| 101 JOINERY Craftsman Cabinets Kim Newth Early planning key to luxury loft kitchen The award winning contemporary kitchen features touches of brass bringing balance to a moody dark palette. Top quality cabinetry hardware for the entire home www.blum.com 621 Rosebank Road, Avondale, Auckland info.nz@blum.com | 09 820 5051 Visit our Auckland showroom to discover Blum products and services and be inspired for your next home project. ljŀ ŀƗŀ 8ƁƁĊ info@thestonecollective.co.nz A first time entrant at the 2022 Master Joiner Awards, Auckland’s Craftsman Cabinets is now also an award winner having scooped the Best Kitchen under $20,000 category at the annual awards event in Blenheim. The award winning contemporary kitchen was designed and built for a busy couple’s small city apartment on an upper floor. With touches of brass bringing balance to a moody dark palette, the luxury loft kitchen brings a sense of calm and relaxation to the apartment’s living space. Forward planning was essential for success on this project. Being a loft space, the 3.2m feature benchtop for the kitchen presented a challenge, as it couldn’t fit through a window, doorway or stairs. “Clever thinking early in the construction enabled us to work through a solution with the builders to allow space in the framing so that we could remove a couple of pre-finished panels on a wall that was going to be later integrated with the TV and home entertainment,” explains Jason Michie, Director of Craftsman Cabinets. “That was how we were able to bring the stone slab through the wall and fit it into position.” The clients went into this project with a clear concept in mind and supplied some items. Included in the design was a brass splashback. Jason says the client is open minded about how the relatively untested brass sheet product will age and change over time. He has suggested taking photos now and in a year’s time to track that process. “Overall, they were very happy with the completed kitchen. Everything we had talked about in the early stages came to life without any hiccups. It’s very pleased to see how it worked out, thanks to that early preparation and planning.” As a first time entrant at the Master Joiner Awards, Jason says he had not been expecting to win anything on the night. Receiving the award has helped lift the profile of Craftsman Cabinets and affirm the company’s quality reputation. Jason grew up with a flair for practical crafts, having soaked up skills in his childhood from both his handyman grandfathers. At high school he topped his class in woodwork and also worked part-time with a local cabinet maker. By 2013, he had been named as Trainee of the Year and Supreme Apprentice of the Year. He then launched Craftsman Cabinets in 2018. A fully qualified cabinet and furniture maker, Jason works closely with architects, interior designers and builders to meet their unique cabinetry requirements on a range of residential, commercial and retail projects. “We don’t do a lot of design ourselves; our clients generally send us designs that we manufacture and construct. Every project is different. “We complete each one using the best materials available and with quality craftsmanship. “We’re involved every step of the way from initial concept drawings, concept plans and working with the client and designer to the end result.” On home projects, Craftsman Cabinets often provides a fully cabinetry and furniture service that can include kitchen, bathroom and laundry cabinetry, wardrobes, as well as bookshelves, entertainment units and other items. Jason has a workshop team of three, based at a rural South Auckland property, and is currently advertising for another tradesperson. He says there is an opportunity for a keen young person to join them and learn trade skills. “We don’t do a lot of design ourselves; our clients generally send us designs that we manufacture and construct. Every project is different.”
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