Showing posts with label suppliers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suppliers. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Investing in a new kitchen is very exciting but it can also be very expensive! We help a lot of clients to choose their new kitchen from our list of trusted suppliers and also offer advice on what aspects of the kitchen it's worth spending more or less on.
We have put together a brief guide on where we think the most value is in a kitchen.
The Shell: The shell, or the carcasses of the kitchen are essentially the interiors of the cabinet and probably the least expensive part of a kitchen. Trade suppliers such as Howdens Kitchens provide ready-made cabinet units 'off the shelf' - you just need to pick your cabinet doors. IKEA also supplies a good selection of standard cabinets. Of course, these cheap carcasses will be made out of MDF or chipboard and laminated with a standard finish (usually white). If you want your whole kitchen to have a high-end finish, you need to get a high-end kitchen or a custom made o kitchen, in which case the interior of the cabinets will have a much better, higher quality finish and the inside layout of the cabinets will be much more customisable, such as plate holding pegs inside drawers or in-built spice racks.
The Cabinet Fronts: The fronts of the cabinet units are usually the costliest aspect of a kitchen. Howdens or IKEA, as mentioned above (there are many more), will let you choose different cabinet fronts - and the cost will go up depending on the finish you choose. We have fitted IKEA kitchens before which look very nice on the outside (even though the inside is what it is) but I wouldn't say this is because the finish of the fronts on their own is particularly good - it's how you finish the kitchen that makes the difference. Of course a fully customised kitchen with high-quality cabinet fronts will overall be superior.
The Worktop: Arguably one of the most important value-adding aspects of a kitchen is the worktop. Cabinet appearance can only vary so much but the material you choose to have your worktop in will have a huge impact on appearance. Cheap laminate or wooden worktops will do nothing to add value to your kitchen - a Howdens kitchen with a laminate worktop will look exactly like what it is, but a Howdens kitchen with a well made, custom corian worktop will look much more expensive. We order all our kitchens without a worktop and have it custom made to the client's choice of colour and material. Corian can produce a seamless, single piece worktop (logistics allowing, of course) in a variety of colours, or a worktop can be made out of a real stone, such as granite or marble. Quartz is a great alternative to real stone - it is a manmade stone made out of 95% granite, ground into dust, mixed with resin and cast into sheets, making it inherently stronger and longer lasting than natural stone. It also comes in a variety of colours and finishes. We would almost always recommend investing a bit more into the worktop
The Appliances: The appliances you choose for your kitchen, although not of the utmost importance when considering the 'value' of your kitchen do certainly add or detract from the feel of the kitchen. For example, fitting an IKEA kitchen with nice appliances from Smeg, Miele or Siemens could make the kitchen look more expensive and luxurious than it is. On the converse, fitting an expensive, custom-made Italian kitchen with appliances from IKEA and Indesit might make the kitchen lose a touch of its elegance. Choosing your appliances, especially the visible ones, can have an effect on the overall effect of your kitchen's value. Our advice is that if you want to keep the price of the kitchen down, fit good mid-range appliances, such as Bosch, to a cheaper kitchen finish. This way the kitchen gets an 'appliance uplift' without spending a fortune on the shell.
The Details and the Logic: The finishing details of a kitchen are very important, as detailing is what lifts a design from a standard finish to a well-considered, all-round design. It's great if you can afford to spend money on a high-quality finish but it means nothing unless the kitchen is well-planned and finished to the smallest detail. Your interior designer or kitchen designer can help you plan the layout of the kitchen cabinets, where to fit the appliances, drawer and cabinet space, how many shelves to fit and so on. Details like the placement and quantity of plug sockets, the height of the splashback, LED lighting below the cabinets et cetera are the details that finish the design. Also, it's important to consider what happens below and above the kitchen cabinets - how high are the cabinets so that they are comfortable to use, do the cabinets run to the ceiling or finish lower, are they scribed at the top or is the space above the cabinets open, and what kind of skirting is below the base cabinets... the list goes on.
