There’s a new kid on the block, but he’s no newcomer to design.
When we went to call on Mal, he was still planning his own studio layout, which should be a piece of cake for a designer who has achieved international creditation for his work and a string of awards in New Zealand and Australia.
You may remember Mal for his shocking hot pink kitchen, or the LED kitchen on Waiheke Island that can be any colour the owner wants. But controversial one-offs aren’t really his day-to-day work.
“Every kitchen is bespoke, however,” he says. “It’s all about what the owner wants, not what I want. And yes, we often have a lot of fun when a client wants to step outside the norm.”
Mal has already worked on many kitchens and bathrooms in the Ponsonby, Herne Bay and Grey Lynn areas, for both new and renovated homes. And he says old villas are the perfect backdrop for both contemporary and more transitional designs.
“I have just completed a transitional kitchen in a villa (pictured) that’s a cross between the modern and a more traditional country style,” he says. “It’s one of my all-time favourites. It’s well suited to the home, but it has the most modern materials and functionality.”
That kitchen features a massive 7m-long island, which balances the proportions of the long room. There are two sinks on the stunning Venaro White Corian benchtop, and plenty of room for several people to work at the same time.
Mal’s association with Corian remains one of his greatest achievements – he is a member of the Corian 50, which puts him right alongside top international designers, including Patricia Urquiola, Daniel Liebskind, the late Zaha Hadid, Rosita and Luc Missoni, Jean Nouvel and Marc Newson.
The designer has also has won a prestigious SBID International Design Award in the UK, but he shrugs off his international success. He’s just doing what makes him happy – working with people. And that’s his point of difference. When you approach Mal to design a kitchen, you get Mal. You are not passed on to anyone else.
“I love to be very hands-on with every project, be it a kitchen, bathroom or interior design,” he says. “I have a fantastic relationship with my suppliers and I work with just a few dedicated kitchen manufacturers. And those things are just as important as the design. For the same reason, I am always on hand for the installation, to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Mal does have some good advice for homeowners: “Many people wait till they’re thinking of selling to redo the kitchen. But I say, do it now; do it for the way you want to live now. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it’s always an investment.”
And Mal would be the first to say you can never beat experience, despite what TV reality shows might like to suggest. “Good design gets dumbed down by TV shows. It’s not true that anyone can design a kitchen, or a bathroom for that matter.
“It’s also not true that you have to spend a fortune. Good design doesn’t have to be expensive – everyone works to a budget.”
Having recently returned from the Eurocucina kitchen fair in Milan, Mal says it’s clear Kiwi designers are right up with the latest trends. “Our top designers are just as good as any imported kitchen,” he says.
As an NKBA member, former president and Kitchen Designer of the Year, Mal gives plenty back to the industry. He is an ambassador for Schweigen appliances, and for the past few years, he has been on the judging panel for the annual NKBA awards.
“It’s great to be on the other side of the bench, as it were,” he says.
But you just know, it’s the pull of design that really gets him excited. You can view Mal Corboy Design projects online.
MAL CORBOY DESIGN, 60 College Hill, T: 09 521 7167, www.malcorboy.com