Frequently Asked Questions
Palazzo Kitchens, designed for you, made in Germany.
Why should I choose Palazzo for my kitchen project?
Palazzo Kitchens is a proud Canterbury-based business, operating in the region for over 20 years.
Our kitchens are designed by our experienced designers from our Christchurch showroom, and precision-manufactured in Germany.
Our install team are fully in-house and invested in every client being 100% happy, with every last detail perfect.
We work with two German manufacturers, Nobilia and Leicht.
Nobilia produce 4000 kitchens per day, and export to 90 countries. Having worked with Nobilia for 15 years, Palazzo's systems are efficient and well-established. Nobilia is PEFC Certified, holds the Blue Angel certification for low VOC products and is a sustainability-focused company using a high level of recycled material in their products.
Leicht is known as 'The Architect's Kitchen' in Germany and specialise in cutting edge cabinetry finishes, and product development. Leicht products are repeat winners of the German Design Award.
Where do I start if I am thinking about renovating my kitchen?
A visit to a kitchen showroom is a great place to start. You view the latest technology and finishes available, and walk around different kitchen layouts to get a feel for what may work in your existing space. It's also helpful to look at colours and materials and an opportunity to discuss your project with various companies and see who is a fit for your kitchen project.
The Palazzo Kitchens showroom is open Mondays to Saturday's, and we welcome you to visit any time and chat with our designers. They are happy to answer any kitchen renovation questions!
I have draft plans for my new build,do I need to wait until they are consented to have my kitchen designed?
It can be very beneficial to the end result of your build to see a kitchen designer when your plans are in draft form - before they go in for Council consent. This is because your architect or draughtsperson will have drawn a kitchen into the plan and drawn plumbing placements in ready for the consenting process at draft stage.
With kitchen design being a specialised area, sometimes there are minor layout tweaks that can be made to create a more functional kitchen and if you know this before your plans go in for consent, it's easier to make changes to any walls, or plumbing locations.
It's also a great feeling to have your kitchen design nailed, especially as it makes the rest of the interior design choices easier. Once you have chosen your kitchen colours and finishes, flooring, paint and window coverings can be chosen to tie in with the theme.
What price range are Palazzo Kitchens?
We work with two German kitchen manufacturers - Nobilia and Leicht.
Each range has cabinetry finishes available in a range of price groups and between the two ranges, we are able to work with budgets from $20,000 to however high you would like to go!
We also use software that prices as we are designing. This means our designers are not going to design a dream kitchen that is out of your reach if you have given them a price range you would like to be within. When you come and view your concept design - it will already be priced, so that you know what the investment will be.
All the joinery features high quality German fittings and hardware, including soft close as standard, no matter the price group.
A kitchen on a modest budget needn’t be boring, as we have a variety of colours and finishes such an ever-popular concrete-look door front, and gorgeous wood-look laminates in the more affordable price groups.
If you are working on your dream kitchen, the imagination is the only limit with Leicht offering customised RAL colours, curved finishes, wood veneers, hand-trowelled concrete finishes and beautiful options for pocket door pantries, and other clever design features.
Is Palazzo a local company?
Palazzo has been operating in Christchurch since 2003. The current owners Kate and Blair took over the business in April 2019 and have brought all install in-house along with building a strong project management and service focus. Kate is a Cantabrian; Blair is a Southlander, and our staff are all Christchurch locals. Our joinery is made in Germany, and we employ a large range of local subcontractors and use
local suppliers for our benchtops, sinks, taps etc.
Does Palazzo charge to design kitchens?
With Palazzo Kitchens you get the best of both worlds – the expertise and design flair of a kitchen designer, without the charge.
We have three in-house designers working for Palazzo. Our designers are all fully qualified interior designers, experienced in kitchen design. Between our designers there is 40 years of designing for Palazzo so there's a lot of love for the German products, and our local clients.
Our designers all love the design process and bringing together their clients’ ideas to life. There’s nothing better than the first presentation when a client sees their concept design in photo-realistic 3D on screen. We’ve had tears of excitement, and there are a lot of “Wow’s” to be heard when the designers are showing our clients what their new kitchen will look like in their existing home.
