A DIY delight

Kitchen ideas from Dish magazine

A former contestant on The Block NZ hones her DIY skills to create a beautiful biscuit-coloured kitchen – on a budget.

Paint your kitchen cupboards for a quick kitchen update

A former contestant on The Block NZ hones her DIY skills to create a beautiful biscuit coloured kitchen – on a budget. When Stacy Heyman says her latest kitchen renovation is a box of fluffies she means it quite literally. While her time as a contestant on The Block NZ in 2019 with partner Adam was marred with DIY drama and short deadlines, doing up her own kitchen was a doddle. The only hiccup was the dog fluff from her two Samoyeds, Boki and Toddy, flying into the drying Resene paint.

“It’s crazy how much my dogs moult,” says Stacy. “I can't tell you how many times I would see a piece of fluff had made its way into the paint finish and I would have to sand it back and touch it up. I had to paint the cabinets on a drop cloth on the floor mid-reno as we’re so limited with space and I don’t trust the Wellington wind not to blow dirt into the finish. In the next house, a garage is a must, with no dogs allowed inside,” she laughs.

Stacy and Adam saved money by handpainting kitset cabinetry using Resene Enamacryl tinted to Resene Triple Thorndon Cream, a warm, biscuity beige that seems fitting for keen baker Stacy. To achieve a smooth finish, they primed the doors with Resene Quick Dry before painting the edges with a cutting-in brush and using both a big foam roller and a mini roller to apply paint.

Stacy Heyman created a beautiful biscuit-coloured kitchen

Resene Enamacryl is a gloss waterborne paint with an enamel-like toughness. Durable and easy to clean, it is ideal for painting kitchen cabinetry, windowsills and doors. Stacy used Resene Enamacryl tinted to Resene Triple Thorndon Cream for the cabinetry and Resene Quarter Black White for the walls and ceiling.

“It was actually really easy. So many friends come over and ask us if it’s custom cabinetry and they’re blown away when we tell them we did it ourselves. Best of all we could paint over it later if we changed our minds.”

Since appearing on The Block NZ, Stacy has launched her own interior design company, Studio Reno. She has learnt to be braver with her design choices and in her own kitchen, she mixed warm and cool tones, with brass tapware, a white Attica stone benchtop and Resene Quarter Black White – a bright white with a slight black edge to lighten any space to the max – on the surrounding walls.

If you’re renovating your kitchen on a budget, Stacy advises spending money on a designer to work out the layout but saving money by painting and adding new handles.

“It’s amazing what a coat of paint and some new handles will do to a kitchen," she says.

In Stacy’s words

What’s your favourite part of your kitchen?

Stacy Heyman: I love the mix of brass fittings and stainless steel appliances. At first, I was worried about mixing the metals, but it has a lovely soft quality that goes well with the Resene Triple Thorndon Cream.

What’s your cooking style?

Stacy: I’m very experimental and if I’m baking, sometimes I measure with my eye! Whereas Adam is a stickler and will measure out 20 grams on the scales. We do banter about it.

What recipe are you most looking forward to making from this issue of dish?

Stacy: Grilled Zucchini, Asparagus and Baby Mozzarella with Mint and Pine Nut Dressing sounds like a bit of us. We love fast, fresh food. I also want to make the Tiramisu Espresso Martini No-bake Cheesecake.