The 5 Most-Popular Kitchens, Bathrooms and Laundries in NZ
Dig into what New Zealanders love in a kitchen, bathroom and laundry space and find out why specific features appeal
Vanessa Walker
24 July 2021
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor-in-Chief
New Zealanders have gorgeous taste, as these top five most-saved images on Houzz show us. Whether it’s a Japandi-style kitchen, a bathroom made with luxe materials or a laundry that combines function with hotel-style panache. These are the images that you, our New Zealand users, saved in the first six months of 2021, from images uploaded by pros from around the world, from July 2020 to July 2021. Dive right in!
Top 5 Kitchens
1. Light touch
This Sydney kitchen was a standout for New Zealanders, thanks to its finely balanced blend of Scandi-style restraint bolstered by select details such as fine rattan weaving on the chairs, skim-profile shaker cabinets and a combination of light colours and darker highlights.
1. Light touch
This Sydney kitchen was a standout for New Zealanders, thanks to its finely balanced blend of Scandi-style restraint bolstered by select details such as fine rattan weaving on the chairs, skim-profile shaker cabinets and a combination of light colours and darker highlights.
2. Marble might
This exquisite kitchen, in Mt Maunganui, shows the appeal of marble, and how it is the one singular material that can make a kitchen. We love how the timber grain quietly complements the marble veining and each are supported by a subtle but effective light plan.
Is the time right for you to get a kitchen makeover? Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz
This exquisite kitchen, in Mt Maunganui, shows the appeal of marble, and how it is the one singular material that can make a kitchen. We love how the timber grain quietly complements the marble veining and each are supported by a subtle but effective light plan.
Is the time right for you to get a kitchen makeover? Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz
3. Deep and meaningful
This Auckland kitchen really resonated with New Zealand users, as three photos from different angles made it into the most-saved images. Autumnal colours meet a Caesarstone bench in Rugged Concrete, wire-brushed timber shelving and exquisite tiling in this winning space.
See more of this kitchen here
This Auckland kitchen really resonated with New Zealand users, as three photos from different angles made it into the most-saved images. Autumnal colours meet a Caesarstone bench in Rugged Concrete, wire-brushed timber shelving and exquisite tiling in this winning space.
See more of this kitchen here
Here’s another of the shots that takes in the adjacent dining area.
4. Hot chocolate
Deep, resonant chocolate brown grounds this contemporary Auckland kitchen, giving it a sense of longevity. Borrowing from executive-level hotel style, it utilises a restricted palette, generous proportions and repeated grainy timber surfaces to achieve a deeply grounding feeling.
Deep, resonant chocolate brown grounds this contemporary Auckland kitchen, giving it a sense of longevity. Borrowing from executive-level hotel style, it utilises a restricted palette, generous proportions and repeated grainy timber surfaces to achieve a deeply grounding feeling.
5. Sense of place
Sometimes kitchens are designed to stand out and others to be the perfect supporting partners to different parts of the home. That is the beautiful aspect of this all-white kitchen; that it doesn’t seek to compete with the incredible setting and architectural features of this home. Instead it sits lightly among its surroundings.
Sometimes kitchens are designed to stand out and others to be the perfect supporting partners to different parts of the home. That is the beautiful aspect of this all-white kitchen; that it doesn’t seek to compete with the incredible setting and architectural features of this home. Instead it sits lightly among its surroundings.
Top 5 Bathrooms
1. Fine lines
Elsewhere in this Central Otago home, the decor has been curated using a restrained palette of materials with carefully selected light fittings used to add drama and vibrancy. In this shower space, the same discipline applies, with marble tiles providing a calm light feeling, with black highlights adding personality.
1. Fine lines
Elsewhere in this Central Otago home, the decor has been curated using a restrained palette of materials with carefully selected light fittings used to add drama and vibrancy. In this shower space, the same discipline applies, with marble tiles providing a calm light feeling, with black highlights adding personality.
2. You’re framed
This Melbourne bathroom in Australia showcases the beauty and fun of terrazzo, which continues to rise in our search-term popularity on Houzz. At the same time, it successfully combines another hot-right-now trend: narrow black shower-screen frames paired with black tapware. A winner from all angles.
Find a fabulous bathroom designer to help you achieve the bathroom you’ve always wanted
This Melbourne bathroom in Australia showcases the beauty and fun of terrazzo, which continues to rise in our search-term popularity on Houzz. At the same time, it successfully combines another hot-right-now trend: narrow black shower-screen frames paired with black tapware. A winner from all angles.
Find a fabulous bathroom designer to help you achieve the bathroom you’ve always wanted
3. Lake likes
This Wanaka lakefront residence is the gift that kept on giving this year. With its kitchen in the top five and its shower space featuring in the top five bathrooms, it obviously holds major appeal for New Zealanders. We love all the grounding stone elements and clever use of lighting, as well as the much-lauded view.
This Wanaka lakefront residence is the gift that kept on giving this year. With its kitchen in the top five and its shower space featuring in the top five bathrooms, it obviously holds major appeal for New Zealanders. We love all the grounding stone elements and clever use of lighting, as well as the much-lauded view.
4. Wonder walls
Grey travertine tiles that read like clouds give this Brisbane bathroom in Australia the sense of being a wonderland. The backdrop is enhanced by aged-brass tapware and thin black shower-screen framing. Just a gorgeous dreamy space that anyone would be fortunate to step into.
Grey travertine tiles that read like clouds give this Brisbane bathroom in Australia the sense of being a wonderland. The backdrop is enhanced by aged-brass tapware and thin black shower-screen framing. Just a gorgeous dreamy space that anyone would be fortunate to step into.
