NAPIER, HAWKES BAY
Gatsby’s Kitchen
An award-winning, fully reimagined Art Deco kitchen and home fit-out, where I transformed a dark, cramped layout into a streamlined, hosting-ready space that feels timeless, cohesive, and undeniably them. Below, I’ll walk you through the new floor plan, the design vision, and how it all comes together in the finished space.
Reworking the floor plan to match the investment
Allowing for effortless flow and an award-winning hosting space.
The original architectural layout was perfectly fine, but it simply did not reflect the massive investment going into this full home rebuild. The kitchen was boxed in, and the footprint felt disjointed.
“Instead of adding square metres, we reshaped what was already there,” Nichole says.
By turning an outdoor toilet block into a sunny dining nook and borrowing space for a hidden walk-in pantry, the main kitchen was freed up to become a streamlined, guest-ready hub that took home two industry awards.
Translating a clear vision into a timeless Art Deco kitchen
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Translating the mood board into reality
“He loved streamlined Art Deco, and my role was to translate that into a kitchen that feels both highly functional and effortlessly beautiful,” Nichole says.
Soft green joinery, warm timber, and clean lines were chosen from the start to sit naturally within the home’s architecture, so the space reads as timeless, colourful, and genuinely part of the house, not a theme and not a trend.
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Designing the island as the hosting hub
“Designing the island first was the key to this kitchen being successful,” Nichole says.
This kitchen needed to work every day, but because these clients regularly host friends and family, the space was designed around effortless entertaining.
Having both the cooktop and main sink in the island lets two people cook and prep while facing guests, while the back bench and second sink hide and handle all the mess.
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Using lighting to elevate the joinery
“I planned the lighting alongside the joinery so the cabinetry wall becomes a subtle but impactful statement, rather than just storage,” Nichole says.
The sweeping curve, picked out with a thoughtful, restrained use of LED lighting, highlights the Streamline Moderne Art Deco approach and keeps it unique to the home’s architecture.
This approach ensures the space feels warm and inviting, not harsh or showroom-bright.
NICHOLE’S SCOPE OF WORK
Spatial planning to optimise the existing footprint
Custom joinery and cabinetry design
Detailed, builder-ready construction drawings
Cabinetry lighting and electrical layout design
Material and finish selection support
On-site trade collaboration for a flawless execution
LOCATION
Bluff Hill, Napier, Hawke's Bay
Meet Nichole
Nichole’s a design magician who sees what others can’t, providing solutions others can’t see that save clients time, money, and leave them with a home that matches their investment.
She takes hard‑to‑run, tricky, “where do I even start?” homes and shows you the potential behind them, then gives you clear steps so you feel confident, clear, and in control.
