Bespoke kitchen measured, made and installed by one team in Melbourne
When someday becomes this year
Plenty of Nunawading homes were built when the kitchen sat behind a wall. That suited a household where one person cooked and everyone else stayed out.
Now everyone ends up in there at once. Homework at one end, dinner at the other, and a layout drawn for one cook that cannot take any of it.
That is usually the point where kitchen renovations in Nunawading stop being a someday conversation. At The Kitchen Design Centre, we start with how your household actually moves through the room.
What goes wrong in kitchens built before the 1990s
Brick veneer homes across this part of Melbourne share a similar kitchen. It was drawn for a smaller household and a smaller shopping list, and it shows.
The same faults turn up in Nunawading kitchen after Nunawading kitchen.
- The layout shuts the kitchen off, so whoever is cooking misses the conversation.
- Storage runs out fast, with shallow overheads and a corner cupboard nobody can reach into.
- The rangehood is undersized, pushing steam and cooking smells into the living area.
- Benches were sized for appliances that predate today’s energy-efficient appliances.
- Splashback tiles have discoloured and matching replacements are no longer made.
- Flooring changes at the doorway, so the kitchen space reads as a separate room.
That is usually where a kitchen remodel starts.
Difference between a custom kitchen and a flat-pack kitchen
A flat-pack kitchen is built from pre-cut modules in standard sizes. The room has to accommodate the kitchen cabinets, and fillers cover whatever is left over. The same goes for kitchen makeovers, which work around the cabinetry already there.
We do it the other way round. Your room is measured first, then cabinetry is made to those dimensions, so a bench meets a wall that sits out of square.
Most kitchen companies in Melbourne are showrooms that send the manufacturing out. TKDC is one of the very few true bespoke kitchen builders left in Victoria, so our custom kitchen designs start with your room rather than a range of sizes.
Should I hire a professional for my kitchen renovation in Nunawading?
Yes, and the more useful question is how many businesses you hire. A renovation usually splits three ways, one company handling the kitchen design, another making the cabinetry, a third fitting it. Every handover is a chance for something to be missed.
TKDC does all three. Cabinetry for Nunawading kitchens is made at our Bayswater factory and installed by the same team who measured the room, so the project management sits with us rather than with you.
That means one point of contact, and far less disruption while the work is on.
Choosing benchtops and finishes that suit a family kitchen
There is no single best benchtop. The right one depends on how you cook and how much upkeep you are willing to do.
TKDC works with premium engineered stone, mineral and porcelain surfaces from leading suppliers, plus durable laminates where the design suits them. Splashback materials follow the same thinking.
What we are specifying now looks warmer than it did five years ago. Neutral palettes, natural timber tones, porcelain with warm veining. A shaker profile still holds up beside a modern kitchen.
Your designer talks you through it all, including the Häfele Grass drawer systems you will open every day.
What is a realistic budget for renovating a kitchen?
Your design sets the budget, not the other way around. The amount of cabinetry sets the base, benchtop material shifts it from there, and layout changes that move plumbing or power add trade work on top.
Appliance choice can swing the total on its own. That’s why TKDC works through the design first, then puts your Project Costing in writing, covering the full scope of work you have approved.
You know the number before anything is ordered. A new kitchen also holds the value of your home better than most renovations, which is worth weighing up against the spend.
Qualified cabinet makers and certified trades on every job
Michael Simpson and Peter Schelfhout own TKDC, and the factory they established in 1994 has been building custom kitchens ever since. Both are registered builders with more than 60 years of design and build experience between them. That matters on site rather than on paper. They hold building licences and carry responsibility for the finished work, which is uncommon in this trade.
Your cabinetry and custom joinery are built by qualified cabinet makers, then installed by certified tradespeople. Tiling and the trades that follow work under the TKDC banner, coordinated by us rather than left to you to chase. It is also why top-tier home builders across Victoria use TKDC for their kitchens.
Walk through full-size kitchen displays in Blackburn
Searching for kitchen showrooms in Nunawading will bring you to our Blackburn showroom at 143 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn VIC 3130, a short drive west along the same road. We are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, closed Sunday, or call 03 9894 7445 first.
The floor is filled with working displays rather than sample boards. Run your hand over the benchtops, test how the drawers close, and see whether a French provincial style suits your home better than something plainer.
Book a Showroom Tour and our showroom team will walk you through the displays while you talk through your dream kitchen. We work across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, including Mitcham, Vermont, Box Hill and Forest Hill.
How does a kitchen renovation work from design through to handover?
Our renovation process runs in six steps.
- Start with a Showroom Tour. Our showroom team walk you through the displays and materials.
- A designer visits your home for the Project Consultation. They measure the space, note where plumbing and power sit, and work through layout options with you.
- You see the design in 3D at full scale. Nothing is cut until you have walked through it and confirmed it.
- Your Project Costing follows, covering the full scope of work you have approved.
- Once the contract is signed and returned, a dedicated Client Manager takes over and guides your project through check, measure, manufacture and installation.
- Our qualified cabinet makers build your cabinetry at our factory before the old kitchen comes out. Certified tradespeople install it, with electrical work brought in where the plan calls for it.
Building your kitchen cabinets first means the gap without a working kitchen is shorter than most people expect. Your Client Manager keeps you across the schedule the whole way through.
Talk to us about your Nunawading kitchen
There are two ways to start. Walk into our Blackburn showroom during trading hours, no appointment needed, or book a Project Consultation and one of our designers comes to your Nunawading home to measure up and talk through custom kitchen designs.
We also design and build cabinetry for bathrooms, a European laundry, wardrobes, home offices and living rooms. Any of those done alongside your kitchen becomes part of the same project rather than a separate job.
Call 03 9894 7445 whenever suits you. Bring what you know about the space and what is not working in it. We will do the rest.
FAQs
Does The Kitchen Design Centre offer partial kitchen renovations or door replacements?
No. The Kitchen Design Centre completes full kitchen renovations only, which means the existing kitchen is removed and custom cabinetry is installed in its place. Facelifts, staged renovations and door replacements are not part of the service.
Can you renovate a kitchen in a Nunawading townhouse?
Yes. The Kitchen Design Centre builds cabinetry to the measured dimensions of each room, which suits townhouses where the kitchen runs narrow or shares a wall with the living area. Every layout is drawn for that home alone.
Do you need council approval for a kitchen renovation in Nunawading?
Nunawading sits within the City of Whitehorse, and most kitchen renovations do not require a permit. Approval is generally only needed where the work involves external walls, load-bearing walls or new window openings.