The Overview: There are merits to finishing a kitchen in many ways but overall, of course the ideal solution would be to have a high-end interior that is well detailed, a custom made worktop and beautifully finished detailing. However, we know that the budget does not always stretch to do everything we want. We have fitted some great kitchens in the past that are IKEA cabinets and cabinet fronts with custom worktops and high-end appliances and most people cannot tell the difference from looking at the outside. A customised IKEA kitchen is a great solution if you want to keep the budget at bay and we often specify this kind of finish on investment flats or on flats where the kitchens are quite small. However, houses where the clients themselves are planning to live, especially when the kitchens are sizeable, it may be better to invest in a higher quality finish. Overall, however, I would suggest that the most important aspects of a kitchen are the cabinet fronts and a good worktop... and the number one rule: never sacrifice the details!
We have put together a brief guide on where we think the most value is in a kitchen.
The Shell: The shell, or the carcasses of the kitchen are essentially the interiors of the cabinet and probably the least expensive part of a kitchen. Trade suppliers such as Howdens Kitchens provide ready-made cabinet units 'off the shelf' - you just need to pick your cabinet doors. IKEA also supplies a good selection of standard cabinets. Of course, these cheap carcasses will be made out of MDF or chipboard and laminated with a standard finish (usually white). If you want your whole kitchen to have a high-end finish, you need to get a high-end kitchen or a custom made o kitchen, in which case the interior of the cabinets will have a much better, higher quality finish and the inside layout of the cabinets will be much more customisable, such as plate holding pegs inside drawers or in-built spice racks.
The Cabinet Fronts: The fronts of the cabinet units are usually the costliest aspect of a kitchen. Howdens or IKEA, as mentioned above (there are many more), will let you choose different cabinet fronts - and the cost will go up depending on the finish you choose. We have fitted IKEA kitchens before which look very nice on the outside (even though the inside is what it is) but I wouldn't say this is because the finish of the fronts on their own is particularly good - it's how you finish the kitchen that makes the difference. Of course a fully customised kitchen with high-quality cabinet fronts will overall be superior.
The Worktop: Arguably one of the most important value-adding aspects of a kitchen is the worktop. Cabinet appearance can only vary so much but the material you choose to have your worktop in will have a huge impact on appearance. Cheap laminate or wooden worktops will do nothing to add value to your kitchen - a Howdens kitchen with a laminate worktop will look exactly like what it is, but a Howdens kitchen with a well made, custom corian worktop will look much more expensive. We order all our kitchens without a worktop and have it custom made to the client's choice of colour and material. Corian can produce a seamless, single piece worktop (logistics allowing, of course) in a variety of colours, or a worktop can be made out of a real stone, such as granite or marble. Quartz is a great alternative to real stone - it is a manmade stone made out of 95% granite, ground into dust, mixed with resin and cast into sheets, making it inherently stronger and longer lasting than natural stone. It also comes in a variety of colours and finishes. We would almost always recommend investing a bit more into the worktop
The Appliances: The appliances you choose for your kitchen, although not of the utmost importance when considering the 'value' of your kitchen do certainly add or detract from the feel of the kitchen. For example, fitting an IKEA kitchen with nice appliances from Smeg, Miele or Siemens could make the kitchen look more expensive and luxurious than it is. On the converse, fitting an expensive, custom-made Italian kitchen with appliances from IKEA and Indesit might make the kitchen lose a touch of its elegance. Choosing your appliances, especially the visible ones, can have an effect on the overall effect of your kitchen's value. Our advice is that if you want to keep the price of the kitchen down, fit good mid-range appliances, such as Bosch, to a cheaper kitchen finish. This way the kitchen gets an 'appliance uplift' without spending a fortune on the shell.
