Kitchen Design Talk: Five Steps to Starting Your New Kitchen
Join Keith Myers, Managing Director of The Myers Touch, and Jade Tidbury in this enlightening Kitchen Design Talk as they guide you through the top five steps to starting your new kitchen. With their combined expertise in luxury kitchen design, Keith and Jade break down the initial stages of kitchen planning, offering invaluable insights to help you kickstart your project with confidence.
New Kitchen Planning: A Virtual Design Talk
Inspiring talks and practical advice
Welcome to the design talk at The Myers Touch. We’re delighted you could join us tonight. We really value you committing 40 to 45 minutes of your time to listen to us. I’m Keith Myers, Managing Director here at The Myers Touch, and I’m Jade Tidbury, Kitchen Design Manager. Thank you for joining us this evening. We’re looking forward to sharing our tips and tricks with you. I hope you enjoy it.
Five steps to starting your new kitchen
Building and renovation work is fraught with challenges, especially now during COVID times. We hope these steps will benefit you during your projects.
So, who are The Myers Touch? We’re based in Winchester, Hampshire, just outside the city centre, which is great for parking. We have a beautiful studio designed in collaboration with an architect. We’re members of the KBSA (Kitchen, Bedrooms, Bathroom Specialist Association) and the Society of British and International Design (SBID). I’ve lectured at both and regularly speak at Grand Designs Live in London and Birmingham. I’ve also spoken at 100% Design and KBIS (Kitchens and Bathrooms International Show) in America.
Inside our studio, we love what we do and creating great spaces for our clients. We’ve won Kitchen Showroom of the Year and were delighted to win Kitchen Retailer of the Year in 2021. We’re also proud to have received service and design awards from Houzz for the past five years. We’re primarily a SieMatic retailer, a high-end German luxury brand, but we also offer bespoke designs. One of our projects is currently featured in Home and Country Interiors magazine.
We’ve completed many projects, including one that was a finalist in the Society of British Interior Design Awards and the Designer Awards for the UK. We hope this gives you a little insight into who we are and our journey.
Before Jade starts with the first slide, I want to mention that we’ll take questions at the end. Sophie, one of my colleagues, is on the chat bar tonight. If you have any questions or comments, please raise them, and we’ll address them at the end. Welcome, Sophie!
Now, the light bulb moment
The first step to creating your new kitchen. Perhaps you’ve decided to start this project due to changes in your family dynamics or lifestyle, especially after COVID. Let me walk you through the journey of creating your dream kitchen.
First, ask yourself why you’re doing this. It’s a lot of work and expense. The idea and need often come from a change in lifestyle, like working from home more or wanting to spend more time with family. You might need to reconfigure your home and kitchen to accommodate these changes.
Thinking ahead can be tricky with so many products and people who can help. It’s critical to get involved as early as possible. If you have an idea and aren’t sure where to start, come and have a chat with us.
If we can get involved early, we can look at your space and suggest ways to make the most of it, considering the flow of the home and how it connects with your family, pets, and more. Thinking ahead is key. Many people think the kitchen comes last because it’s the last thing fitted in an extension or new build. However, getting us involved earlier can save money, time, and expense by making suggestions like wider doors or additional windows.
Research is crucial
Our design talks, available on our YouTube channel and website, offer many helpful tips. Start gathering a list of professionals, colours, textures, and the overall feel of the space. Pinterest and Houzz are fantastic resources.
Engaging professionals early is important. You might need to contact architects, lighting experts, or garden designers, especially if you’re connecting the inside with the outside. Early involvement ensures everyone is on the same wavelength, making the project smoother.
Making informed decisions is essential. There are many decisions to make, from layout and colours to products and styles. Take your time, be organised, and ensure you have the right people involved to make decisions that will last a lifetime.
Timing is crucial. People often come to us saying they need a kitchen in a month, but good quality kitchens and well-considered projects take time. Reverse engineering your timeline is important. For example, if you want your kitchen installed by 1st April, you need to plan well in advance. Currently, we’re booking kitchens for early to late summer, and some products have significant lead times.
To break it down, designing a kitchen can take as little as a week if the client knows exactly what they want, but this is rare. Most projects, especially mid to high-end ones, take time. Spending appropriate time on design is key. This process can take a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the project’s complexity.
We’re a design company that sells kitchens.
So making an informed choice is important. We’re not a high-pressure sales organisation; we want you to enjoy the process of choosing your kitchen.
