Wait Pays Off for Beachlands Couple

In a family home where expensive hobbies such as cars, music and art reign supreme, the kitchen has often been shunted to make way for other priorities. But after decades of waiting, it’s finally arrived – in style – thanks to Jag Kitchens.

Overdue would have been an understatement for Sharron and Alistair Davidson’s kitchen renovation.

A few months ago, the Beachlands couple’s kitchen of 30 years was a dark alley consisting of a mishmash of cream-coloured secondhand cabinets with mismatched handles and a Formica benchtop. Garage storage units made up for the lack of pantry.

“And we’ve never had a dishwasher or a range hood!” exclaims Sharron. Cooking was done on an old, free-standing electric cooker, and space was tight.

Unfortunately, being the wife of Times motoring journalist Alistair meant that a decent kitchen was a dream deferred for Sharron.

Her chance to remodel came 20 years ago only to be ruined by a desirable object on wheels.

“We’d saved up enough to do our kitchen,” says Alistair. “But a car I’d always wanted came up for sale, so, being the perfect wife, Sharron said ‘go ahead use the kitchen money to buy the car, seeing as you want it so bad’. Being the less than perfect husband, I said, ‘Okay then, I will’.”

Fast forward to today, the couple’s three young boys have grown into young adults, with just two living at home, and change was inevitable.

They looked at moving to a house with a bigger garage and modern kitchen, but due to skyrocketing house prices, they decided it was more reasonable to stay put and improve on the existing.

Seeking the help and advice of fellow car enthusiast and builder Shane Beckham, the Davidsons heard all about his new Jag kitchen, and were intrigued.

“He highly recommended Jag so we took his advice. We sought a couple of other quotes, but for quality, options and service – at a good price – Jag was the obvious choice.”

And on visiting the Jag Kitchens showroom in the Danske Mobler Home Centre in Botany, Sharron hit it off with the Jag Kitchens design consultant team.

“They’re really good with making suggestions,” says Sharron. “They changed my mind about the drainboard kitchen sink which I’d always wanted and I’m so pleased she talked me out of it.”

The sink Sharron wanted would have disrupted the flow to the living area, explains Jag. “It would have been too wide and be visible from the living room, and these days, it’s considered a little old-fashioned.”

The design process was fairly straightforward. The couple decided on one of the display kitchens – it was the open shelving on either side of the rangehood that caught Sharron’s eye – and they went from there.

Now a bright, chirpy, and contemporary centrepiece, the kitchen dazzles with snazzy red accessories and splashback complemented with smooth woodgrain cabinetry, an engineered stone benchtop, and stainless steel appliances.

Part of a wall has been removed, creating more room for the kitchen to breathe and a breakfast bar opens up into the living room. Importantly, all the mod-cons Sharron has missed for so many years are now available.

“I can’t stop using my dishwasher,” says Sharron. “The oven is a self-cleaning one, and the kitchen sink is so big it’s almost as if it’s a laundry tub!”

The whole process was fantastic and effortless, says Alistair. “Each step of the kitchen happened exactly when promised and Jag even organised a final groom once the kitchen was finished.”

It’s taken 30 years, he says, but Sharron finally has the kitchen she’s wanted.

“I rang her the other day and asked her what she was doing: “I’m just sitting here gazing at my new kitchen; I love it.”

– Article courtesy of H&P Times