Interior Style

How to make your kitchen work for your lifestyle

Article by Your Home and Garden

Plan your kitchen according to the way you live, not the other way aroundThese Olive Grove doors and panels in kaboodle’s modern profile are an ideal contrast to the kaboodle Coconutty benchtops, Cabo-brushed amber gold knob handles and Salento worn gold handles, which are all from Bunnings.

There’s no point in creating a beautiful kitchen if it’s not centred around your way of life. Maybe you have kids to consider, or an eye-watering amount of pickle jars to store (trust us, we do). Whatever you love should be reflected in your interiors, and made brighter for it.

Whether your Friday nights are romantic, pasta-slurping affairs or your Sundays are reserved for military meal-prepping and plotting the week ahead, we’ve got your dream kitchen all mapped out, including the tiles, appliances and surfaces to make every day perfect.

5 Kitchen design ideas:

1. Saturday morning pancakes: Your kitchen is centred around joy

Imagine warm wood tones and wipe-friendly surfaces – perfect for letting little ones experiment. There are loads of bright colours, from appliances to tapware, but by sticking to tonal palettes, such as jewel or pastel hues, you can keep the space sleek and stylish. You’ll want big, wide benches and plenty of bar seats for pancake-eaters to chat about everything and anything. Think induction cooktops for ease and lots of baking gadgets for weekend-long fun.

Products from top left: Induction cooktop 4 zones with flexi zone, $1649, from Haier; Elysian kitchen mixer, $384.90, from Abi Interiors; kaboodle customisable benchtop, $824.66, from Bunnings; DeLonghi Icona kettle, $199, from Harvey Norman; Venice Villa tile, $218.50 (per sqm), from Tile Warehouse; KitchenAid cordless hand blender, $279, from Smith & Caughey’s; Sunbeam sandwich maker, $149.99, from Noel Leeming; Cast iron skillet pan, $174, from shop.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz; Pedro bar stool, $139, from Cintesi.

2. Friday pasta date night: Your kitchen is centred around romance

It’s dark and moody and just a little bit sexy, so mood lighting is key—gold taps, copper pans, and metallic finishes throughout. You’re not afraid to make a big statement with a marble splashback and benchtop. But really though, it’s all about those gorgeous, lavish appliances that turn every evening into date night.

Treat yourself to a pasta maker and finish off with an espresso machine as a nightcap for all those glasses of red wine consumed through a three-hour cooking session.

Products from top left: Apothecary pendant, $179, from shop.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz; Brava pasta drying rack, $29.99, from Stevens; Living & Co Espresso coffee machine, $119, from The Warehouse; Jai kitchen sink, $879.90 from Abi Interiors; Diverso Antracita tile, $138 (per sqm), from Tile Warehouse; Oakford workbench, $1999, from Early Settler; Fleur bar stool, $459, from Cintesi; Brava pasta machine, $99.99, from Stevens.

3. Sunday meal prepper: Your kitchen is centred around organisation

It’s a place to relieve stress and realign yourself for the coming week. You want big, wide shelves and a butler’s pantry to stock all your bits and pieces.

The clean, modern lines of the Minimalist Charm Q-Bix kitchen from Kitchen Mania, a social kitchen with a large central island for prep and family gatherings.

A good fridge is key to shelving all of your meal-prep masterpieces – if you want to splurge a bit, look for one that lets you connect to your phone to help manage to-do lists and even buy food online.

A microwave upgrade and a generous sink won’t go astray here either.

Products from top left: Henley farmhouse sink, $808.40, from Abi Interiors; White slimline trolley, $45, from Kmart; Kreuz dark terracotta finger mosaic tile, $32 (per sheet), from Tile Space; Glass and bamboo herb and spice set, $109, from The Home Label; kaboodle Kaleo alpine on-bench pantry, $1323.25, from Bunnings; Family Hub refrigerator, $5999, from Samsung; Breville convection microwave, $799, from Noel Leeming.

4. Weeknight relaxer: Your kitchen is centred around serenity

Think white and green tones for that luxe spa vibe, with trend-setting zellige tiles thrown in for good measure. You adore eating out, but when you do cook at home, you want it to be simple and serene. A beautiful tap and kettle for lots of cups of green tea, a state-of-the-art dishwasher, and an air fryer for ease.

The look of the kitchen is very important, so invest in quality surfaces and keep the layout basic. When you do reach for cookware, you want pieces that’ll make the cooking luxurious and interesting, so indulge in tools such as a teppanyaki grill and a mortar and pestle.

Products from top left: Luxe white tile, $79 (per sqm), from Tile Space; Kingsley kitchen mixer, $263.90, from Abi Interiors; Fuji Spring tile, $22 (per sheet), from Tile Warehouse; Russell Hobbs Elegance kettle, $189.99, from Noel Leeming; Philips 5000 series XXL connected air fryer, $599, from Harvey Norman; kaboodle Santolina benchtop, $520.27, from Bunnings; Capital Kitchen mini mortar and pestle, $29.99, from Stevens; Bespoke dishwasher panel, $99, from Samsung; Living & Co Teppanyaki grill, $55, from The Warehouse.

5. Everyday culinary whiz: Your kitchen is centred around a love of cooking

No chef can do their best work without the best knives, so splurge on a good set that you’ll sharpen regularly. Gas cooktops, sous vide cookers and stand mixers are all guilty-pleasure buys that you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

You’re a self-confessed stainless-steel lover, but that doesn’t mean you can’t introduce colour and warmth through tiles and cabinets. Have hanging storage for pots and pans, shelves for cookbooks and a few other gadgets just for fun. Bon appetit.

Products from top left: kaboodle hanging kitchen storage set, $56.08, from Bunnings; Cuisine Pro Wolfgang Starke knife block set, $299.99, from Stevens; Asta finger mosaic tile, from $13 (per sheet), from Tile Space; Smeg classic gas cooktop, $1599, from Kitchen Things; 5 Side-by-side fridge-freezer, $2399, from Haier; Bespoke 76L Series 6 oven with dual cook steam and air fry, $2999, from Samsung; Living & Co deep fryer, $49, from The Warehouse; Breville The Baker’s Dozen breadmaker, $349.99,
from Noel Leeming; Westinghouse sous vide immersion cooker, $229, from Harvey Norman.