efficient. No hold ups, no issues – that’s what I loved most about Jag Kitchens.”

Jag Kitchens specialise in custom-designed kitchens and has its 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 kitchen 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.