Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa Peninsula — Auckland
Rustic Kitchen Renovation
in Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa
A timber-look rustic kitchen, bathroom and laundry in a Spanish-style Hibiscus Coast home
Completed August 2019
RENOVATION
Project Managed By
Michael Tran
Sales and Project Management
michael@superiorrenovations.co.nz
0800 199 888
Quick answer: This was a rustic kitchen renovation in Stanmore Bay, on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, where we custom-made timber-look cabinetry, brass fittings and bright Spanish-style tiling for Mary’s character home — extending the same rustic treatment through her bathroom and laundry.
| Location | Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa Peninsula |
| Completed | August 2019 |
| Scope | Kitchen, bathroom and laundry — custom cabinetry, full project management |
| Project manager | Michael Tran |
| Project type | Owner-occupier |
The Brief: A Rustic Kitchen in a Sea of Contemporary
Mary fell for the house before she owned it. “Even before I bought it, it was a Spanish-style house and I was thinking how I would decorate it,” she told us. “You picture yourself when you want to buy a house — how will I feel living in it, can I commit to living in it, am I going to be happy?”
She had done the work. Months of it, on Houzz, pulling together a vision most Aucklanders don’t ask for. Where most clients walk in wanting clean contemporary lines, Mary wanted the opposite: timber cabinetry, colourful tiles as a splashback, brass sinks, bright walls. A rustic Spanish-villa look, in a Stanmore Bay home that already had the bones for it.
She’d hired a builder to restore the rest of the house and worked alongside him room by room. He didn’t do kitchens. That’s where we came in — and once we were on site, the brief grew to take in the bathroom and laundry as well, all carrying the same rustic treatment so the house read as one piece.
Why the Design Process Nearly Lost Her
Mary had already met other companies. The sticking point wasn’t the work — it was the design fee. “There’s a niche of people who want custom kitchens,” she said, “and the places we visited did such styles. But what was daunting was that they said you must meet the designer, and as soon as you see them you see the dollar signs. This has to be made approachable, because the average person can’t spend 100K on a kitchen.”
Our design process is complimentary for clients unless an extension brings the architect in. That mattered to Mary. “I liked that Superior was willing to help me with the design without charging me an arm and a leg, and then work with me.”
Here’s the honest part, and we’ve left it in because it’s the truth of the job: it wasn’t smooth the whole way. A rustic, one-off kitchen is harder to design than a standard one, and our process at the time ran the project manager as a go-between rather than putting the client in front of the designer early. We hit roadblocks. “Michael was very good at hanging in there and working with me,” Mary said. “Not saying I’m tired of your ideas, or we can’t do it — Michael just kept coming back.”
That project changed how we work. We now bring the designer into the first meeting for unique or designer kitchens, instead of relaying through the PM. Mary’s renovation is part of why.
Before and After
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Getting a Rustic Look Without the Rustic Price Tag
A rustic kitchen wants timber. Mary’s brief called for it across every cabinet. The problem is a practical New Zealand one: solid timber isn’t easily sourced here, which makes it an expensive raw material and a slow one to work with. After a fair bit of back-and-forth, we landed on Melteca instead.
We used textured woodgrain ‘Jarrad Legend’ Melteca to custom-make the cabinetry through the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. It does the rustic job — the woodgrain reads warm and characterful — without the cost and lead time of solid timber. It also wipes clean and holds up to daily use far better, which matters in a working kitchen. For Mary, it was the call that kept the project both true to the look and inside reach.
Sourcing the Rustic Details
The fittings are what make a rustic Spanish kitchen sing: brass or copper sinks, bright tiles, the small character pieces. Mary, originally from the USA, had ordered her brass sinks and Mexican tiles off Amazon — and found them hard to get and pricey here.
That was useful to us. It sent us looking for Auckland suppliers who could source Mexican tiles and brass sinks for rustic kitchens, so the next client wanting this look doesn’t have to ship it in themselves. We now carry those supplier relationships because of this project. If you’re after a rustic kitchen in Auckland, that legwork is already done.
What a Kitchen Like This Costs in Auckland
Every renovation is priced to its own scope — the size of the space, the materials, and how much trade work is involved all move the number. A custom rustic kitchen with one-off cabinetry and sourced fittings sits differently to a standard layout swap, and running the same treatment through a bathroom and laundry adds again. 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: With rustic kitchens, the cost driver is usually the sourcing, not the cabinetry. Brass tapware and patterned tiles brought in specially carry a premium — choosing a custom woodgrain like Melteca over solid timber is where the real saving sits.
What Mary Had to Say
“I can’t say enough good things about this company. We purchased an older home that needed everything replaced. After interviewing six local companies specialising in renovations, we hired Superior Renovations to redo our kitchen, laundry and bathroom — and we’re so glad we did. From the start, their people gave me the impression that my satisfaction was their number one priority, that any request of mine was reasonable and do-able. They listened to my ideas, made excellent suggestions where I was lacking in knowledge, and delivered plans that incorporated my style and requirements. Michael, our project manager, was always patient, kind and professional. The renovations were completed on time and within our budget. Everyone who sees our kitchen, laundry and bath just stops, stares, and says ‘Wow!’.”
— Mary, Stanmore Bay
Thinking About Your Own Rustic Renovation?
Mary’s kitchen proves a rustic look works in an Auckland home without importing half of it yourself or blowing the budget on solid timber. We’ve done the supplier legwork, we make the cabinetry here, and we’ll work with your vision the way we worked with hers.
➡ Book your free in-home consultation with Superior Renovations
➡ See how we run a full kitchen renovation in Auckland
➡ Request a free feasibility report for your project
Stanmore Bay Rustic Kitchen Renovation — FAQs
Further Resources
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