Zoe and Nick’s Story
Zoe and Nick had long been curating a Pinterest board with images of houses and styles they loved. They were drawn to a minimalistic, streamlined aesthetic for their new home in the inner northern suburbs of Adelaide.
Being told by the builder, Kent Built, that they would be using their subcontractor Fisher Kitchens for the fitout of cabinetry throughout the house, Nick and Zoe were at first apprehensive. Nick says, “It was a bit of a daunting process because we spent well over half a million dollars and our builder just said we’re using Fisher Kitchens. So there was a bit of trepidation at the start with ‘how do I know they’re going to do an incredible job?’”
Zoe and Nick’s concerns were quickly allayed when they met Fisher Kitchens’ designer, Natasha. Nick explains that upon arrival at Natasha’s office, they were presented with a “beautiful mood board of all kinds of shapes and textures and things that she had pulled from our Pinterest site. And it was amazing to see it in the products, like the actual physical tile or the actual piece of laminate or wood. So that was a really nice touch and then we tweaked it and worked with her over a couple of months.”
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“I’ve said to people that even though we love the house and we can live in it for 10 or 20 years, I wouldn’t be against building again with the exact builder, the exact architect and the exact cabinetry company. The project was two years, a long time, a lot of money, but the relations and the communication and the end product has been just perfect.”
- Nick
It’s obvious that Zoe and Nick love their new home, and many of its standout and even subtle features, they attribute to the expert knowledge of the Fisher Kitchens team.
The kitchen space for instance is enhanced by functional and decorative features that blend seamlessly with the stone and cabinetry. One of those features is the powerpoints that are flush with the stone, meaning they’re not an eyesore. The other feature that Zoe and Nick love is what they refer to as the LED “mood lighting” on the underside of cabinetry. Nick says, “It has been cut in really seamlessly and embedded into the wood.”
But when pressed for their very favourite part of Fisher Kitchens’ work they reference their “incredible” ensuite, which they are proud to show off as a highlight of their home. Zoe describes it as having a spa-like aesthetic due to the combination of wood, tiles and beautiful NAV veneer vanity that lends it a calming and earthy feel. Zoe and Nick attribute their loved choices to the expert advice of designer Natasha. “Yes, we watched every Block and watched every Restoration Australia and we had a fair idea of what we wanted, but she brought it to life with her amazing knowledge of what products were out there in her industry.”
Every build faces challenges and in Zoe and Nick’s case it was about the budget. Nick says, “The quote was a certain amount and we needed to reduce that. What they appreciated was that Natasha presented them with alternatives that meant they didn’t have to abandon their ideas completely.
Much of the home’s cabinetry, especially in the kitchen, was going to be solid timber. When it looked like the budget wouldn’t stretch to full timber, rather than settling for laminate, Natasha presented Nick and Zoe with the idea of NAV veneer. Nick explains, “It’s not laminate, but it’s not solid timber. It feels exactly like timber would and looks like it at a fraction of the price.”
The other feature that turned out even better than they imagined was the inbuilt wine rack below their kitchen bench. Originally, Zoe and Nick were considering a small wine fridge for the space, but when budget didn’t allow for it, they thought they’d ask Natasha to come up with something made out of wood. She sent them a photo which they thought was perfect. Nick says, “It was half the price of what an electric (fridge) would have been, and it fits better. It gives a more natural kind of look.”
Zoe and Nick appreciated the flexibility and willingness of Fisher Kitchens to change things when needed. Nick says, “They never said ‘we can’t do that’. They always said ‘let’s think about it’ and then Natasha would come back with a suggestion.”
Despite Zoe and Nick’s early reservations about using a kitchen company they weren’t familiar with, it turned out to be a rewarding experience. The couple was kept informed of timelines and they were always able to communicate openly with the Fisher Kitchens team. They were “reassured throughout because of Fisher Kitchens’ professionalism.”
