On Friday, Margaret Young won four categories at the national kitchen and bathroom awards.
Mrs Young’s project of converting a church into a kitchen won the visual impact award and the southern chapter recognition award at the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association awards in Auckland.
She also gained a distinction and a gold award for a country kitchen in the Invercargill area.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times on Friday, Mrs Young was happy to be able to celebrate with her family at such an important moment of her life and was pleased with what she achieved throughout the years.
At 65 she confessed her career pathway was a bit of a surprise, as she found her real passion at a later stage in life.
"I started to design kitchens in 2005.
"I was a client of Lloyds Joinery and when they advertised for a designer position I thought, ‘I would love to do that’.
"I guess I am a creative person. I live and breathe design.
"I used to paint on fabric and have done interior design and decorating courses through the polytech, but never had worked with it."
She applied for the job and was pleased and surprised when she got it.
She worked there until 2013 when the business closed.
She then started her own company, Margaret Young Designs, in 2014.
She specialised in kitchens not only because of her passion for cooking, but also because she was interested in the technical part and she loved the materials and the appliances.
"I just love everything about kitchens.
"I think it needs to work really, really well and look good, because it is the heart of the home."
While she would be retiring from her business, she would keep a close eye on the design industry.
She would also spend a lot of her down time in the kitchen.
"It just feels right, and I think the timing is right to retire.
"But I am still planning to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
"There is a whole new world in sourdough.
"I’m a New-Zealand born Chinese, so I want to follow the world of sourdough.
"I also have a steam oven which can make three layers of dumplings.
"I like to do things in a big way, and it will keep me busy."
