94 | Stylish kitchen a winner INTERIOR DESIGN Hello Home Interiors Wellington interior design business Hello Home Interiors were recognised this year at the Wellington NKBA (National Kitchen and Bathroom) Awards for a small but very stylish city apartment kitchen. The project took out the Creative Small Space Design award as well as the Wellington Chapter Recognition award, something Joneen Rodgers says is a wonderful commendation from design peers. “When you are working with a small space, you have to think really carefully about what the client must have included. This can bring challenges as you attempt to find the right home for every element.” The answer was to build a galley design kitchen, complemented with suspended joinery to create a sense of lightness. And by playing with colour and texture the kitchen makes a real statement. “We wanted to bring in as much visual interest as possible, without the kitchen looking overly busy. With the 12mm thick, curve-ended bench, mirrored by the same shape at the end of the suspended joinery there’s a sense of consistency in form that I think works really well,” Joneen explains. Kitkat wall tiles from floor to ceiling again give the impression of space and clean lines while adding pattern and interest. “We did a number of iterations of the design before eventually settling on the Galley design. We chose not to incorporate any seating around the peninsula to instead focus on maximising storage space. By introducing soft curves and playing with height we’ve avoided hard edges.” And it wasn’t only the kitchen that Hello Home Interiors created in the apartment, T T Sue Russell making over the entire apartment, wardrobes, shelving and lighting. If there is one thing Joneen knows about business life its that it keeps evolving, sometimes in unexpected ways. Until very recently Joneen and business partner Hannah Ferens operated their boutique Wellington home interiors studio, designing and project managing beautiful kitchens and bathrooms. About 18 months after they created the partnership Hannah’s husband received an international posting to Bangkok. This meant Hannah worked remotely on designs and though it was doable for some time, Hannah’s interest in undertaking further study which presented as an opportunity and Joneen taking up a role in German Kitchens meants Hello Home Interiors has been put on pause. “I still have a couple of clients but I’m just being more discerning and the opportunity to work for German Kitchens was too good to miss,” Joneen says. For Joneen it will be an opportunity to build on all the industry knowledge she has acquired through the years. She has also been offered a contract tutoring role with the NKBA, designing courses for them. “I love what I do and this is how I can remain in the industry and contribute to it. Both Hannah and I are very much into the work/life balance as new opportunities present.” Joneen says while Hello Home Interiors is currently taking a back seat to other work, she’s proud of what she and Hannah have achieved together in their relatively short time in professional partnership. “The great thing about design is that once you have the experience and learning, its always there for you. I’m looking forward to my current new work opportunity.” The galley design kitchen with suspended joinery was recognised at the Wellington NKBA Awards. Proud hardware supplier to Hello Home Interiors www.blum.com 282 Thorndon Quay, Pipitea, Wellington info.nz@blum.com | 09 820 5051 Visit the Blum space at the Wellington Design Library to discover top quality products and be inspired for your next home project. Proudly Supporting Hello Home Interiors • Residential renovations (kitchen, bathrooms etc) • Extensions • Re-cladding • Fences and decks • Project Management • Consented work +64 27 772 7788 aaron@philpconstruction.com
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