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Quick answer: At Little Giant Interiors we build our custom cabinetry from Melteca, Dezignatek and Decorpanel boards, paired with Häfele, Blum and Hettich hardware. Each is chosen for durability, finish quality and how well it holds up in a real Auckland kitchen.
The materials and hardware inside a kitchen matter as much as the design on paper. They decide how a drawer feels on day one and whether it still runs true in year ten. Here’s the shortlist our design team keeps coming back to, why each one earns its place, and further down, how Blum, Hettich and Häfele actually compare when they turn up on a quote.
Cabinetry materials we build with
The right board changes the whole feel of a kitchen, along with how it wears. We work mainly with three: Melteca, Dezignatek and Decorpanel. Each suits a different brief, and here’s how we choose between them.
Melteca
Melteca is our workhorse board. It carries a wide range of colours and textures, stands up to scratches, stains and moisture, and it’s made in New Zealand: Laminex makes Melteca at its Hamilton plant and has for more than 40 years, according to the Melteca page on Laminex NZ. For most family kitchens it’s the sensible, hard-wearing choice.
Where it shines: broad colour and texture range, strong durability in high-traffic kitchens, good value, locally made.
Worth knowing: as a board product it doesn’t offer the same one-off detailing you’d get from a fully custom door, so we pair it with our own joinery where a project needs something more tailored.
Common ranges:
- Melteca Melamine, the standard range, in Naturale, Satin, Pearl, Puregrain and Organic finishes
- Melteca Hi-Gloss, for drawers and doors where you want shine
- Melteca Jumbo Sheets, 1830mm wide, for long runs and commercial work
Website: melteca.net
Dezignatek
Dezignatek is a thermoformed door and panel brand we reach for when a client wants a smooth, handleless or profiled look with no visible joins. Its technical data sheet describes the doors as vinyl pressed over the face and edges of moisture-resistant HDF board. The finish is contemporary and consistent, and it holds up well in a busy kitchen.
Where it shines: thermoformed doors with a smooth, join-free surface, a strong contemporary range, good durability.
Worth knowing: it sits above standard board on price, so it’s a considered choice rather than the default.
Common ranges:
- Thermoform doors in routed profiles (Series 1, 2 and 3) and the curved Swurves range
- Mirage panels
- Paint-ready, melamine, acrylic and laminate doors
Website: dezignatek.co.nz
Decorpanel
Decorpanel is an Auckland panel maker (it used to trade as Decorply), and its Decorgrain veneer range is where it brings real timber warmth. It’s the pick for clients who want natural grain and a genuine timber look. It asks for a little more care than a laminate board, but the character it adds is hard to fake.
Where it shines: natural timber warmth, panels made in Auckland, a look that laminate can only imitate.
Worth knowing: natural timber needs a bit more maintenance and sits higher on cost than standard board.
Common ranges:
- Decorgrain Veneer (timber veneer panels)
- Decorstyle Melamine
- Decorplus HPL (high-pressure laminate)
- Decorluxe ASA
Hardware that makes cabinetry work
Hardware is what you feel every day: the drawer that glides shut, the door that never slams, the lift-up cabinet that stays where you leave it. We build with three brands here, and each has a job it does best.
Häfele
Häfele is our broad-category hardware brand: hinges, storage fit-outs, sliding and folding systems, and cabinet lighting. If a project needs a clever corner solution, a pull-out pantry or integrated LED lighting, Häfele almost always has it, and the quality is consistent across the range.
What we use it for:
- Furniture hinges for doors that aren’t on a Blum or Hettich spec.
- Drawer inserts such as cutlery trays and dividers.
- Kitchen storage fittings like pull-out pantry units and corner fittings.
- Cabinet and wardrobe lighting.
Where it sits in the catalogue: Häfele NZ’s range runs across furniture hinges, drawer systems and runners, drawer inserts, kitchen storage, sliding, folding and tambour door fittings, and lighting and electrical fittings. On drawer boxes we stay with Blum as standard.
Website: hafele.co.nz
Blum
Blum is our first choice for drawer systems and motion hardware. The engineering is precise, the soft close is reliable for years, and the runners carry weight without sagging. When a kitchen lives or dies on how its drawers feel, we specify Blum as standard.
What we use it for:
- Soft-close motion that stops drawers and doors slamming.
- TIP-ON, TIP-ON BLUMOTION and SERVO-DRIVE for push-to-open and electric opening.
- AVENTOS lift systems for overhead cabinet doors.
- TANDEMBOX and LEGRABOX drawer systems for stability and smooth running.
