NEWS | Round-up
Our climate change champion Richard Hagan, managing director of Crystal Doors, explains why the growth in veganism could spark a new era for kitchen design
What going VEGAN taught me about
KITCHEN DESIGN
MY FIRST experience of a vegan diet was 13 years ago – carrots, cucumber and hummus, followed by a cardboard-tasting cake at a birthday party I was collecting my daughter from. It was less than inspiring, but today things are different. Last year, Google revealed that searches for vegan food had increased by 5,000% in just one year, driven by consumers searching for exotic new tastes, healthy options and easy-to-cook foods. I believe this rise of the vegan diet – combined with the extra costs of imported foods, soaring energy costs and awareness of carbon footprints – means a new kitchen concept design is emerging. I began my journey to becoming vegan nearly three
years ago. I tried to purchase fewer red meats, and more vegetables and fruit, with the same weekly budget. However, only when I started buying ingredients in bulk did I reduce my weekly budget significantly. Once I began purchasing all the spices, dry ingredients and local vegetables that make vegan food a delight, my cupboards became disorganised and unsuitable, and the kitchen suddenly seemed a lot smaller. Fortunately, a visit to a lifelong vegan in Scotland with a purpose home-made kitchen showed me what a vegan-friendly
kitchen should look like. She had
organised space for hundreds of packets and individual jars of
ingredients,
The rise of the vegan diet means that a new kitchen design
concept is emerging
all alpha-
betically arranged, and two freezers packed with bulk home-made meals. Her small back garden was crammed with seasonal plant foods. My curiosity was piqued when she explained that, by sharing food among her friends, they were all able to eat well and healthily for less
than half the cost of the average monthly UK food bill of £175 per person.
When I asked why she had a large, thick wooden
board on one wall of the kitchen, she told me it was for group friends-and-family get-togethers, with 18 people usually visiting to enjoy each other’s culinary skills. What became apparent was that this vegan-friendly kitchen was designed around a new concept of adaptability in the kitchen space, able to easily meet a wide variety of uses without compromising the look- and-feel of the clean, fresh fashion mainstream kitchens designers offer to the masses. The additional storage and distinctive features were perfectly designed for vegan food, as well as making for a welcoming and unique space. As our diets change in response to the growing
environmental challenges we face as a society, this is what the kitchens of the future will look like. Retailers don’t need to cut prices to the bone to get there – just go green and offer bespoke designs that fit a more planet-friendly lifestyle.
12
V-Zug opens doors to flagship Wigmore Street studio
SWISS PREMIUM appliance brand V-Zug has shown its commitment to the UK market with the opening of its new studio on London’s prestigious Wigmore Street. Located at 27 Wigmore Street, in a Grade II listed building, the new V-Zug Studio not only serves as the brand’s new UK HQ and a place to showcase its range of appliances but also as a creative workspace for architects, designers and retail partners who are invited to bring their customers along to “experience” the brand. The brand has been working on the launch of a studio in the UK since it re-entered the market in 2020. However, the pandemic delayed its plans.
According to the brand, the design and layout of the space portrays the company’s ethos of humbleness and transparency, It has been designed to look and feel like a living space to create a welcoming atmosphere and to help consumers visualise how the products could look in their own home. V-Zug’s core values of minimalism, simplicity and sustainability are also reflected throughout the new space.
Speaking about the new studio and its role in the brand’s strategy, V-Zug UK MD David Knight said: “The UK is a key market for the brand but it’s a proven strategy for success
that you must have foundations, which is why this studio is so important to the brand’s future here. The vision for this new V-Zug Studio is to not only create the most prestigious luxury appliance showroom in London, but to create a beautiful and friendly environment where architects, designers and our retail partners – and their clients – can feel inspired and at home with our beautiful brand. Wigmore Street is an iconic location and, for a brand with our positioning, it’s exactly where we need to be.
“Our new designer’s area is designed to
enable designers to use the space, to greet their clients and to feel comfortable to host in the environment themselves. The goal is to create true relationships, and to reflect our global V-Zug culture of humbleness, simplicity, and beauty.”
· May 2022
Kohler Mira invests in new multimillion-pound distribution centre
UK BATHROOM manufacturer Kohler Mira has officially opened its new multimillion-pound national distribution centre in Worcester. The ribbon was cut at the opening ceremony by David Kohler, president and chief executive of Kohler Co. The 150,000sq ft building has the capacity for more than 10,000 pallets, which Kohler Mira says is its most advanced distribution centre globally and will offer “world class automation.” The brand says the centre will allow it to process orders three times faster and link its manufacturing sites around the UK “to result in one seamless delivery.” Built on an 11.25 acre site, work started on
the new facility back in 2019. It has a dedicated relaxation area to ensure Kohler Mira associates have a space to relax in throughout their working day. The brand also says there is room to expand as the business, channels, and customer requirements evolve. Craig Baker, managing director at Kohler Mira, said: “Our team worked tirelessly to design this state-of-the-art facility, and it has been great to see the first orders processed during our hundredth year. With innovative technologies throughout, it has been built with customer needs in mind, and will allow us to make sure they receive the very best service for years to come.
for
“We are delighted to welcome David Kohler the
official opening, highlighting our
continued commitment to and investment in manufacturing in the UK.”
Having been developed by a dedicated team for over two years, the centre formed part of the business’s centenary year, and follows the opening of its Space 100 facility in Cheltenham in January. Having been designed with sustainability in mind, the centre has recently been recognised
with a Carbon
Reduction Award by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and received an accreditation from BREEAM Official sustainability performance.
for
Kohler Mira is owned by Kohler Co and in the UK brings together several bathroom and shower brands, including Kohler UK, Mira Showers and Rada.
its
Climate
Champion Change
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