Research
1 - Choosing Your Supplier - Friends and family recommendations are the number one source of leads for many kitchen businesses. Speak to people in your circles and find out where they have had a good or bad experience. Don’t start getting designs from five or six different companies. Do your research and then choose three you want to visit. Identify two companies that are in your price range, and then one slightly higher. Always visit one or two independent showrooms. National retailers advertise heavily, but it’s good to support local businesses and you might find their prices and product choice surprising.
2 - Online Investigation - Always look at the company website to see what products are on offer and learn a little bit more about the company. If they have Instagram or Pinterest pages, then check those out to see previous work and case studies from projects they have already completed. Also check out online reviews and remember all companies will have had problems at some point. No kitchen company will have all five star reviews, but if the same issues keep getting brought up, you may want to address that with them before you proceed.
3 - Knowing What You Want - Take a sheet of paper and write down two columns. “What Do I Like About My Current Kitchen” and “What Don’t I Like About My Current Kitchen.” The answers to these questions will help you shape the design for your dream room. Also, what style of door do you want ? If you like a grey door then you will have about thirty different options that will blow your mind. Decide whether you want a shaker style or flat slab door. Then do you want a matt or gloss finish ? Then do you want it to be textured or smooth ? Now you are choosing between two or three doors which is a lot more manageable.
4 - Finance - How are you paying for the kitchen ? Interest free credit and buy now, pay later are sometimes attractive options but they will come at a price. These packages will cost the retailer approximately 12%, and this will have been built into the price of the kitchen, so consider your options carefully. What is your budget ? The rule of thumb is that your budget should be 4% of the value of the house, but a new kitchen could add as much as 8% to the price of the property. It’s important to be open and honest with the salesperson. If you have £25,000 to spend on the kitchen, then say that’s what you have. All budgets can be catered for in today's market, and the more up front you are, the easier it will be for the kitchen designer to match products to your needs.
The Process
1 - Know Your Designer - When you visit the showroom, don’t be afraid to ask the designer about their own personal sales experience and ask to see some images of their previous work. Experience can not only vary from business to business, but also within the same business, so get to know the person you are putting your faith in. Don’t be put off my inexperience though. Some of the most innovative designs I have seen are by designers with less than a year in the role. Most genuine kitchen designers would welcome an opportunity to discuss their background in the industry, so ask the question.
2 - Showroom Standards - Have a look around the showroom and get a feel for the general mood. Do the staff seem happy ? Do the displays look in great condition and is everything clean and tidy ? If everything is sleek and polished, then that’s how your delivery and installation will go. If everything looks a bit messy and chaotic, then that’s also how your delivery and installation will go. If the phone is ringing a lot and nobody is answering it, then nobody will answer it when you are trying to call.
3 - Decision Time - Firstly, don’t make a decision there and then. Sleep on it. When you go home, stand in the kitchen and look at the space discussed and make sure you are happy with what you have agreed on. Buying a kitchen is a complicated process and you need to make sure you are one hundred percent happy with every decision. Most genuine retailers will encourage you to make sure everything is agreed at the start. Changing your mind further down the line can cause different issues. However, don’t expect a plan until you have given a commitment by paying a deposit. A lot of consumers use a plan to play retailers off against one another so this is now standard practice in the industry.
4 - Company Installation or Supply Only ? - There is always a lot of debate around this particular topic, but in my experience, projects that are installed by the retailer always go a lot smoother than where the products have been installed independently. The advantage of an installation service is that the fitters are normally fitting the same products week in and week out meaning they are well used to the product. Also, if there is a damaged panel then this will normally be sorted out by the installer liaising directly with the retailer, and you probably won’t even know about it. When you have your own fitter, you can sometimes end up as project manager yourself, negotiating between all the parties. There are a lot of great independent installers out there too, but again, do your research.
Please keep checking back as this document will be a “live” guide and will be updated regularly.
If you are currently in the market for a new kitchen and your head is spinning, get in touch and I will do what I can to advise.
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