5. Dark and desirable
Borrowing an aesthetic from members-only gyms and high-end hotels, this Auckland bathroom embraces the linear while striking a balance between light and dark, plain and veined.
Borrowing an aesthetic from members-only gyms and high-end hotels, this Auckland bathroom embraces the linear while striking a balance between light and dark, plain and veined.
Top 5 Laundries
1. Executive function
Like the Wanaka lakefront property, this laundry is in the same home as the previous bathroom image. Carrying through the dark approach in its cabinetry, with shadings in the tiles, this is a stylish and functional space that’s easy to admire.
1. Executive function
Like the Wanaka lakefront property, this laundry is in the same home as the previous bathroom image. Carrying through the dark approach in its cabinetry, with shadings in the tiles, this is a stylish and functional space that’s easy to admire.
2. Mix it up
Mixed materials are rarely displayed so confidently in the workspace of the laundry. But using timber grain, large-format marble-look tiles laid vertically and timber-clad overhead cupboards works wonders in this friendly, open space.
Love a laundry? Find a local joiner to help you design one to your specifications on Houzz
Mixed materials are rarely displayed so confidently in the workspace of the laundry. But using timber grain, large-format marble-look tiles laid vertically and timber-clad overhead cupboards works wonders in this friendly, open space.
Love a laundry? Find a local joiner to help you design one to your specifications on Houzz
3. Side-by-side
We love how the cabinetry surrounding the washing machine and dryer speaks to the splashback in this Auckland laundry. There are so many elements that make this a well- designed space: the grainy timber, the deep basin, brass tapware and the way the colours carry through.
We love how the cabinetry surrounding the washing machine and dryer speaks to the splashback in this Auckland laundry. There are so many elements that make this a well- designed space: the grainy timber, the deep basin, brass tapware and the way the colours carry through.
4. Black is back
As we all know, black is a beautiful way to make a space look contemporary. Yet we most often spy this in kitchens and bathrooms. This wonderful laundry offers floor-to-ceiling cupboards rendered in black. Working in with the dark-roasted wood on the working side of the laundry is pure genius.
As we all know, black is a beautiful way to make a space look contemporary. Yet we most often spy this in kitchens and bathrooms. This wonderful laundry offers floor-to-ceiling cupboards rendered in black. Working in with the dark-roasted wood on the working side of the laundry is pure genius.
5. Practical as
New Zealanders, while loving beauty, also appreciate practicality, as many of these laundries show. From space to hang clothes, to baskets for sorting, drawers for storing, gooseneck taps for ease of movement and surfaces that are easy to wipe clean, this laundry shows all the functionality in one space.
Your turn
Which of these five most-saved kitchens, bathrooms and laundries are your favourites? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Craving more great local design? Don’t miss this Before & After: The Unbelievable Makeover of a Small Semi in NZ
New Zealanders, while loving beauty, also appreciate practicality, as many of these laundries show. From space to hang clothes, to baskets for sorting, drawers for storing, gooseneck taps for ease of movement and surfaces that are easy to wipe clean, this laundry shows all the functionality in one space.
Your turn
Which of these five most-saved kitchens, bathrooms and laundries are your favourites? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Craving more great local design? Don’t miss this Before & After: The Unbelievable Makeover of a Small Semi in NZ
Related Stories
Interior Design
What's Next in Homes? 4 Design Experts Reveal
Do you know which colours, shapes and styles we'll be coveting in the year ahead? Four design pros give the inside scoop
Full Story
Trade Shows
10 Fresh Furniture and Decor Trends for 2023 From the USA
Greens and blues, art and artisanship, and mixed eras and textures filled the 2023 collections at High Point Market
Full Story
Interior Design
6 Trends From Salone de Mobile: The Stories Behind the Designs
See how the design industry is moving forward with one foot in tradition and the other in experimentation and innovation
Full Story
Kitchens
What Are the Popular Trends for Kitchen Renovations in 2023?
Find out this year's most coveted colours, styles, upgrades and added extras for kitchens from surveyed homeowners
Full Story
Trade Shows
6 Surface Materials Your Clients Will Crave in 2023 and Beyond
Discover the top six innovative materials that were on display at this year’s Surface Design Show in London, UK
Full Story
Architecture
Global Architecture Trends From the World Architecture Festival
By Houzz AU
Nicky Drobis, architect and partner at Fender Katsalidis, reports on the big ideas shaping the industry in 2023
Full Story
Trade Shows
7 Interiors Trends from the Maison&Objet 2023 Design Fair
By Houzz France
From tending to our own wellbeing to showing a greater respect for the planet, this year’s theme was Take Care
Full Story
Trade Shows
6 Future Trends in Design From Europe's 2022 Trade Fairs
Continuity, cosiness and crisis response are the big takeaways from the latest fair season in Europe
Full Story
Trade Shows
4 Interior Design Trends From Spain's Hábitat Valencia 2022
Texture, colour and oh so chic comfort were in the spotlight at Hábitat Valencia, with a good dose of designer optimism
Full Story
Trade Shows
8 Inspiring Ideas from 2022’s London Design Festival
With sensory surfaces and a focus on wellbeing and sustainability, a positive vibe permeated this year’s event
Full Story
Wow this is different but nice!!
I didn't realise that Melbourne and Brisbane are in NZ! ;-)
HU-565102868 You didn't? They're near Clyde in Central Otago lol. No, the popularity refers to NZ readers of Houzz. What pictures NZ readers are saving the most.