03 Magazine: November 03, 2023

Further south, and on the eve of retirement, noted
Invercargill kitchen designer, Margaret Young of Margaret
Young Designs will leave the industry on a high, winning
multiple awards including for Visual Impact – Kitchen, Southern
Chapter Recognition – Kitchen for a church conversion project
called ‘Divine Intervention’ and Kitchen Distinction Award –
$60–$90k and DNKBA Kitchen Design – Gold for a country
kitchen titled ‘Commercial in the Country’.
Margaret entered the awards for the final time in 2023,
saying it was her swansong to the industry she loves.
“All of my entries into the awards are kitchens I’ve
completed over the last seven years, and they are projects
that I’m particularly proud of,” she says.
“They’re each unique and involve personalities with a bit of
an interesting backstory, including a church renovation and a
farmhouse with a twist.”
On the striking church conversion project, Margaret
worked closely with the owner, who aimed to build the
kitchen himself by attending joinery night classes, and was
well supported by the tutor, previously the foreman of a
high-end joinery firm.
Now completed, the former church restoration has
multiple purposes, including being a new home for the
clients, bed-and-breakfast accommodation and a function
space for hire.
Margaret’s kitchen brief included a modern, minimal look
with an island positioned near the altar, and tall units to be
placed where the organ once played.
Judges said the kitchen was “impactful and inviting”.
“This kitchen is the perfect complement to its church setting.
It provides a balance of form and scale within a romantic and
dramatic space. An outstanding, symmetrical design with clever
use of sliding doors to hide pipework. The black benchtops
work wonderfully with the steel.”