Timber Industry Customer Report: Naked Kitchens | 53


craftsmanship beyond the kitchen into the full spectrum of home joinery - utility rooms, boot rooms, wardrobes and more - and Naked Studio, which brings that same quality into a range of beautifully crafted freestanding furniture pieces,” said Alex. “Together they allow us to work with clients across a much broader canvas than the kitchen alone.” The company has also focused on extending its geographic reach, with a particular focus on developing its presence in the capital.


“The strategic move from Norfolk into London has been a major milestone that has opened up considerable new opportunities for the business,” said Alex. “We established a presence in Bloomsbury, followed by Chelsea, and have since grown the Chelsea showroom to encompass Naked Designs as well. Alongside this, we set up a London head office to provide the operational foundation our expanding capital presence needed. It’s been an exciting period of growth; driven equally by increased client demand and our own ambition to bring what we do to a broader audience.” Naked is primarily in the remodelling and refurbishment market, serving homeowners “who are investing seriously and want something genuinely bespoke; a true reflection of them and how they live over something confined by ranges”. It is also involved in high-end new build residential developments, where developers and their clients are looking for that same level of quality and individuality. Naked is bold in its use of different materials, but timber lies at the heart of its kitchens.


“If anything, its importance has grown,” said Alex. “We are seeing real momentum behind natural finishes, and one of the most exciting trends at the moment is the combination of timber and painted cabinetry within the same kitchen - the two materials playing off each other. Our Barnes project is a great example of how timber can anchor a contemporary design and give it warmth and character that no other material quite replicates.”


The focus is very much on responsible sourcing of its wood. The company is itself FSC-certified and opts for FSC-timber wherever available.


“Where possible, the materials themselves carry FSC certification, and we continue to look at how we can strengthen our supply chain credentials further,” said Alex. “We are also very deliberate about who we work with - choosing long-established, reputable suppliers with strong track records in the industry.” Naked works predominantly with temperate hardwoods. Oak and walnut are its lead species, both lending themselves to the natural and stained finishes that are currently


As for directions in colour and finish,


Naked Creative Director Jayne Everett forecasts 2026 to be the year of ‘confident restraint’ - kitchens that feel composed and characterful without shouting about it. “The headline shift is a move away from white and grey towards warmer neutrals: taupes, mushrooms and stony greiges that work beautifully with timber and natural stone,” she said. “We have introduced three new paint colours inspired by the Norfolk landscape - Holt Latte, Felbrigg Stone and Norfolk Dunes - which sit right at the heart of this trend.” Earthy, nature-inspired tones are growing alongside this, she added, often paired with exposed timber.


Naked Kitchens is based at Fakenham, Norfolk


so popular.


“For our painted kitchens, we use beech, which gives an excellent timber for a high- quality painted finish,” said Alex. “We do a significant amount of staining across different timbers, which allows for a huge range of tonal results from the same base material. But we do not typically use tropical species or softwoods.” Naked has long established partnerships with its timber suppliers, built on ‘trust and mutual respect. But it says supply has not been without its issues recently. “If there is one area where we would like to see improvement, it is in the consistency of quality grading,” said Alex. “Standards have slipped noticeably since Covid and, if we are honest, have not fully recovered since. For a manufacturer at our end of the market, where clients are making significant investments and expect perfection, that inconsistency creates real challenges. We would love to see the supply sector place renewed emphasis on grading rigour - it would benefit everyone.” Another market trend Naked has clearly successfully adapted its kitchens to has been the post pandemic shift to more working from home.


“The truth is that the kitchen has been the beating heart of the home for the last fifty years - working from home has simply accelerated and deepened that,” said Alex. “But people are spending more time there than ever, and that absolutely informs how we design. We are incorporating much softer, more flexible elements into our kitchens - bench seating, cushioned nooks, areas that invite you to sit and stay rather than just cook and leave. The kitchen today has to work as a social space, a workspace and a family hub all at once, and good design should make that feel effortless.”


“Natural walnut in particular is having a real moment, with lighter lacquered finishes that let the grain speak,” said Jayne. “Beyond colour, we are seeing a strong appetite for statement stone surfaces and a move away from monolithic cabinetry towards layouts that layer materials and finishes for visual depth and rhythm. If 2025 was about bold expression, 2026 is about timeless materials and thoughtful details.” On the finish side, Naked has also launched emulsion paints and developed a match to sample staining service to give clients a ‘genuinely bespoke level of personalisation’. “Every development we make comes back to the same core principle; we don’t believe in limitations - there is always more to explore, more to refine, and a higher bar to reach,” said Alex.


Looking forward, the company is clearly confident of further growth and development, hence its ongoing programme of capital investment.


“Most recently, we have upgraded our Norfolk factory with two pieces of equipment that have genuinely changed how we work. We’ve installed a Weinig automated crosscut saw, which replaces our traditional pull saw and delivers far greater precision, efficiency and safety, and a vacuum bench press, which applies even pressure across the entire workpiece to ensure a highly consistent finish - particularly when gluing veneers or working on more complex curved and custom forms,” said Alex. “Together these have raised the quality of our output while increasing our capacity.” Beyond the factory floor, Naked has a development team working continuously on its proprietary systems, including its enterprise resource planning system and 3D planning tools. These, it says, sit at the heart of how it designs and specifies kitchens for clients. “Technology investment is not a one-off


exercise for us,” says Alex. “It is a constant commitment to getting better at what we do, at every level of the business.”


www.ttjonline.com | Summer 2026 | TTJ


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