Andrea Ellis is one of the designers at Kitchen Studio North Shore. She has a Bachelor of Industrial Design with Honours from Massey University, has 30+ years’ experience in the design industry and has worked at Kitchen Studio North Shore for five years.

Andrea loves being part of the team at a New Zealand-owned company and says that she enjoys meeting with clients and bringing her expertise to bear to understand what their needs are and how best Kitchen Studio can satisfy these.

“I love being able to bring all their ideas together and come up with solutions that will fit their lifestyle and their budget.”

Andrea says that during her career she has designed hundreds (“300+”) kitchens, each of which presents its own challenges. “The tricky spaces are most rewarding,” she comments. “For example, a kitchen that is not working that I can really improve and give the client something better than they ever expected they could have. “

I love furniture design as well as kitchen design, she adds – and has won awards in both her areas of expertise: Best design award for a flat pack chair; and runner up for Kitchen of the Year in 2016.  “This kitchen was long and modern with clean lines, and had a beautiful balance of colour and texture,” she says.

Andrea notes that there are several challenges many clients confront when redesigning their kitchen: making a small space feel large without losing storage; ensuring a balance of workspaces, ensuring there is sufficient space for the cooking and cleaning areas; and that there is not only enough storage but that it is in the correct place.

As a skilled and experienced designer, Andrea can bring a new perspective to issues that may have plagued a client for years, and the Kitchen Studio resources enable her to suggest a wide range of quality products to suit the client’s style, whatever it may be.  

She notes that while fashions change, and natural materials such as woodgrain are popular (again), some elements of kitchens design are classic. “White on white kitchens were very popular when I started,” she says, “and they still are.  Nowadays there’s a trend to big fridges and smaller pantries. And textures play a large role. If the bench is polished going for matt finish cabinetry is best. A full gloss kitchen can be quite overwhelming.”  

That said, if the kitchen is to be in the ‘forever home’ she has found that people will take more risks and put their own personal stamp on it.

Whatever the size or style of a kitchen, Andrea says, “Renovating a kitchen is an exciting process and there is a lot to consider. The most important thing for clients is to ensure they are working with a designer and company who they not only trust but have a great relationship with. “

Kitchen Studio North Shore, 40D William Pickering Drive, Albany, 09 443 3264 www.kitchenstudio.co.nz