The Details and the Logic: The finishing details of a kitchen are very important, as detailing is what lifts a design from a standard finish to a well-considered, all-round design. It's great if you can afford to spend money on a high-quality finish but it means nothing unless the kitchen is well-planned and finished to the smallest detail. Your interior designer or kitchen designer can help you plan the layout of the kitchen cabinets, where to fit the appliances, drawer and cabinet space, how many shelves to fit and so on. Details like the placement and quantity of plug sockets, the height of the splashback, LED lighting below the cabinets et cetera are the details that finish the design. Also, it's important to consider what happens below and above the kitchen cabinets - how high are the cabinets so that they are comfortable to use, do the cabinets run to the ceiling or finish lower, are they scribed at the top or is the space above the cabinets open, and what kind of skirting is below the base cabinets... the list goes on.
The Overview: There are merits to finishing a kitchen in many ways but overall, of course the ideal solution would be to have a high-end interior that is well detailed, a custom made worktop and beautifully finished detailing. However, we know that the budget does not always stretch to do everything we want. We have fitted some great kitchens in the past that are IKEA cabinets and cabinet fronts with custom worktops and high-end appliances and most people cannot tell the difference from looking at the outside. A customised IKEA kitchen is a great solution if you want to keep the budget at bay and we often specify this kind of finish on investment flats or on flats where the kitchens are quite small. However, houses where the clients themselves are planning to live, especially when the kitchens are sizeable, it may be better to invest in a higher quality finish. Overall, however, I would suggest that the most important aspects of a kitchen are the cabinet fronts and a good worktop... and the number one rule: never sacrifice the details!
IKEA kitchen with Quartz Cement worktop
Custom-made Italian kitchen with Corian worktop and Miele appliances
Custom-made Italian kitchen with Quartz absolute blanco worktop
IKEA kitchen with Quartz absolute blanco worktop
Kitchen Value
Monday, September 23, 2013
Marcelise is another great textile company we got lucky to meet at Maison et Objet, Paris. They produce sustainable, eco-friendly and stylish fabrics. With Marcelise, the designer Chloé Sanier has found the perfect opportunity to develop her very personal design vocabulary, contemporary, sensual, up to date but very much part of the traditional home.
From their website:
The company Marcelise has been born through the desire of its creator to develop textiles for the home which resonate with the spirit of the times, provide great design using resilient fabrics, and crucially, are without danger to either our health or the environment.
For this collection, the designer has chosen to create a range of contemporary necessities for everyday living, using finely woven soft-washed linen. Derived from flax grown within Europe , the linen is produced in a way which not only supports sustainable development, but which also provides excellent working conditions for those entrusted with its high quality manufacture.
Using fine pure linen, Marcelise collections will feature contemporary graphics and intricate designs.
Irregularly repeated patterns on tablecloths, cushions, curtains and bed-covers, gives the illusion of every product being unique, whilst also providing continuity. Each design is enlivened by enticing coloured detail, both subtle and contrasting, lending the textiles an ability to suit all tastes and interiors.
Maison et Objet - Marcelise
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
We're so excited to be going to the Maison et Objet trade show in Paris again this year! We can't wait to meet new suppliers and to catch up with our well-known favourites. We're going to be looking for some new e-commerce suppliers as well in order to update our webshop for the new year. :)
As fantastic as Maison et Objet is, it takes a bit of planning to make sure you get the most of the time you have - this year, I am only going to have two days at the show, which means I will have to plan extra carefully or I might miss something important!
If you've been going for years, you might already have your own routine for how to get through the show, but incase you are going for the first or second time, you might benefit from our Maison et Objet tips:
Planning your Visit
We like to plan ahead in terms of what we are going to see - not that we don't aim to get through everything, row by row and hall by hall, but pre-planning the suppliers you'd most like to see gives your visit a bit of structure. I like to divide my suppliers by TYPE - lighting, furniture, bed linens, accessories and so on and choose 5-10 suppliers in each category, in a mix of known suppliers I'd like to re-visit and new suppliers I've never seen but would like to find out more about. I like to be very organised and to organise the suppliers I want to see by HALL and also by STAND, so that when I walk through each hall I know which of my planned suppliers is coming up next.
