When our clients decided to build their dream, eco-friendly home in Wānaka they were on a tight budget and spent some time looking around for kitchen options. When they came to talk to us, they were feeling a little despondent – “we were finding it hard to make ourselves heard. That was until we spoke to Wanaka Joinery. They were the first company to really listen to what we wanted. Not only that, they also provided advice on where to invest so that we could get the look we wanted, meet our environmental wishes AND our budget”.
Working with our client we looked at not only the look and feel of the kitchen, but the practical aspects too. The final layout, including placement of the white goods, as well as how well the storage works are fundamental to the success of the design.
“The kitchen functions really well. Wanaka Joinery suggested a few things that have made a huge difference. We particularly love the large pantry drawers. We would have gone for a simple cupboard, but we can’t express how great these drawers are in practice. Worth every penny! Another suggestion by the Wanaka Joinery designer was a pull-out cupboard beside the hob for oils, herbs and spices … horray, no more olive oil sitting on the benchtop!”
The eco-friendly aspect of the design was also very important to our clients. The house itself is built to passive house standards and our clients were keen that the kitchen was durable. The house is also rented out for part of the year, so the kitchen needed to be able to withstand some potentially harsh treatment. “We absolutely love the stainless-steel workbench. This was slightly more expensive than some other options, but so worth it. It is super hard-wearing, able to withstand heat and if we ever did decide to replace it, it’s recyclable. Wanaka Joinery were also able to integrate our sinks for a seamless look”.
“We had been advised by others against using black as it will show grease marks. We are so pleased we didn’t take this advice. The colour really suits the overall design of our house. We had also looked at using ply instead of melamine as it is more environmentally friendly, and we loved the look. We decided in the end that this was out of budget and ended up with melamine. We were delighted when Wanaka Joinery found an end tape that made it look like ply”.
“Overall, we couldn’t be happier. This is truly the kitchen of our dreams (and more)”.
