Who designed the Grey Lynn kitchen and what award did it win?

Interior designer Melanie Sa’u led the redesign. According to NZ House & Garden, the project won an NKBA Kitchen Distinction Award for its contemporary lines and detailing.

When did Bronwynn and Cameron Bakker buy their Grey Lynn villa?

According to the feature, they bought the home at the end of 2016 after previously living in a smaller Arch Hill cottage.

What upgrades improved health and comfort in the Auckland home?

The feature reports that bedrooms were double-glazed and central heating was adapted for asthmatics. Synthetic carpet and sanded floors further improved comfort and maintenance.

Grey Lynn TV producers' villa wins kitchen award

A Grey Lynn villa owned by television producers Bronwynn and Cameron Bakker has taken out an NKBA Kitchen Distinction Award after a full redesign aimed at family living, according to a feature published by NZ House & Garden via The Post.

Award-winning redesign anchors family space

The couple’s north-facing rear living zone was reworked around a substantially larger kitchen by designer Melanie Sa’u, who described the former set-up as “a time-worn bachelor’s pad”. Judges praised the remodel’s contemporary lines, varied heights and detailing, the magazine report notes.

Sa’u created three work zones for storage, prep and cooking, and clean-up, according to the feature. Cabinetry in Melteca Melamine Borders Oak and Seasoned Oak and a Florim porcelain benchtop in Marble Yamuna set the tone, while a triple pendant by Nightworks and Radial stools from Città frame the island, the article says.

The owners also integrated a built-in table and a window seat beside the french doors to turn what they called a former “junk space” into a daily-use corner. “We left it completely up to her,” Bronwynn says of Sa’u’s material palette and layout choices.

From quick buy to long-term base

The Bakkers bought the Grey Lynn villa at the end of 2016 after outgrowing a workers’ cottage in nearby Arch Hill, the feature reports. “We looked at it on a Sunday and bought it on the Tuesday,” Bronwynn says. “We put in a pre-auction offer and they brought the auction forward.”

They now live there with children Fred, 4, and Harry, 2, and their dog Kevin, who inspired the name of their production company, Kevin & Co. The couple relish the home’s proximity to their Morningside office and the ability to walk to the supermarket, Grey Lynn Park and local cafés, according to the article. For readers tracking values and amenity in the neighbourhood, a recent Grey Lynn property listing on our site shows continued interest in versatile, centrally located homes.

According to the feature, the house had been renovated and extended about a decade before the Bakkers bought it. “When we got it, it was really nice, but it needed a tidy up. Everything we have done has been either functional or cosmetic,” Bronwynn says.

Function-first brief guides the plan

The redesign brief centred on storage and workflow. “The previous kitchen was quite small with no pantry, and storage was limited elsewhere,” Bronwynn says. “So our big brief was functionality. We wanted something in keeping with the house, but a little more different, and a little more modern.”

The new island anchors the room and connects to a built-in dining table for day-to-day meals. Orientation makes best use of sun and garden outlook, with the north-facing aspect bringing light deep into the open-plan zone, according to the feature. Sa’u’s layout kept the villa’s generous proportions clear, aligning with the high-ceilinged, wide-hall character that typifies many turn-of-the-century homes, the magazine notes.

While a separate scullery was considered, the couple opted against structural changes. “I think the only thing we changed was to ask for a bigger rubbish bin,” Bronwynn says. “And we weren’t interested in doing any structural changes, so we have a cubby space within the bank of cabinets that works fine.”

Materials, lighting and finishing touches

In the adjacent living area, a Tom Dixon Melt pendant Bronwynn had long wanted is now a focal point, tied together with a new rug and refreshed lighting throughout on Sa’u’s advice, according to the feature. Durable leather sofas inherited from Cameron’s parents suit life with small children and, paired with a long window seat, make the family hub both practical and calm.

Throughout the home, trims and walls were repainted in Resene Black White and the dark-stained timber floors were sanded back to lighten the interior, the article reports. “We’re not entirely sure what the timber is, nor was the guy who did the sanding,” Cameron says. “But they’ve come up very well.”

Heating and health upgrades

Bedrooms were double-glazed and the central heating heat-pump system was adapted for asthma management, which has been “a game-changer” for Fred alongside synthetic carpet, the feature notes. The main suite now includes a walk-through wardrobe leading to a redesigned ensuite, with traditional architraves retained and upgraded to respect the villa’s era, according to the report.

Play spaces were prioritised too. A large front room was fitted with an entire wall of dark-stained veneer storage to corral toys and games, the feature reports. Props from the TV series Taskmaster have found a second life in Fred’s room, reinforcing the family’s connection between home and work.

Producers at pace, home as anchor

Kevin & Co launched in 2018 and has since produced comedy and entertainment formats including Taskmaster (New Zealand and Australia), New Zealand Today, Double Parked and Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, the magazine states. The pace has been unrelenting, Bronwynn says: “with two children, a renovation and 35 shows”.

That workload informed a design focused on ease: quick meal prep, resilient finishes and zones that keep family life moving, according to the feature. The remodel has also made the rear deck and garden easier to access, extending the living area outdoors on fine days, the report notes.

Why it matters for grey lynn homes

For character suburbs like Grey Lynn, where villas often have generous bones but outdated service spaces, the Bakkers’ project shows how proportionate, non-structural upgrades can add daily utility without undermining heritage features, according to the magazine. The approach mirrors what many local buyers now seek: liveable kitchens, efficient storage and strong indoor–outdoor flow in walking-friendly locations.

The family’s move from a smaller Arch Hill cottage to a larger villa also tracks broader demand for flexible inner-west housing as households grow and needs change. For more on planning and growth pressures nearby, see our coverage of density changes debates in Arch Hill and surrounds.

What happens next

According to the feature, the couple recently commissioned Sa’u to complete bathroom upgrades and advise on furnishings and lighting, rounding out the refresh. With the major spaces now aligned, the focus is on enjoying the house’s light, circulation and storage—hallmarks of a project that kept character while lifting function.

Local open-home chatter suggests more Grey Lynn villas will follow a similar path as owners tackle kitchens and heating before larger extensions. For ideas on how to spend downtime once the reno dust settles, Aucklanders can browse this Auckland weekend guide from our sister masthead.

As the Bakkers tell it, the proof is in the everyday. The window seat has become the family’s sun trap. The island hosts breakfasts and project meetings. And the once-overlooked corner by the doors now draws everyone in. “It all just works for where we are in our life right now,” Bronwynn says.