Common products:
- BLUMOTION soft close for quiet, controlled closing.
- AVENTOS HK-XS lift system for compact overhead doors.
- TANDEMBOX and LEGRABOX drawer systems, with inserts for cutlery and utensils.
Website: blum.com/nz
Hettich
Hettich is a family-owned business based in Kirchlengern, Germany, with a strong drawer and hinge range, and it’s our reliable alternative to Blum on the motion side. Quiet runners, soft-close hinges and space-saving sliding systems, all built to run smoothly over the long haul.
What we use it for:
- Quadro drawer runners for smooth, quiet operation.
- Sensys and Veosys hinges.
- TopLine XL and SlideLine sliding door systems, and WingLine folding doors, for tight spaces.
- InnoTech Atira, ArciTech and AvanTech YOU drawer systems with flexible design options.
Common products:
- InnoTech Atira drawer system, modular with diverse design options.
- Sensys soft-close hinges for smooth, silent doors.
- Sliding door fittings for stylish, functional cabinets.
Website: hettich.com/en-nz
What our design team values in each brand
Ask our designers and the same themes come up. Häfele for the breadth of its range across almost any cabinetry job. Blum for drawer and motion hardware that feels precise and lasts. Melteca for durability and a colour range that makes it easy to match a client’s taste. Dezignatek for smooth, contemporary door fronts without compromising quality. And Decorpanel for the natural timber warmth its veneers bring to a design.
Blum vs Hettich vs Häfele: How We Choose
People search for these three as if one has to win. In a kitchen, they usually share the job. This is how they divide it on our builds, alongside what each maker publishes about itself.
| Brand | What we use it for | What the maker publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Blum (Austria) | Our standard for drawer systems, lift-up wall cabinets (AVENTOS) and push-to-open hardware | Runners and drawer boxes tested up to 100,000 opening movements, hinges up to 200,000, lift systems up to 80,000; limited lifetime manufacturer’s warranty, 5 years on electronics |
| Hettich (Germany) | Our alternative on drawers and hinges, and sliding and folding door fittings for wardrobes and tight spaces | Quadro and Actro runners, Sensys and Veosys hinges, InnoTech Atira, ArciTech and AvanTech YOU drawer systems, TopLine XL, SlideLine and WingLine door systems |
| Häfele | Storage fit-outs, drawer inserts, lighting and the odd specialist fitting | A catalogue spanning hinges, drawer systems, kitchen storage, sliding, folding and tambour door fittings, and lighting |
The Blum figures come from Blum New Zealand’s warranty and maintenance statement, which also puts the life of a kitchen at about 20 years. The Hettich product families are as listed on Hettich’s New Zealand site.
Hettich vs Blum
On drawers and hinges, these two are the closest comparison in a kitchen. Both make full drawer systems, soft-close hinges and runners that carry a loaded pot drawer without sagging. We specify Blum as our standard, and a kitchen that runs one drawer system throughout is simpler to adjust and service. Hettich is the brand we reach for when a design calls for something in its range, most often sliding or folding door hardware on wardrobes. If a quote names either one by product, you’re comparing like with like. If it says “soft-close runners” and nothing more, you’re not.
Push-to-open is one place Blum’s naming helps. Blum describes four motion technologies: BLUMOTION closes softly; TIP-ON opens at a touch but has no soft-close; TIP-ON BLUMOTION, for pull-outs, opens at a touch and still closes softly; SERVO-DRIVE opens electrically and closes softly with BLUMOTION. Our guide to soft-close kitchen drawers goes further on runners, and the handleless kitchen guide covers where push-to-open earns its place.
Is Häfele a good brand?
Yes, and it’s on our partners page for a reason. Its strength is breadth: if a project needs a corner fitting, a pull-out pantry, an insert or a lighting run, Häfele usually has one. Breadth is also why the brand name alone tells you less than “Blum” or “Hettich” does on a quote. Ask which Häfele product is being used. On drawer boxes, where most of a kitchen’s daily wear happens, we use Blum.
Reading the brand lines on a quote
A good quote names the board, the door and the hardware, not just the colour. Look for:
- The board brand and range, such as Melteca Melamine in a named decor, not “premium laminate”.
- The door product, such as a Dezignatek thermoform profile, if the doors aren’t the same board as the carcass. Our guide to kitchen cabinet door materials compares the options.
- The drawer system by name, such as Blum LEGRABOX or TANDEMBOX, and whether push-to-open is TIP-ON or TIP-ON BLUMOTION.
