The island with Black-star stone veneer fronts support the 20-millimetre worktops made from Dekton Laurent natural stone.
A kitchen that leaves a big impression
Stone veneer and glass fronts make a refined combination and bring various shades of black to life in the high-class kitchen of a young couple in Auckland.
Häcker produces around 5,000 kitchens each week. They’re made in Rödinghausen, East Westphalia, before being shipped off across Germany, throughout Europe, to India or even the USA. But the furthest that a Häcker kitchen has ever travelled is to the home of a young couple in New Zealand. Today, the kitchen, which was planned by Hacker Kitchens NZ, sits in a four-bedroom house by the sea in St. Heliers, a wealthy suburb of Auckland that isn’t too far from the city centre.
The wish: a grand entrance
The owners built the 320-square-metre house themselves in 2024. The living area is on the ground floor and all the bedrooms are upstairs. The ground floor also houses a large kitchen, complete with dining and living areas, that leads out to the swimming pool. Then there’s also a laundry room, a guest bathroom, and a home cinema. “The customers often host their friends and wanted a kitchen that stands out and makes an impact,” shares Julia Shuttleworth, Director of Hacker Kitchens NZ who planned this kitchen for Häcker. “They wanted it to draw the attention of every visitor that enters the room. The kitchen should be the show-piece of the house and have a real ‘wow factor’. The couple wanted to create a dark and atmospheric kitchen, which we managed to achieve by using AV 7030-GL Black-star stone veneer fronts.”
The matt black glass fronts, transparent wall units and natural stone worktops with golden veins running through them are a stunning mix.
Two kitchens for every purpose
The main kitchen is in an open space that is perfect for spending time with guests. A door at the back of the kitchen leads to the butler’s pantry, or scullery, as they’re more commonly known in New Zealand. These smaller second kitchens are quite popular over here, as they can house all the appliances that belong in a fully equipped modern kitchen. For the owners, it’s also a great way to declutter the main kitchen.
Equipped with the latest technology
The young working couple from Auckland love using the latest technology in their home, whether it’s an automatic window cleaner or a robotic vacuum. When the kitchen was being designed, the planning team had to take into account modern, high-tech features like touch pop-up plugs, an extractor hood integrated into the cooktop, and innovative taps that provide sparkling or boiling water upon demand.
„The structured surface of the black stone and the very matt, black glass look fantastic together.“
First-class advice
The couple chose Häcker because they adore German products and they fell in love with the AV 7030-GL Black-star natural stone fronts that have become the characterising feature of the kitchen. “We compared a few European brands but we really liked the new stone veneer fronts, which weren’t being offered by any other brand at the time, and the service provided by Julia and the Hacker Kitchens NZ team during the consulting and planning was truly first class,” share the proud owners of the new kitchen.
Essential choice of materials
To make sure that the couple got the kitchen of their dreams, Julia and her team thought about the following aspects when designing the kitchen: “As a kitchen planner, I recommended integrating the ART system with lighting and the ART profile around the island to create a feeling of lightness and to make the worktops look like they’re floating. To create a seamless appearance, we integrated the fridge, freezer and wine fridge. For the units on the rear wall, we opted for a deep black that complements the stone veneer of the island while still ensuring that this remains the focal point of the room. As a designer, I think that the choice of materials in the main kitchen with the AV 7030-GL Black-star stone veneer fronts paired with the AV 6095-GL matt black glass fronts is what gives the space its really special and unique look. The structured surface of the black stone and the very matt, black glass look fantastic together. And not only does the kitchen look great, it’s also incredibly functional.”
A contrast of glass and stone
To really bring out the design, the planner added wall units with glass fronts and vertical LED lighting and a grey mirrored backsplash as an elegant contrast. “The juxtaposition of the smooth glass and the structured Black-star stone on the island turns it into a central design element that creates a balance between refinement and rawness and generates a dynamic visual effect,” explains Julia.
The young couple wanted a kitchen that would leave a lasting impression on their guests.
Kitchen appliances from Gaggenau
The worktops in the main kitchen are made from Dekton Laurent, a stunning natural stone with golden veins running through it, with 20-millimetre-thick Swiss edges. The worktops in the scullery are made from 40-millimetre-thick Dekton Lunar, a reinterpretation of cement inspired by industrial aesthetics with a subtle structure. Above the kitchen is a square light element that imitates natural light as the kitchen does not get any natural light from above. When it came to choosing the kitchen appliances, they opted for ones from Gaggenau. “The anthracite-coloured appliances give the kitchen a little something extra and fit in well with the dark grey theme,” explains the husband.
A secondary kitchen for bigger meals
The owners are coffee connoisseurs and love making perfect fresh espressos with their state-of-the-art coffee machine. They like cooking dishes from all over the world but particularly Asia, as the cuisine there is packed full of delicious spices and exotic aromas. The main kitchen is mostly used for preparing lighter dishes. They prepare bigger meals that give off fatty or other smells in the secondary kitchen because it’s equipped with a high-performance extractor. The two New Zealanders are more than happy with their new kitchen. “The finished kitchen exceeded our expectations and everything was simply fantastic – from the planning to the material selection through to the fitting. We were also always kept updated throughout the entire process.”
