Kiwi kitchens: Pulling the trigger

What makes your renovation dream turn into a renovation reality? Many of us have a rose-tinted view of the way our property will look and flow when we eventually finish, but what triggers us to take the first step and press go?

Why Kiwis update their kitchens

Houzz asked 646 New Zealand home owners to identify the events that tipped them over into committing their money, energy and time to a kitchen renovation. Unsurprisingly, money came out on top.

35% of home owners started their renovation when they finally had the financial means to see it through. A third of respondents got their projects going because they could no longer stand the old kitchen.

Almost the same number had their hands forced by deterioration of their existing kitchen to the point that it became unsafe — 28% simply wanted to make their mark on a new home. The final 8% cited changes to family and lifestyle at home as prompting their decision.

Features

Driven by the opportunity to increase the efficient use of space and improve kitchen storage, pantry cupboards were the most popular built-in features included in new kitchen plans during 2017.

Breakfast bars came a close second, offering great opportunities for entertaining guests while preparing meals, and 16% of renovators added new electronic appliances like TVs, computer screens and tablets to their kitchens.

Kitchen cabinets are always in the market for an upgrade to increase efficient storage. Pull-out waste and recycling cabinets were most popular, followed by cookie tray organisers, revolving corner trays and pull/swing-out shelves.

In fact, organising was a clear theme when it came to kitchen cabinet upgrades: deep drawer organisers, spice organisers, cutlery organisers, pot and pan organisers and utensil organisers all featured strongly on people’s wish lists.

Having a clear idea of which storage solutions and appliances you want to introduce really helps when it comes to designing the kitchen layout and any custom cabinetry needs.

The final design should flow naturally and provide areas that support the way you cook, live and operate in the space you’ve created. More on that in our next blog…. Space, the final frontier?

At Cutshop, we work with top-quality fittings like Blum, Hideaway (by Kitchen King) and Tekform (by Stefano Orlati). We don’t just cut and edge kitchen panels and cabinets, we also have in-depth hardware knowledge and can supply you with exactly the right product for your job.

Our cabinet catalogue makes it easy for you to select any combination of cupboards you want – and make changes to suit your particular space. With Cutshop, you have real flexibility in terms of design combinations and extras, allowing you to plan your space to the finest detail.

And there’s no need to go anywhere else, we integrate fit-for-purpose hardware into our design software, so you get everything you need, flat-packed and delivered to your door.