We don't charge for this design service, and if you choose to go forward with Palazzo we work on the design together until it's perfect and ready to order. We take a 25% deposit before ordering, and have a staged payment plan throughout the ordering and install stages.
What is the process for renovations?
Our design consultations take place in our kitchen showroom at 19 Mandeville Street. The initial consultation will take around
an hour, and your designer will go through some questions to determine how your household use your kitchen space, what the priorities are for you, what your budget is, and what style you like and more.
For renovation projects, all you need to bring is a floor plan - hand drawn is fine, marking windows and doors is enough to get started with. And some photos of the existing space, standing back to take the room in from a couple of angles.
Within a couple of weeks, your designer will invite you back into the showroom to show you their concept design. From that point, if you like the direction we are heading, we can tweak the design until it’s perfect.
We then do a site measure, and once this is done you will have a final pre-order meeting with your designer before your order is confirmed.
Because our joinery is made in Germany, you will receive a tracking link to the shipment with your joinery once it’s left
the factory in Germany and is on its way to NZ.
We can help with any project management needed, and we can remove your existing kitchen if you need. Working to the timeline of the delivery of joinery to New Zealand, we can ensure you are not without a kitchen too long!
We keep in touch with you to book install dates with our in-house install team, and see how your project is tracking so that when the joinery arrives, we can deliver and install on a date that suits you.
What is the process for new builds?
Our design consultations take place in our kitchen showroom at 19 Mandeville Street. The initial consultation will take around
an hour, and your designer will go through some questions to determine how your household use your kitchen space, what the priorities are for you, what your budget is, and what style you like and more.
For new builds, all you need to bring is your build plans - whatever stage of the process they are at, draft or consented is fine. If you have any inspiration pictures, feel free to bring those to show your designer.
Within a couple of weeks, your designer will invite you back into the showroom to show you their concept design. From that point, if you like the direction we are heading, we can tweak the design until it’s perfect.
We either do our site measure at framing, or we can order from your plan. Because our joinery is made in Germany, you will receive a tracking link to the shipment with your joinery once it’s left the factory in Germany and is on its way to NZ.
We keep in touch with you to book install dates with our in-house install team, and see how your project is tracking so that when the joinery arrives, we can deliver and install on a date that suits your project timeline.
What benchtops are best and what do they cost?
At Palazzo, we have every benchtop available for our clients to choose from.
From the most economical - the beautiful German-made laminate benchtop options we have from our German suppliers, through to various brands of engineered stones, including Silestone, Primestone, Kleenstone to name a few. We also have the ever popular porcelain options including Florim, Dekton, Neolith and Laminam.
We have stunning Quartzite, Granites, Marbles, and other natural stones. Also stainless, acrylic and natural wood benchtop options.
Each brand will have options available in various price groups, and each product has different properties, so depending on what is important to each client we can recommend options.
I might be selling my house - so I don't want to over-capitalise
The old adage statement is true, kitchens sell houses. You don’t have to spend a fortune to create a stunning kitchen that will help sell your home. But it is important to have a well-designed kitchen which suits the style of the home, and important that when people view the home, they can feel the quality of the kitchen hardware and finishes.
A Palazzo kitchen adds value to your home, and stands out for all the right reasons.
How long do Palazzo Kitchens take to arrive?
Your Nobilia kitchen usually takes 13-14 weeks from order to arriving in New Zealand.
Your Leicht kitchen usually takes 18 - 20 weeks from order to arriving in New Zealand.
For renovations, it works very well because we will send you a tracking link when joinery is on the water, and we stay in touch, so you know when to remove the existing kitchen so that you’re not without a kitchen too long.
For new builds, we either measure at framing, or we can order from plan and your builder can build to kitchen plan sizing.
We find the feedback is that a Palazzo kitchen is worth the wait - which is often not that much longer than other suppliers.
What if something is damaged?
This is very rare, but if it does happen we are always able to make sure your kitchen is fully functioning, and we can re-order any damaged parts.
Our install team and project management team is headed by one of our owners Blair, and we have a large workshop and spare materials to ensure that our clients kitchens are perfect.
Can Palazzo manage my project?
Yes, Palazzo can manage as much or as little of your project as you need.
We work with a trusted network of subtrades, and our install and project management team can take care of removing your existing kitchen, including disconnecting plumbing and electrical and reconnection.