- The warranty for each line. Ours is on our guarantee page: 10 years on Melteca, Laminex, PrimePanels and Bestwood laminates, 10 years on Dezignatek doors, lifetime on Blum and Hettich hardware, and 5 years on installation.
If you’re holding more than one quote, our checklist for comparing kitchen quotes takes it line by line.
Our shortlist of Melteca, Dezignatek, Decorpanel, Häfele, Blum and Hettich reflects what we’ve learned building custom cabinetry in our Rosedale factory: these brands deliver the finish, durability and running quality our clients expect. Which ones end up in your kitchen comes down to your brief, your budget and how you want it to feel to use. Explore the custom kitchen cabinetry we design and build in Auckland, or see how everything comes together on our design and build process.
What cabinetry materials does Little Giant Interiors use?
We build mainly with Melteca, Dezignatek and Decorpanel. Melteca is our hard-wearing, locally made workhorse board, Dezignatek gives a smooth thermoformed door for a contemporary handleless look, and Decorpanel's veneers bring real timber warmth. The right one depends on the look you're after and your budget.
Why is Melteca a popular cabinetry choice?
Melteca carries a broad range of colours and textures, resists scratches, stains and moisture, and is made in New Zealand, which keeps lead times and freight down. It's a durable, good-value board for most family kitchens.
Is Melteca made in New Zealand?
Yes. Laminex makes Melteca melamine panels at its Hamilton plant and has made them in New Zealand for more than 40 years. Local manufacture keeps lead times short and supports lower freight, and the range of colours and finishes suits most Auckland kitchen designs.
What hardware brands does Little Giant Interiors use?
We build with Häfele, Blum and Hettich. Häfele covers the broad category: storage fit-outs, inserts, sliding fittings and cabinet lighting. Blum is our first pick for drawer systems and motion hardware. Hettich is our reliable German-engineered alternative on drawers and hinges.
What's the difference between Blum and Hettich?
Both make excellent drawer runners and soft-close hardware. We specify Blum as our standard for drawer systems and motion hardware for its precision and long-term reliability, and use Hettich as a strong German-engineered alternative with its own quiet runners, Sensys hinges and flexible drawer systems. The choice comes down to the specific project.
What makes Dezignatek different from standard cabinetry board?
Dezignatek is a thermoformed door and panel product, so it gives a smooth, join-free surface that suits handleless and profiled designs. It sits above standard board on price, so it's a considered upgrade rather than the default choice.
Which hardware brand does Little Giant Interiors use most?
Blum is our standard for drawer systems, lift systems and push-to-open hardware. Hettich is our alternative on drawers and hinges and our usual pick for sliding and folding door fittings. Häfele fills in storage fit-outs, inserts and lighting. Most kitchens end up with a mix, matched to the job.
Do these brands come with a warranty?
Yes. Our guarantee schedule lists 10 years on Melteca, Laminex, PrimePanels and Bestwood laminates, 10 years on Dezignatek doors, 10 years on Caesarstone, lifetime cover on Blum and Hettich hardware, and 5 years on installation. Blum also gives its own limited lifetime manufacturer's warranty, with 5 years on electronic components. We'll confirm the specifics for the products in your design.
Is Blum better than Häfele?
For drawer systems, we think so, which is why Blum is our standard for drawer boxes, runners and lift systems. Blum publishes its own test figures: runners and boxes up to 100,000 opening movements, hinges up to 200,000. Häfele's strength is range, covering storage fittings, inserts, sliding hardware and lighting, so in most of our kitchens the two do different jobs rather than compete.
Hettich vs Blum: which should I choose?
Both make full drawer systems, soft-close hinges and runners, and either is a sound choice when the quote names the product. We specify Blum as standard and use Hettich where its range suits the design, most often sliding or folding door hardware on wardrobes. What matters more than the badge is that the quote names the system, so you can compare like with like.
Is Häfele a good brand?
Yes. Häfele is one of our hardware partners and its range is the broadest of the three, from hinges and drawer systems to kitchen storage, sliding and folding fittings and lighting. Because the range is so wide, ask which Häfele product a quote is using rather than relying on the brand name alone.
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References
- Blum New Zealand: Warranty and Maintenance Statement
- Blum NZ: 4 for more, motion technologies (BLUMOTION, SERVO-DRIVE, TIP-ON BLUMOTION, TIP-ON)
- Hettich New Zealand: products (drawer systems, hinges, runner, sliding and folding door systems)
- Häfele New Zealand: product catalogue
- Laminex NZ: Melteca
- Dezignatek: Technical Data Sheet, November 2024
- Little Giant Interiors guarantee schedule
