Kitchen In
Kitchen In was founded in 2007 by local qualified joiner Marty Surrey. Kitchen In's quality approach and reputation for on time delivery built a strong customer base of builders and happy residential clients. Most customers of Kitchen In are repeat business thanks to the friendly and professional service the business provides.
In 2017 Kitchen In moved into its current location at 9 Saltash Street to support the business growth and provide a better experience for our customers. This convenient location in the heart of New Plymouth means that stopping in to check on your project or talk through ideas is easy and stress free.
In 2018 Marty sold the business to husband and wife team, Rob and Gwen Hamilton. Rob has had a passion for woodworking and is passionate about quality workmanship and designing beautiful kitchens for any price point.
Rob has extensive knowledge of all the hardware, systems, board products and technologies that go into modern kitchens. He is friendly, helpful and happy to chat to you about whatever project you have in mind.
Rob Hamilton
Managing Director/ Cabinet Maker
Rob Hamilton is a NZQA qualified marine cabinet maker. He started his career in the superyacht industry in Auckland manufacturing some of the finest joinery being produced anywhere in the world. Rob has always had a talent for woodworking and as an apprentice he placed first in the National World Skills trade competition for cabinetmaking. He then competed in the World competition and placed 10th in the world.
After gaining his trade qualification Rob carried on in the superyacht industry working his way up to the role of Interior Manager at Yachting Developments. As the Interior Manager he coordinated the entire team of cabinetmakers to manufacture and install all of the cabinets, joinery, stairs and other interior fittings of the yachts. In this role Rob was responsible for quality control of the fit out.
When he moved on from yachts, Rob worked as a project manager and tradesman for an exclusive residential kitchen maker. In New Plymouth he was employed by a well known local commercial joiner, this time off the tools and into the design office.
Rob is your main contact at Kitchen In and he oversees everything from design to installation. When he finds time away from work Rob spends a lot of time on his mountain bike with Gwen and the dogs, or out in the alpine areas of Mt Taranaki.
Damian Elliot
Cabinet Maker/ Installer
Kitchen In welcomed Damian to the team in December 2017.
Damian is a qualified Marine Cabinet Maker with a wealth of experience from the superyacht and high end residential cabinetry industries. Damian started out in the building trades before completing his apprenticeship and many years of work at Fitzroy Yachts. Following that he was a joiner producing top quality kitchens at local New Plymouth cabinetry firms. We are lucky to have Damian onboard helping us produce beautiful joinery for the customers of Kitchen In. Damian takes great pride in his work and always achieves an extremely high quality of workmanship. We don't have a photo of Damian yet so we have subbed in this great photo of a Kea until we can get the website fully updated.
Gwen Hamilton
Business Administration and Accounts
During the day Gwen works as a mechanical engineer for a local engineering company. Most of the projects she works on involve the design and installation of new equipment for the manufacturing plants around Taranaki. In the evenings she manages the accounts for Kitchen In and ensures the business systems are running with the same level of professionalism, thoroughness and integrity of a corporate engineering consultancy.
Gwen has a passion for understanding and optimising manufacturing processes. The challenge is creating efficiency while maintaining rigorous quality control. She has tackled these sorts of problems for manufactures in the oil and gas, food manufacturing and steel making industries. At Kitchen In the projects are a little smaller in scale but the opportunity to strive for continual improvement is still just as interesting.
Despite having plenty on, exercise and spending time outdoors is a top priority for Gwen. You can often spot her around town running with the New Plymouth Jogger and Walkers and the Energy City Harriers. She also enjoys spending time out at Lake Mangamahoe on the mountain bike.