Classic Pizzazz
DNKBA Platinum Kitchen Design at the 2025 NKBA Excellence in Design Awards — kitchen by Colleen Holder of Colleen Holder Design, Auckland.
Classic Pizzazz earns both halves of its name. The bones are traditional — framed cabinetry, generous returns, a clear sense of front and back of house — but the room refuses to be quiet about it. Colour and polish arrive exactly where the eye lands.
The plan reads as a working kitchen first. Bench runs are long enough to spread out on, the island holds its ground without crowding the circulation behind it, and the tall storage keeps the everyday clutter of a busy household out of sight.
Detailing carries the confidence. Profiles are crisp rather than fussy, hardware is used sparingly and deliberately, and the joinery lines resolve where they meet rather than dying into a wall.
Light does the rest. Reflective surfaces lift the room without glare, and the darker tones underneath give the palette weight so the brightness reads as considered instead of shiny.
A kitchen by Colleen Holder of Colleen Holder Design in Auckland, awarded DNKBA Platinum for Kitchen Design at the 2025 NKBA Excellence in Design Awards.
