INDUSTRY VIEWS
INDUSTRY VIEWS
Compact laminate: the rising star in worktops
Getting worktops fitted correctly and on time is a big consideration for retailers because it greatly impacts on project management, managing cashflow and ensuring a good customer experience. Compact laminate is a material that offers retailers a raft of benefits and is a rising star in the worktop
field, hitting the consumer sweet spot for price, design and quality. One of its major advantages is that it can be fitted by a retailer’s own in-house team without any need for sub-contracting. Compared with premium priced ceramics, it offers a lot of the same benefits for undermounting sinks, drainer grooves, water-resistance, seamless aesthetics and on-point design. But where it differs greatly is on price – approximately one sixth of the price based on an average
kitchen with around 10m of worksurfaces. With consumer spending clearly tightening, it offers an enormous saving for a consumer, without them having to feel they have sacrificed the look they wanted. It also offers margin rich sales for retailers, as well as project control – making it well worth a look if you’re not already on board with it.
Comment by Jason Neve, National Business Development Manager for Worktops, IDS
Why and how should we design multifunctional kitchens?
Over the past 50 years, the kitchen’s role has transformed remarkably. Evolving from a cramped, dim space for food prep, it has become an expansive multifunctional extension of the home for family and friends to enjoy. Recently, it has also adopted an extra function: the home office. With a quarter of UK employees now on hybrid work schedules, our
kitchen designs often need to incorporate areas for both work and socialising, all while prioritising hygiene for cooking and dining. This demands a reimagining of layouts to integrate workspaces, such as elegant integrated office desks or more comfortable chairs, as well as a careful selection of surface materials. Multifunctional surface materials, which can be used for cabinet doors,
tabletops or worktops, and can be shaped into any form and seamlessly jointed together, empower designers to create kitchens that blend hygiene, aesthetics, and functionality seamlessly into daily life. Design flexibility is vital.
Comment by Ben Bryden Sales and Marketing Director, RAK Ceramics UK
Investing in the bathroom as a truly private space
As the fourth quarter of the year progresses it’s natural for our attention to drift into what the year ahead may look like. What will the market for bathrooms be like and what will some of the key trends be in 2024? The bathroom remains one of the few truly private spaces in our homes,
particularly with the continued shift towards open-plan living overall, and consumers are investing in this space as a sanctuary away from the worries of the world. As such, we’re predicting more in the way of natural and nature-inspired
Comment by Vicki Richmond Marketing Director at CDUK
4 BKU SEPTEMBER 2023
materials and patterns in bathroom design as we approach 2024, along with clean lines, simple colour palettes, and streamlined designs for creating a minimalist bathroom.
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