Currently, the standard lead time for a kitchen is eight to ten weeks, which is about two months longer than usual. Some aspects are even worse. We were recently quoted in the Sunday Times, explaining that if you want a kitchen for spring, you’re too late unless you buy something off the shelf from IKEA or Howdens, which isn’t our market. Planning is crucial. You need to allow time for the design process, decision-making, and manufacturing. It’s a struggle to do a kitchen within four to five months, even for basic kitchens with shorter manufacturing times. Some products have a 20-week lead time, and some appliances even longer.
Here’s an example of the importance of early engagement. We did a project in Ramsay, Southampton, where the client wished they had involved us earlier. The island didn’t line up with the window, which could have been avoided by moving a wall half a metre. This subtle change would have aligned the island, window, archway, doorway, and hallway.
Research and discovery are very important.
You need to know your needs, such as lifestyle changes or wanting more light and energy in the space. When you walk into a space, you want to feel calm, peaceful, and inspired to cook. If your current kitchen is chaotic and unorganised, you might want to open up to more open-plan living. The kitchen should be the heart of the home, where you feel comfortable and relaxed.
Choosing the right partners is crucial. Whether it’s a small project like adding a new island or a new build, you need a trusted advisor. This could be a kitchen designer, architect, interior designer, or builder. Make sure they are on the same wavelength as you.
Our design talks are a great way to gain more research and inspiration. All our previous talks are on our website and YouTube. We’re also hosting an “Ask the Experts” panel every Friday from the 21st, with a half-hour Zoom call. Please tune in; we’d love to see you there.
Here’s an example of a close relationship with a designer. We had clients with a penthouse overlooking Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. They loved a nautical theme, so we designed an island inspired by a boat with bespoke veneering. The wife loved turtles, so we included a bespoke splashback with a turtle design. This thoughtful design made their kitchen a lovely place to cook and relax.
In the market, it’s important to have a conversation and collaboration between designer and client to determine the best investment for your money. This varies for different people, which is perfectly fine.
One significant issue in our industry is the escalation in costs.
For example, a client had a pre-COVID quote for roof rafters at £13,000, which later increased to £18,000, and then to £29,000. This increase in the cost of wood reflects broader industry trends. We’ve seen project costs rise by 5-10%, which can be substantial on large builds.
Linking costs to personal value is crucial. You need to invest money where it matters most to you, ensuring you get the best value without compromising on quality. It’s our job to create spaces that delight you and meet your expectations.
When discussing budgets, we often encounter two types:
Fixed and flexible. Some clients have a clear budget, like £50,000, and we design within that limit. Others are unsure of costs and need guidance. A fixed budget helps control costs, while a flexible budget allows for more creativity but can be risky. It’s important to be honest about your budget to help us guide you effectively.
Budgeting is like managing a credit card bill – all the little decisions add up. We encourage clients to aim for their ideal kitchen and guide them on choices, such as appliances, to stay within budget. We have resources on our website to help you prepare a budget before meeting with a designer.
Here’s an example: a client came to us after another company increased their quote by 30%. We provided a competitive quote and ended up extending their kitchen into a wine area, resulting in a fantastic project. Having a conversation about budget and spending is a crucial part of the process.
Making an early commitment can be daunting, but it’s important to make the right decision early on. Ensure you have clarity throughout the design process and work with the right experts. If you feel confident, there’s no harm in committing early.
Kitchens today are much more than just storage and cooking spaces. If you visit our website, you’ll find various talks that delve into this. When COVID hit, we transitioned from monthly in-studio design talks to online sessions, which was a technical challenge at first. Some early talks might not be as polished, but the content is valuable. One talk, “The Story of Why,” explains how we designed our studio and why it’s successful. It highlights the detail involved in creating a great space.
Contemporary design might look simplistic compared to ornate styles
But it involves getting everything right – from placement and feelings to light and space. This collaboration creates an amazing sense and feeling when you walk into a space.
Regarding budgets, there’s no straightforward correlation between the value of a property and the cost of a new kitchen. Good design isn’t just about money; it should work in any setting, whether a council estate or a manor house. You can spend varying amounts on cabinets, just like cars, but they all serve the same basic function. The cost depends on the size of the kitchen and the materials used.
For example, a client spent £50,000 on a kitchen in a £350,000 Wimpey home because it was his home, and he wanted to create a special space. This investment made the kitchen the heart of his home. We aim to ensure that clients get the maximum return and benefits from their investment, creating spaces that delight and meet their needs.
See more videos of our past talks on our Facebook page. Find out about the latest trends we are seeing in high end kitchen design and book an appointment to visit our kitchen showroom.
