NEWS | Round-up VIEWPOINT ‘We spent our time getting
in touch with nature’ Continuing her monthly series, Natalie Peters of Kitchens Etc in Norfolk, describes her experiences during the second year of her Foundation Degree in kitchen design at Bucks New University
Miro expands UK distribution of its premium cooker hoods from Frecan
WE HEADED to Devon for this last university residential, spending our time between Dartington Hall and Schumacher College.
The topic was sustainability and ecology. As designers, we have a duty to implement change that will safeguard the future and that all starts with learning, research and the opening of minds. It was a fascinating and thought-provoking experience
from start to finish with exceptional guest speakers, including Oliver Heath on biophilic design; architect Duncan Baker-Brown of BBM Sustainable Design and the University of Brighton and Roberto Fraquelli, ecological designer at Schumacher College. We also had an inspirational fireside chat in the forest with Satish Kumar, the originator and co-founder of Schumacher college. He is a remarkable man who walked for peace across states and countries and delivered a cup of ‘peace tea’ to presidents around the world. We trekked 4.6km, representing the 4.6 billion years of existence of earth, along the stunning Dartmouth coastline with Schumacher’s ecological scientist Stephen Harding where we learned all about the evolution of earth and all the gifts it has given us. Every aspect of the
It was a
fascinating and thought- provoking
experience from
residential linked together perfectly and, as always, encouraged us to think differently. We learned to become ecological, biophilic, sustainable and biodiverse design thinkers and Aboriginal gaia design thinkers. Duncan told us to create opportunity from problems through
sustainable practices, to focus on reuse rather than recycle, and to do good, rather than less bad and that when designing we should use products that have an end-of-life strategy. This means that materials are then an asset at the end of their life, not a deficit and he taught us to design with a mind-set. Roberto’s eco-faculty lecture encouraged us to take not just a human-centric approach in design but a two-way approach and to consider what are we giving back to the environment. This residential was different from anything else so far and while it might sound a little alternative, it was perfect. It taught us an understanding of, and empathy for, our environment and what it is we need to do as designers to make positive change. As Oliver said: “How do we ever care about something we don’t understand?” And we learned how important the kitchen is in all of this, as Satish Kumar told us”: “Cooking is a work of art, eating is friendship, the kitchen is the centre of life and you cannot possibly make a cup of ‘peace tea’ without a kitchen.”
Natalie Peters is sponsored on her course by Franke 12
customers “coming on board from all corners of the UK at a very pleasing rate”. Lord has more than 15 years’ experience in
BURNLEY-BASED DISTRIBUTOR Miro is ramping up its UK sales of the premium cooker hoods produced for it exclusively in Spain by Frecan.
The one-year partnership between the two companies has seen sales in the North of the country increase rapidly, with almost 100 active accounts, and the company is now ready for the next phase of growth, which it said will culminate in taking a stand at the kbb show in Birmingham next year. As Miro director Liam Lord explained: “The majority of current Miro retailers are in the North of England and Scotland, as these are customers I have known for many years and whom I have strong relationships with. Our goal, however, is to be the kitchen retailers’ choice for extraction solutions nationwide.” Lord added that he is now seeing more
the premium appliance sector. He spent eight years with Britannia and was also involved in the launch of Faber cooker hoods in the UK. Lord explained his strategy: “Using my experience, I really wanted us to stand out from the competition. Miro offers fantastic value for money while ensuring our retailers can turn a healthy margin with a high-class service to back this up.” He launched Miro in November last year when he realised that the UK was one of the few countries in Europe where Frecan was not represented. The family-run company has 30 years as a manufacturer of specialist built-in and ceiling cooker hoods and Lord said they are the second best-selling brand in the mid-to-high end segment in Spain. Lord added: “When visiting the factory, I was so impressed with the high-quality components used in each of the extractors they produce. The innovation in each extractor is so impressive, with noise reduction for open-plan living and, of course, fantastic performance the forefront of what is being achieved. Consideration has also been made for the actual fitters on site with easy installation solutions. I couldn’t wait to have these products at my disposal in the UK.” Speaking of the partnership with Miro,
Frecan’s global sales director Laura Cruells said: “Liam is certainly the partner we were looking for. He’s got the vision, the market knowledge, a clear focus on unique and quality products and a niche market orientation that represents the philosophy of our brand. He will do a great job without any doubt.” Miro launched its first brochure earlier this year. Lord explained: “We wanted to keep our
offering relatively simple while also ensuring we could tick each box in terms of hood type.
Häfele Studio Partner Award winners revealed
FURNITURE FITTINGS manufacturer Häfele has announced the winners of its fifth annual Studio Partners Awards.
The event – which celebrates the achievements of its independent retail network – took place at the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. The winners were:
All winners were presented with a trophy and two places on an all-expenses paid trip next year. Robyn Berry, marketing manager at Häfele UK, commented: “Our annual Studio Partner
Awards are the perfect opportunity to show our appreciation for our outstanding Studio Partner network. Hand-picked based on their commitment to quality, service and innovation, each and every one of our Studio Partners ensures our company values are reflected in the customer experience. We would like to offer our congratulations to all the award winners, as well as those who made the shortlists.” Häfele’s Studio Partner scheme offers exclusive products, marketing, showroom display and customer lead generation to a network of hand-picked independent kitchen and bathroom studios.
kbbreview · August 2019
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