A Vibrant Kitchen Renovation: Blending Heritage with Personality

2 Dec

For the Copeland kitchen, designer Mathilde Polmard had a vision far beyond a simple update. The goal was to modernise a 50-year-old kitchen in an Eden Terrace villa while creating a warm and connected space that expressed the growing family’s personalities.

"This project was all about expressing the client's personalities through the space while creating a functional and generous kitchen that this growing family of 4 could use together." - Mathilde Polmard

A Palette of Personality and Heritage

The design drew inspiration directly from the clients’ home and personal history. Nodding to a kōwhai tree in the backyard and a yellow family heirloom, Saffron yellow HPL plywood became the vibrant foundation. This was paired with forest green (Plytech Create HPL in Kea) and reclaimed native rimu for the overheads and peninsula table, balancing the old with the new and paying homage to the villa's heritage.

The layout was entirely reconfigured to modern standards, moving the sink under the window to open up a generous entertaining zone. The new design dramatically improved functionality by adding:
A full pantry, integrated fridge/freezer, rangehood, and dishwasher.
A total of 19 new drawers, replacing the previous kitchen's single drawer.

All cabinetry fronts were made from Plytech Create HPL and used Blum hardware throughout, ensuring solid durability.

Overcoming a Curly Moment

Renovations often bring surprises, and this project was no exception. When the plumber removed the plasterboard to relocate plumbing, significant water ingress damage was discovered in the framing and under the window. The builders had to open up the wall for remediation.

Despite this major setback, the cabinetry design and ordering process with Cutshop® remained seamless. As a repeat customer, Mathilde knew she could rely on the team.

"Shaun was amazing to work with, patient, great at communicating and very thorough. He was able to accommodate and work through design details quickly and easily, able to see the vision for the project and problem-solve accordingly."

The Final Result

Mathilde found the ordering process "seamless and prompt." The result is a kitchen where the quality is evident at first glance. The solid, durable plywood and lasting hardware impressed everyone, including the plumber, who commented on how nice and solid the kitchen felt. Mathilde is already drawing up her fourth kitchen project with Cutshop®.