RETAILER PROFILE | Obsidian Interiors
Going forward, we will be sourcing products more like an interior designer would. Moving away from products that are all over the internet. We need to focus on dealing with products that are exclusive
Obsidian’s own-brand bespoke kitchen in Obsidian green
But if you look on its website, you will see that it now openly sets out how much it charges for that. With many showrooms choosing not to charge for design, I ask Evans if it is maybe quite daring to openly advertise a scale of charges online. She replies: “We are doing a lot of complex projects now, where we are having to do lighting plans and technical specifications, project- manage them constantly and work with and organise builders, electricians and plumbers. We are now interior designers/architects. And with the rise in open-plan living, you are having to take on the whole thing, combining the kitchen/dining area with the outside space. And more people are wanting walk-in larders and home offices, bar areas, walk-in wine cellars, inside/ outside barbecue areas.
“In the past, we used to offer a free design service and people took advantage of that. But people are coming to us now for 10 rooms, not just one. And we are not having to do just a plan, concept and supply the products, they want us to work with their builders, look at the lighting, the tiling, the soft furnishing – the whole concept. That is more what an interior designer would do and charge a daily rate for. If you just hand over your designs, they can buy the products online. Then who pays for our time?” Evans says how she has found that, especially since lockdown, clients are all very much individual in what they
Evans confides: “Going forward, we will be sourcing products more like an interior designer would. Moving away from products that are all over the internet. We need to focus on dealing with products that are exclusive, like Gessi and Antonio Lupi, that you can’t buy online – premium brands that offer quality and are a bit different. And maybe have fewer displays but with more suppliers like that.”
Atmosphere
When it comes to making sure that the customer experience is top-class, Obsidian has always run a programme of
in-store and other
Store is on two levels with bathrooms downstairs and kitchens upstairs
are looking for and so they always try to get to know them first, before they can come up with a design concept to match their requirements. And why not charge for
design
when you are a recognised design talent? Indeed, Evans has been a finalist for such prestigious awards as kbbreview’s Retail & Design Awards 2021, where she was shortlisted for Bathroom Designer of the Year: Project Cost £10,000 to £25,000.
Style
In terms of the styles that are popular with Obsidian’s clients, Evans explains that it is pretty much a 50:50 split between traditional and contemporary, for both kitchens and bathrooms. She adds that they tend to “mix it up a bit”
these days and that a lot of the classic kitchens have gone more ‘industrial’. And in many modern and ultra-modern bathroom designs, they find that they are adding traditional touches with brassware, tiles and basins. Product-wise, for kitchens Obsidian deals with Rotpunkt, Sheraton and its own-brand completely bespoke brand made by a local cabinetmaker. Appliances are from Sub-Zero, Wolf, Neff, Bosch and Siemens.
For bathrooms it stocks Antonio Lupi, Gessi, Majestic, Duravit, Villeroy and Boch, Finwood, Lefroy Brooks, Imperial, Hansgrohe, Axor and Dornbracht. They also buy from The Water Monopoly in London when people want a specific look – also Drummonds.
customer-focused events. Evans tells me: “We had one just recently. A James Bond-themed event where we hired the local cinema. We had 190 guests, account customers and retail customers. We also had an event here where we had canapés and a couple of local companies doing cocktails. We have also done ladies’ nights where local companies have taken part and had stands within the showroom. “We have had the KitchenAid chef in who cooked food for everybody and I think that needs to happen more. It creates enticing smells and a bit more of an atmosphere. We did do a lot before lockdown and we are determined to do more, as we have the space to do it. I am all for holding such events.” As for the future, Obsidian Interiors
is
planning to take the Obsidian Home concept even further. “We need to extend the brand and get into soft furnishings and take on more products,” Evans says. “Our Obsidian Home brand has taken off well and we are getting good feedback. They are sold online too and we have a little shed in the car park. As the brand grows, and with our plans to revamp the showroom and take it where we need to, we will collaborate more.” Evans concludes: “We will revamp the showroom and work whole house interiors into the mix – soft furnishings, lighting and interior designs. We do lots of whole-house projects now that include those elements
and 58 we products on show too.” · January 2022 want those
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