Survival Guide
In order to get through 2-3 days of full-on walking, meeting suppliers and recording new information, it's not enough to just be organised because if you're not physically and mentally prepared, you won't get through everything you want to see. Therefore, you should carefully plan what to wear, what to carry and what to eat. Rule number one is to be comfortable - bring a change of shoes because your feet will hurt after day one enough to not want to wear the same shoes twice. The weather can be unpredictable and depending on how fast you are walking, you may get too hot - wear layers so that you can quickly get comfortable again.
Also, pack into a suitcase with wheels so in case you don't have time to put your bag into the cloakroom, at least you can wheel it around with you (I mean a cabin size bag, not a 2-week sun holiday). In terms of what to carry, bring a bag with plenty of space that you can fit all the business cards and brochures you pick up. I prefer to bring a backpack so that it doesn't feel too heavy to carry around. Also, in terms of collecting information from suppliers, try to avoid taking home huge catalogues because you will not want to carry these around for the whole day (more on this in 'Recording What you See')! Although there are plenty of places to grab a snack, I like to bring some healthy cereal bars or fruit with me in case I get hungry and just want to carry on.
We like to take lots of photos and tweet what we see (and also it's easy to get lost from your colleagues so we also phone and text each other a lot) - possibly the most important rule of the survival guide is to get yourself a battery booster for your phone, or you might find yourself stranded!
Recording What you See
There is a lot of information to take in at Maison et Objet and recording everything you see and like in an organised way so that you can make sense of the information when you come back can be a bit difficult. We have worked out a way to make the best sense of everything.
1. Photograph the name of the brand you like, then the items you like. As long as you always stick to this, it will be easier to remember what product was from which supplier when you get back.
2. Collect business cards of the people you spoke to so that you have a contact to get in touch with when you need them.
3. Collect brochures or postcards from your preferred suppliers and staple these together - try not to pick up heavy catalogues.
4. Register your details and hand out your business cards to suppliers. You can request that these suppliers send you their full catalogues by post or by PDF after the show.
5. Make a note of which suppliers you spoke to and what you are waiting to hear back from them, or what information you need to send to them.
6. The key questions to ask are price (euros or pounds, trade or retail, including or excluding VAT), lead time, choice of material and colour, can they supply samples and so on.
How to Connect Post-Show
A lot of the organising of information takes place when you are back at the office. We like to organise our business cards and brochures into labeled folders around the office so that when we need to find, for example, a ceramic tile, we look under the tiles folder. We also save a record of our suppliers photos, contact details, catalogues and price lists on a shared folder in Dropbox where everyone can access the data. However, before we do any of this we share all of our information with our colleagues, in case we have picked up some of the same information (which is often the case).
Once everything is organised and recorded, we run through our notes on each supplier and put together a list of who to contact (if you picked up business cards of the reps at the show, you should have plenty of contacts). It's polite to give you suppliers a week or so before you overwhelm them with a barrage of emails and phone calls (they've had a longer week than you have for sure). However, do keep a track of what you are still waiting for and from whom, and if price lists and catalogues don't start showing up, send them a friendly email as a reminder. In fact, it's good to regularly email the contacts you have made so that suppliers remember to keep you updated on their newest products. We like to register to all the newsletters so that we remember the brands we liked and always know what's going on with our favourite suppliers.
I hope that our Paris survival guide will be helpful to you and good luck to all of you going to the show - hope to see you there!
As fantastic as Maison et Objet is, it takes a bit of planning to make sure you get the most of the time you have - this year, I am only going to have two days at the show, which means I will have to plan extra carefully or I might miss something important!
