Show Special kbb Birmingham 2018 How to… design a 4G kitchen
Sam Cartwright (pictured below), marketing manager at Design Matters, a luxury kitchen retailer with extensive experience in accessible and multi-generational (4G) kitchens, outlines what you need to know to take advantage of this growing sector
local KBB studios, you’ll probably find that search terms like ‘luxury kitchens’ have become very expensive on pay-per-click. If you’ve done all you can to improve organic search results by creating quality content on your website, you may be wondering how to highlight your team’s design expertise and stand out from the crowd? One of the most effective ways to grow your business is to broaden your offering, and move into niche sectors like ‘inclusive design’.
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4G, or inclusive design, goes by many names across the world, embracing design principles that provide benefits for every generation. UK building regulations have gradually been incorporating these design principles into new-build homes, and families are increasingly thinking about investing in home improvements that will stand the test of time and work for every occupant of the house as they grow and age.
It makes a lot of business sense to sell your customer a luxury kitchen that becomes part of the fabric of the home, then make sure it will still meet their needs in 20 years’ time. Before attempting to get into a niche sector, make sure your design team has something to bring to the table. A specific field, like kitchen design for disabled people, requires specialised knowledge and extensive training. This has been successful for Design Matters because one of our designers became a wheelchair user in his late teens, and is now one of Europe’s most respected accessible kitchen designers. This degree of experience takes years to acquire, so multi- generational design may be a more realistic niche market for your team. After all, we all have experience of helping family members move safely around the house, from infancy to old age.
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Things to think about Be prepared to
hen did you last check the
cost of your Google AdWords campaign? If, like us, you’re competing for clicks with other
Families are increasingly thinking about investing in home improvements that will stand the test of time and work for every occupant of the house as they grow and age
Opinion
develop new ways to
discuss your client’s requirements. Finding the right language to use is not just about
political correctness, it’s the best way of making your customers feel comfortable and secure in your knowledge.
Ask if you should take any special conditions into account, such as back pain, arthritis, a visual impairment or differences in height between members of the household. Then make sure the main working areas of your design proposal are comfortable and safe, based on your customer’s replies and your team’s design experience.
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Pay special attention to the sink area. Many older and younger clients either don’t see standing water on a worktop, or
have limited hand strength to wring out a cloth and keep wiping up splashes. This can make worktop joints particularly vulnerable. We like to specify a solid surface material in sink areas as a matter of routine.
You may wish to source a rise-and-fall table, a freestanding height-adjustable work surface, suitable for every task from
Continued on page 83 March 2018 kbb Birmingham Special Edition kbbreview 81
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