BUCKLANDS BEACH, EAST AUCKLAND

A custom white kitchen with a black stone benchtop and a black-and-white retro tiled splashback

Completed November 2019

Quick answer: This was a full kitchen renovation in Bucklands Beach, East Auckland — a custom white kitchen built around an L-shaped island breakfast bar, finished with a black engineered-stone benchtop and a black-and-white retro tiled splashback. We managed the whole job and handed it back in a month.

Why Lynette & Henry Renovated Their Bucklands Beach Kitchen

Lynette and Henry bought their Bucklands Beach home six years before this renovation, for the same reason a lot of families land in this part of East Auckland — the schools. Their two sons go to Macleans, and staying in the zone mattered more than anything else on the list.

“We bought this house because of the place. Since my kids go to Macleans. It’s always about the location,” Lynette told us.

When they first moved in, they sorted the bathrooms and the rooms that needed urgent attention, and left the kitchen for later. Later turned out to be the year they decided to skip a trip home to the Philippines and put the money into the house instead.

“I told Henry, let’s not go to the Philippines this year. Let’s invest in the house. We talked to the family. No holiday this year. Whatever we save, and the mortgage this year, we will do the kitchen.”

Lynette first thought about running the kitchen renovation herself as a DIY job. Then she did the maths on what that actually means — a full-time job, plus coordinating every trade and delivery on her own time.

Why They Handed the Project to One Team

Managing a kitchen renovation yourself sounds like a saving until you’re the one ringing around trades, chasing deliveries, and sequencing it all so the benchtop template doesn’t get held up by a late cabinetry install. It’s a full-time job sitting on top of your full-time job.

“You need someone to plan, or have the time to plan. But I am working, and I don’t want to work and be on the phone all day arranging and coordinating. That’s not me,” Lynette said.

That’s where Jin came in. Jin Park handles sales and project management here, and he specialises in kitchens, so he took Lynette and Henry through their first consultation and answered the list of questions Lynette had brought with her.

“First, when I spoke to Jin, he discussed everything and answered all my questions that I had on my list. All my concerns. The schedule,” she said.

One company. One point of contact. For a working family in Bucklands Beach, that was the whole point — the kitchen got done without the renovation taking over their lives.

The Brief: A Kitchen That Pulls the Family Together

This kitchen had a job that wasn’t only about function. Lynette wanted a space that brought the family into one place.

“Kitchen is the heart of our home. We never use the dining area, but instead just crowd around the kitchen’s breakfast area,” she explained.

So the layout was built around that. We designed an L-shaped island bar as the centre of the room — the spot where the family actually eats and gathers, rather than the formal dining table nobody used.

Aesthetically, Lynette was clear from the start: a timeless look, with a few creative elements that were hers. Not a kitchen that would date in five years. The retro tiled splashback and the light tiled floor were both chosen for that — a classic feel that’s easy to live with and easy to clean.

Design Highlights of This East Auckland Kitchen

A Dedicated Coffee Corner

Talking to Lynette and Henry early on, one thing was non-negotiable — somewhere to keep the coffee machine and make it part of the room. They’re serious about their coffee. So we built a small dedicated coffee space into the kitchen, and it ended up being one of Lynette’s favourite parts of the finished job.

“The coffee place and my tiles. Everyone says my benchtop and tiles look flashy and modern,” Lynette said when we asked what she liked best.

The Retro Tiled Splashback

Lynette knew what she didn’t want — a glass splashback.

“I don’t like glass splashback. I know it is easier to clean, but I am not just functional, it should also look good,” she said.

She chose black-and-white retro tiles instead, partly to step away from the subway tiles you see in so many Auckland kitchens. Contrary to what a lot of people assume, a tiled splashback is easy to maintain and more durable than acrylic.

What Went Into the Kitchen

Benchtop

We custom-built the countertop in 30mm black engineered stone, with an undermount cut-out and fine flecks of sparkle through the stone — enough to lift it above a flat black surface.

Cabinetry & Drawers

• Classic white-and-black scheme — custom white cabinetry against black benchtops
• Recessed handles, to keep the run sleek and uncluttered
• Soft-close hinges and runners throughout
• Pull-out rubbish baskets
• A 200mm sauce basket built into the drawers

Electrical & Flooring

• Full rewire of the kitchen
• LED lighting installed throughout
• Light tile flooring carried through the kitchen and dining area, keeping the timeless theme

What a Kitchen Renovation Like This Costs in Auckland

Every kitchen is priced to its own scope — the size of the room, the materials, and how much electrical and structural work is involved all move the number. A custom engineered-stone benchtop, a full rewire, and a tiled splashback sit at a different point to a like-for-like cabinetry swap. Rather than quote a figure that won’t match your home, use our kitchen renovation cost calculator for a realistic Auckland estimate on your own project.

💡 Quick tip: A full rewire — like the one in this kitchen — is one of the costs people forget to budget for. Older Auckland kitchens often need it once you open the walls up, and it’s electrical work that has to be done by a licensed practitioner, not a corner you can cut.

How the Bucklands Beach Project Ran

The thing Lynette comes back to is how little she had to carry. One person to talk to, one schedule, one company holding the whole thing together.

“It was smooth sailing for our project. It was not painful for me, as I was just talking to one person,” she said.

The kitchen was finished in exactly one month.

“The way I wanted my kitchen, and it is right here. Exactly one month to finish my kitchen,” — Lynette & Henry.

“It was smooth sailing for our project. It was not painful for me, as I was just talking to one person. The way I wanted my kitchen, and it is right here. Exactly one month to finish my kitchen.”
— Lynette & Henry, Bucklands Beach

Thinking About a Kitchen Renovation in Bucklands Beach?

Lynette and Henry got the kitchen they’d been picturing for years, without the renovation swallowing their weekends and weeknights. That’s the part most homeowners underestimate — the value isn’t only the finished room, it’s not having to run it yourself. If you’re in Bucklands Beach or anywhere across East Auckland and you’ve been putting your kitchen off, here’s where to start.

➡ Book your free in-home consultation with Superior Renovations
➡ See how we run kitchen renovations across Auckland
➡ Request a free feasibility report for your project

Bucklands Beach Kitchen Renovation — Your Questions Answered

Further Resources

1. Kitchen renovations in Auckland — how we design, build and manage every kitchen
2. Our Design Studio — where material and layout decisions get made
3. More completed Auckland renovation projects
4. Real client stories from across Auckland