If you've been going for years, you might already have your own routine for how to get through the show, but incase you are going for the first or second time, you might benefit from our Maison et Objet tips:
Planning your Visit
We like to plan ahead in terms of what we are going to see - not that we don't aim to get through everything, row by row and hall by hall, but pre-planning the suppliers you'd most like to see gives your visit a bit of structure. I like to divide my suppliers by TYPE - lighting, furniture, bed linens, accessories and so on and choose 5-10 suppliers in each category, in a mix of known suppliers I'd like to re-visit and new suppliers I've never seen but would like to find out more about. I like to be very organised and to organise the suppliers I want to see by HALL and also by STAND, so that when I walk through each hall I know which of my planned suppliers is coming up next.
Survival Guide
In order to get through 2-3 days of full-on walking, meeting suppliers and recording new information, it's not enough to just be organised because if you're not physically and mentally prepared, you won't get through everything you want to see. Therefore, you should carefully plan what to wear, what to carry and what to eat. Rule number one is to be comfortable - bring a change of shoes because your feet will hurt after day one enough to not want to wear the same shoes twice. The weather can be unpredictable and depending on how fast you are walking, you may get too hot - wear layers so that you can quickly get comfortable again.
Also, pack into a suitcase with wheels so in case you don't have time to put your bag into the cloakroom, at least you can wheel it around with you (I mean a cabin size bag, not a 2-week sun holiday). In terms of what to carry, bring a bag with plenty of space that you can fit all the business cards and brochures you pick up. I prefer to bring a backpack so that it doesn't feel too heavy to carry around. Also, in terms of collecting information from suppliers, try to avoid taking home huge catalogues because you will not want to carry these around for the whole day (more on this in 'Recording What you See')! Although there are plenty of places to grab a snack, I like to bring some healthy cereal bars or fruit with me in case I get hungry and just want to carry on.
We like to take lots of photos and tweet what we see (and also it's easy to get lost from your colleagues so we also phone and text each other a lot) - possibly the most important rule of the survival guide is to get yourself a battery booster for your phone, or you might find yourself stranded!
Recording What you See
There is a lot of information to take in at Maison et Objet and recording everything you see and like in an organised way so that you can make sense of the information when you come back can be a bit difficult. We have worked out a way to make the best sense of everything.
1. Photograph the name of the brand you like, then the items you like. As long as you always stick to this, it will be easier to remember what product was from which supplier when you get back.
2. Collect business cards of the people you spoke to so that you have a contact to get in touch with when you need them.
3. Collect brochures or postcards from your preferred suppliers and staple these together - try not to pick up heavy catalogues.
4. Register your details and hand out your business cards to suppliers. You can request that these suppliers send you their full catalogues by post or by PDF after the show.
5. Make a note of which suppliers you spoke to and what you are waiting to hear back from them, or what information you need to send to them.
6. The key questions to ask are price (euros or pounds, trade or retail, including or excluding VAT), lead time, choice of material and colour, can they supply samples and so on.
How to Connect Post-Show
A lot of the organising of information takes place when you are back at the office. We like to organise our business cards and brochures into labeled folders around the office so that when we need to find, for example, a ceramic tile, we look under the tiles folder. We also save a record of our suppliers photos, contact details, catalogues and price lists on a shared folder in Dropbox where everyone can access the data. However, before we do any of this we share all of our information with our colleagues, in case we have picked up some of the same information (which is often the case).
Once everything is organised and recorded, we run through our notes on each supplier and put together a list of who to contact (if you picked up business cards of the reps at the show, you should have plenty of contacts). It's polite to give you suppliers a week or so before you overwhelm them with a barrage of emails and phone calls (they've had a longer week than you have for sure). However, do keep a track of what you are still waiting for and from whom, and if price lists and catalogues don't start showing up, send them a friendly email as a reminder. In fact, it's good to regularly email the contacts you have made so that suppliers remember to keep you updated on their newest products. We like to register to all the newsletters so that we remember the brands we liked and always know what's going on with our favourite suppliers.
I hope that our Paris survival guide will be helpful to you and good luck to all of you going to the show - hope to see you there!
A Guide to Paris - Maison et Objet
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