A Bay of Plenty kitchen, designed for a passionate cook and entertainer, has been recognised at the 2024 NKBA Excellence in Design Awards.

Held in Auckland on Friday, the awards celebrate projects from leading kiwi kitchen and bathroom designers.

Whakatāne designer Michelle McAnulty of Beaver Kitchens won the Bay of Plenty Kitchen Design Recognition category for her project titled ‘Pohutukawa Retreat’.

The amazing kitchen was designed to be used regularly and often, so surfaces needed to be practical and beautiful. In addition, the storage needed to be in abundance, a scullery was a must, and the aesthetic needed to be unfussy.

A Dekton island benchtop was the perfect fit for the practical but beautiful surface brief. To solve the need for abundant storage, the back wall of the kitchen has been dedicated to storage with six Blum space towers all lit internally with vertical LEDs. Twin ovens were selected to meet capacity when entertaining.

The 2024 Excellence in Design judges included leading kitchen designers from across New Zealand and Australia and fashion designer Karen Walker.

The judges said the high-end kitchen had a lovely combination of materials.

“Michelle has created a kitchen with many unique details, within a difficult space. It is a modern and highly functional space. Well done.”

NKBA executive officer Rachael Kwok said Michelle was a very deserving winner.

“This is a gorgeous kitchen, with so many lovely details. We love the use of woven mesh and the showstopper island. It is easy to see why this design deserves recognition. Congratulations to Michelle.”