The Benson House project by Rarebirds Interiors is a fully project-managed kitchen, laundry, and powder room transformation in Remuera, Auckland. This kitchen redesign blends high-end residential interior design with functional interior architecture, centred around Gaggenau appliances and a deeply personal cooking experience. Featuring bespoke cabinetry in CNC-routed oak veneer on ply, a CDK Stone Infinity Brown leathered benchtop, a herb trough behind the Hafele sink, and a vertical green wall near the cooktop, the space channels biophilic design and everyday performance. Additional suppliers include Zenith HydroTap, Buddy Tapware by Plumbline, Prime Panels, Tonic Tiles, and Haro Flooring. Completed by Rarebirds Interiors as a full-scope project from design to installation, this home was featured in Stuff’s Kitchen of the Week and stands as a refined example of kitchen renovation and residential project management in New Zealand.

Contemporary kitchen in the Benson project by Rarebirds Interiors featuring a monolithic island, Gaggenau appliances, Prime Panels cabinetry, Hafele sink, Haro flooring, and Zenith HydroTap. Located in Grey Lynn, Auckland.

Interior Colours, Kitchen Design and Supply, Project Management

Benson Project Role:

The Benson House Kitchen by Rarebirds Interiors reimagines a previously white-on-black space into a textural, high-performance zone for home chefs. Designed in collaboration with a passionate cook, the kitchen centres around premium Gaggenau appliances and includes a fully integrated Zenith HydroTap, Hafele sinkware, and Buddy Tapware by Plumbline. Bespoke cabinetry in black-stained oak and carved ply doors frame the space, paired with a CDK Stone Infinity Brown leathered benchtop and soft chevron tiles by Tonic Tiles. Located in Remuera, Auckland, the design balances functional needs with refined residential interior architecture.

Photography:

Our client was adamant his new kitchen would enable him to deliver a dynamic culinary performance when entertaining guests, or a sense of intimacy and participation at meal times for the family.
The requirement of performance cooking evoked the design elements of a Japanese teppanyaki bar, a strong design influence for details and materiality choices. The full-height cabinetry, integrating Liebherr fridge, freezer and pantry areas, is detailed to portray the look of sliding Japanese rice paper screens. Designed in our studio then custom cut on a CNC machine to achieve the unique textural result, then framed and contrasted with black-stained oak cabinetry, lean further into a traditional Japanese design language.
Several unchangeable architectural elements were transformed into functional and aesthetically beautiful design features. Sleek black oak shelving hides an unmovable structural pole, providing a room-divider–type screen and the opportunity for a green wall. A below bench-height window was the catalyst for the inclusion of a wider sink bench that houses an indoor herb garden, that frames the pool and garden—perfect for our home chef.
Biophilic elements introduced through textured timber and real greenery are further enhanced by the expanse of Infinity Brown Quartzite by CDK Stone atop the central island and sink bench. The dramatic veining of this natural stone is equally as dramatic as the retracting Gaggenau extraction unit and the performances of our client in his stunning kitchen space.