One of the advantages of choosing an independent kitchen company over a franchise is that you can build a relationship with a team who genuinely have your best interests at heart. Steve is the founder and director of Kitchens InStyle. With nearly 30 years of experience in the industry, we have put together this blog so that you can get to know a bit more about his background, his ethos, and how Kitchens InStyle came to be.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a kitchen designer and what led to the creation of Kitchens InStyle?
My dad owned his own business restoring classic prestige cars. I liked that he was an independent specialist that focused on very detailed work and high-specification finishes. I also admired him because people would come to him for advice. As a local business owner, he was the go-to man.
During my time as an apprentice in the motor trade, I wasn’t earning much money, so my dad allowed me to use the garage to do up and sell cars privately, which I really enjoyed. This was my first real experience of sales.
Around a similar time, my mom got me into taking my dog to training classes. I then got asked to assist in a class. A year and a half later, I was taking three classes as the senior instructor. I found I was good at communicating and gained satisfaction from helping people and their dogs.
I continued working in the family business for a few years and then enjoyed success as a sales rep for a wall coatings company. However, during my first six months, I found that they were not offering a fair margin or price for what they were doing. The profit was extortionate, and I felt that wasn’t right. It was time to look for a new job.
I spotted a kitchen designer position at a company called Optiplan in Thatcham. I was lucky because the couple who owned it were fantastic. They took a vested interest in me and spent time and energy teaching me the basics of design, the details of furniture, how to create a showroom display and how to style an interior.
I fell in love with the industry because it gave me an opportunity to help and advise people, to embrace detail and craftsmanship, and to run my own business.
When you first began working with kitchens in 1996, what was the industry like, and how has it changed? Also, where do you think it is going?
Back then, things were simpler. For example, there were six carcasses, now we have over a hundred. Also, you just had to ask if someone wanted a cathedral arch or a Shaker shaped door. Pretty much everything was wood-based or very detailed. Now there’s a massive variety of flat panel doors in matte finishes, gloss finishes, handle-free finishes, and original shakers.
Kitchen installations were also much simpler, taking out an old kitchen in a single room and putting a kitchen back with new wall tiles in the same layout as you found it. Now we’re removing walls, rebooting the electrics, plastering, completely regenerating the floor, and creating an open-plan living space to accommodate sofas, tables, chairs and TVs. Kitchens are no longer just kitchens; they’re living spaces if you like.
Appliances have also massively changed. Originally, when people chose an oven, they just wanted to know if it was fan assisted. Now we have touch control screens and a whole host of functions including pyrolytic self-cleaning and air frying. There have been significant advancements in voice control, even things like dishwashers can be voice-controlled now.
Kitchens are getting visually more minimalist and there is a real emphasis on practicality and durability. But the general things that a designer does and things that a customer wants, I don’t think it’s changed. We all still want an oven, a hob, a sink, and a dishwasher. The fundamentals haven’t changed. It’s the lifestyle that goes around it.
Can you give us an idea about the typical day of an independent kitchen business?
There are day-to-day things like marketing the business and making sure the installations and after-sales service side is running well. A large part of my day is also spent designing. This means measuring client’s homes and spending time discussing what they like and don’t like and creating wish lists before coming up with a solution.
What do you enjoy most?
Spending time talking to clients still genuinely enthuses me, and I love the face-to-face aspect. I also enjoy the design process and can spend 3 hours designing, sometimes even a whole day. To me, designing is creating something using a specific wish list, taking it apart and then reforming it again to meet the client’s needs, so designing is still the most enjoyable part of the day.
What advice would you give people just about to start their kitchen journey?
What I would say is decide on your budget and find somebody who is sincere, honest and will give you the best from that budget. Some clients don’t know whether they should spend extra on this or that, so I think it is finding the right person in the right company to give you the best quality and value for money.
What makes you and Kitchens InStyle stand out from other companies?
The variety of quality products that we offer is unique and extensive. As an independent, we are not tied to one manufacturer. We can offer hundreds of door styles with matching colour-coordinated cabinets and a range of appliances. We buy directly from manufacturers, so our costs represent great value.
My customers always say that the one thing that they appreciate about Kitchens InStyle is that we ask them the right questions, offering genuine and sincere advice based on extensive experience to make sure they don’t regret any purchases they’ve made six months down the line. We will spend more time and energy on getting the design right than anybody else, and this is reflected in our reviews.
For advice on your upcoming kitchen project or to book a design appointment with Steve, please don’t hesitate to contact Kitchens InStyle by calling 02381 040 013 or emailing [email protected].