People’s Choice Announced!

Congratulations to our 2025 People’s Choice Award winners. Once again this was a hotly contested competition, with votes flowing in from around the country!

We are thrilled to announce our 2025 People’s Choice Kitchen Award went to Whispering Curves by Larissa Breukelaar of Modern Age Kitchen & Joinery in Christchurch and our 2025 People’s Choice Bathroom Award went to Artful Retreat by Melanie Sa’u of Melanie Sa’u Design Studio in Auckland.

Rachael Kwok, Executive Officer of NKBA, congratulated the two winners for their design and marketing skills.

“Time and time again the People’s Choice Awards demonstrate the power of self-promotion. We are exciting to see the designers who embrace social media and understand how to best market themselves and their projects come out on top. Congratulations to Melanie and Larissa, your projects are outstanding.”

The 2025 People’s Choice Kitchen, titled Whispering Curves, was designed by Larissa Breukelaar of Modern Age Kitchen & Joinery in Christchurch for her own family home.

Larissa wanted a lower-maintenance space to suit her expanding family, ideally something light and bright, with a calming and grounding atmosphere.

Her brief included a separate clean-up zone, a designated coffee/bar area, and a connection to a vegetable garden to allow an easy flow of fresh produce into the kitchen.

The relationship with the vegetable garden formed the foundation of the design. An exterior door from the clean-up zone leads directly to the garden, creating an out-of-sight area with space to store small appliances if needed.

Curves on the island allow seating all the way around in an elegant and unique way. The asymmetrical design ensures a whisper of the curves is visible from every angle in the kitchen.

White cabinetry, paired with the warmth of Charred Walnut and a thin benchtop with minimal handles, creates a light and bright aesthetic.

Whispering Curves is a beautiful kitchen and a well deserving 2025 People’s Choice Award winner.

The winner of the 2025 People’s Choice Bathroom was inspired by a hotel suite at the beautiful Kimpton Margot in Sydney.

“The homeowners had previously stayed at the hotel and sent me photos as inspiration for their bathrooms. I think hotels capture that feeling of a getaway, and people love to recreate that feeling at home with their bathrooms,” says designer Melanie Sa’u.

As part of the master suite, the ensuite needed to complement the bedroom and closet space. Melanie used dark timber tones, aged metal finishes, and custom tiles. A dark-toned vanity in Melteca Boarders Oak anchors the room. The softness of the woodgrain contrasts with the solid surface vanity top, which is textured with fluid veining and inset with a rounded basin. Warm Tuscan bronze tapware and hardware complete the look.

Melanie shares that the bathroom has personality to help it stand out.

“This bathroom has personality. It isn’t bland. The clients weren’t worried about the next buyer when they sell. They had their own vision. There is a lot of detail and character and that has helped the space stand-alone from the pack.”

Congratulations, Melanie – our 2025 People’s Choice Award winner.

Self-Promotion is key

While self-promotion can be hard, 2025 People’s Choice Bathroom winner Melanie Sa’u says it’s a key part of small business ownership; and of entering the People’s Choice Awards.

“To encourage votes, self-promotion is a big part of it. I pushed out the voting link through my social media channels and utilised my email marketing tool. In addition, NKBA promotes the competition, so there are organic votes that come through from the public,” shares Melanie.

Melanie maintains a database of clients, suppliers, builders, and people who’ve signed up through her social media.

“I utilise the channel to send out quarterly newsletters and other marketing like the People’s Choice awards, updates from the studio and to suppliers. For me, it’s about trying to keep myself front of people’s minds. And it works. For example, the clients of Artful Retreat had me redesign their kitchen first, it wasn’t until I sent out a newsletter after my maternity leave, that they reached out for their bathrooms.”

While marketing can sometimes feel hard or time-consuming, Melanie says it’s a vital part of running a small business.

“I’m still relatively early in my journey of running my own studio, so staying relevant with clients and suppliers feels important. I came across a quote from The Invisible Architect that really encouraged me to keep showing up: ‘The best known will always beat the best. If they don’t know you, they can’t choose you.’

It’s a good reminder that it’s not about self-promotion for the sake of it, but about showing up, sharing your work, and letting people see who you are as a designer. That’s how the right relationships start to grow.”

Media on People’s Choice

To see the award winners in the news, visit:

Stuff.co.nz: Best kitchen and bathroom: Two beauties voted by you | Stuff

The Press: Christchurch designer wins best kitchen award for her own home’s design | The Press