New Zealand’s Best Kitchen and Bath Held at the 2020 NKBA Awards

Stunning cuisine inspired by a seaside setting in Tauranga has garnered top cooking honors at the National Kitchen and Bath Association of New Zealand annual awards.

The long galley-style kitchen, designed by Chelsey Mathieson of Vekart, won the 2020 NKBA Excellence in Design Supreme Kitchen Design award.

The winning master bathroom on awards night on September 18 was a dark, masculine bathroom in an Auckland home. The bathroom, by Christchurch designer Angelique Armstrong of Armstrong Interiors, won the 2020 NKBA Excellence in Design Supreme Bathroom Design award.

And the 2020 Designer of the Year was Morgan Cronin from Cronin Kitchens, Auckland, who took home seven awards.

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The designer said the kitchen, in a waterfront home, was designed for a “small family who loves entertainment, a great passion for interior design and a vision of the overall result.” The coastal setting inspired the visual warmth and textural elements: the house overlooks the beach and offers a view of toi toi pastures, wood, and the sea.

“Clients have lived in Sydney, so a strong influence came from the interiors and themes often seen in Australian homes,” said Mathieson.

The judges praised the “restricted palette, coastal vernacular and structured elegance.”

“A smart, aesthetically beautiful and complex kitchen that has been completed to the highest standards,” the judges said. The marble shelf and marble details that run through the cabinets are subtle and thoughtful, and a lovely addition. The project is refined simplicity at its finest. The space is open and welcoming, the lighting responds wonderfully to its surroundings. “

In total, the kitchen received five awards. In addition to the Supreme Award, it won the 2020 NKBA Award for Excellence in Design Kitchen Design 2020 of $ 60k – $ 80k, the NKBA Award for Excellence in Lighting Design 2020, and the Award for Excellence in Design from the Bay of Plenty Chapter 2020 Kitchen Design NKBA.

Vekart received the 2020 NKBA Excellence in Design Supreme Kitchen Manufacturer award for its “extraordinary work in kitchen manufacturing”.

‘A SUPREME BATHROOM THAT IMPRESSES’

Supreme Bathroom award winner Angelique Armstrong’s master suite is a large opulent space.

Special features include a large bespoke gunmetal double shower, glass entry doors and Italian glass pulls, and vanity fronts, countertops and sinks made in Neolith Calatorao. The blue stone has a polished leather finish and was cut and laid in random sizes and lengths.

The freestanding bath sits on a Neolith pedestal floor, with a heating pad to keep the stone bath warm.

The judges said it was a “cleverly designed and detailed bathroom space.”

“The designer has thought of all the little things and the result is a supreme bathroom that captivates.”

The judges were impressed with the way the bathroom is bathed in natural light. They also praised the built-in storage and a vanity nook to store and display bathroom essentials.

“A thoughtful and very cool space,” said the panel of judges.

The bathroom also won the 2020 NKBA Creative Excellence Bathroom Design Award and the Canterbury Chapter Bathroom Recognition Award 2020 NKBA Excellence in Design Award. And the Supreme Bathroom Manufacturer Award 2020 went to Stone by Design for their work in the same bathroom.

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Five of the seven awards, including the First Finalist – Supreme Kitchen Design Award, were given to Morgan Cronin in recognition of his work on a striking, sculptural kitchen where the goal was to make the kitchen look like a work of art, rather than a kitchen.

The island’s seamless sculptural form provides the necessary artistic presence. A prototype of the entire island was built in the MDF Cronin Kitchen workshop for customer approval. Concrete fabricators then built forms around this prototype to copy its exact dimensions, before casting it into glass-reinforced concrete.

The judging panel said the unique sculptural kitchen transformed a standard villa renovation.

“Much thought has been put into this incredible space, for a customer whose joy is entertaining, rather than cooking. The result is a lifestyle kitchen, not the most practical, but one that pushes boundaries and celebrates an extraordinary concept with its completely custom island. “

The judges said they applauded the designer for being bold enough to be completely white and minimalist. They also praised the “highly qualified execution of an extremely complex technical project.”

SUMMARY:

The 2020 NKBA Excellence in Design award winners are:

• Chelsey Mathieson of Vekart (Bay of Plenty)
• Morgan Cronin from Cronin Kitchens (Auckland)
• Angelique Armstrong of Armstrong Interiors (Canterbury)
• Hannah Withy from HM Design (South)
• Nicola Manning from Nicola Manning Design (Auckland)
• Melanie John from Cube Inside (Auckland)
• Natalie Du Bois from Du Bois Designer Kitchens & Interiors (Auckland)
• Michael Murray from Kitchen Inspirations (Auckland)
• Damian Hannah from German Kitchens (Wellington)
• Milvia Hannah from German Kitchens (Wellington)
• Robert Xia from Aurora Australis Interior (Auckland)
• Mal Corboy by Mal Corboy Design (Auckland)
• Trudi Rabbitte from Rabbitte Joinery (Hawke’s Bay)
• Ingrid Geldof from Ingrid Geldof Design (Canterbury)
• Annika Rowson from Rowson Kitchens (Taranaki)
• Brooke Cholmondeley-Smith of TAWA Architecture (Waikato)
• Gillian Flynn from Kitchen Inspirations (Auckland)
• Craig Hooper from Cooper Webley (Top of the South)