So much about your business is different that I’m not sure where to begin. Let’s start with what I know. You’ve been designing kitchens for more than twenty years. You’re one of the UK’s top Designers. You’re a highly experienced Project Manager. You’ve designed kitchens for lots of Celebrities. That’s the easy bit. But what puzzles me is the way you work. For instance you don’t have a showroom. Why’s that?
Lots of reasons, beginning with our own experience. We used to have a showroom, but Clients rarely used it. After the first visit every meeting took place where it mattered – in the Client’s kitchen. So a showroom has a limited use. Clients won’t see their bespoke kitchen design in a showroom. They won’t see their ceiling height, their windows, the shape of their room, or their space. And when it comes to furniture, they might trudge around a dozen showrooms before seeing something they like, and even then they risk adapting their requirements to what’s on show. We all do it. It’s human nature. Without even knowing it we make small compromises – but make enough and you get the almost right instead of the absolutely perfect. My Clients wouldn’t thank me for that. And some decisions should never be made in a showroom.
For example?
Granite worktops for one. As a natural stone, Granite varies in colour and grain from quarry to quarry, even from piece to piece. The variations can be quite dramatic. So whatever you see in a showroom will never be the same as delivered for your worktops. The net result is you’ve spent a lot of time, invested a lot of money, and could still be disappointed. It doesn’t make sense.
And your way is better?
A showroom was never important to me because I spend my time in our Design Office, on site with Clients, or at various workshops. The bottom line is that we create kitchens - which means the design, supply, and installation of everything needed for your dream kitchen – but first we have to define the dream and the space in which to make it come true. The biggest showroom in the world won’t help you with that. We have to be in your kitchen.
I must admit that’s the way I’ve worked with architects. I never went to my architect’s office. I always met him on site.
Exactly. It’s standard practice in the professional sector. It’s also common sense.
A kitchen isn’t something to buy at the shops. It’s too personal, too permanent, and too expensive. Most people only buy one or two in their lifetime. It will affect the value of their home more than any other room in the house. It will certainly impact on their lifestyle. Get it wrong and every day is a reminder of an expensive mistake; get it right and their investment will delight them for years.
That was spoken from the heart. Okay, so everything begins with the design?
No, everything begins with the Client. On our first visit we’ll ask lots of questions to define the Brief. Is the kitchen used for entertaining friends as well as family? Is it a town kitchen? A country kitchen? A family kitchen? How does it function? Does it have enough storage space? What’s the lighting like? Is it big enough? Does the Client want it enlarged? Is it possible? Will the benefits justify the expense? Questions like that.
Can I stop you a moment. You talk about the Brief. Have I commissioned you at this stage? Is this first visit costing me money?
Not unless you live more than a hundred miles from Knightsbridge.
Oh, right, so this first visit is free anywhere in the Home Counties and a bit further afield.
Sometimes even further. A lot of our work comes from recommendations, so if a friend has recommended us and you want to discuss your own kitchen that lends substance to your enquiry, so we do make exceptions. We cover the UK and we even have commissions abroad. For example recently we designed seventy luxury kitchens in Portugal, but that was an exception. Most of our work is in London and the Home Counties.
So okay, say I live in Sussex; I phone up, we have a chat, and you come to see me. Then what happens?
We’ve a lot to discuss so I’ll have already asked you to allow two hours for the meeting. Our office will also have sent you our Customer Services Schedule about the way we work and what to expect. Every Client is different so it’s hard to generalise, but by the end of the meeting it’s essential that I’ve absorbed every one of your requirements.
Let’s take an example. Suppose, for instance, I want to enlarge the kitchen.
Perhaps there’s a partition wall that could be knocked down to create a kitchen/dining room. We would discuss that?
That’s exactly the sort of conversation we’d be having.
So you could cost the building work? There and then?
I could give you a ball park figure, unless the work is very extensive. Enough to give you an idea. Details will come later when I draw up a Scope of Works, but at our first meeting we’ll be exploring all the various options, and talking approximate figures to gauge the benefits of each option against cost.
That’s handy. What if I have a builder? Someone I’ve used before whose work I trust. Could we use him for the building work?
That’s fine. We’ll provide all the working drawings for the plumbing and electrics and for everything else. Once I’ve drawn up a Scope of Works your builder can cost it exactly. I’ll also arrange for it to be costed by at least one of our builders, so you’ll have competitive quotes.
Excellent. So you’re not committed to any particular builder?
We’re committed only to our Client. We use three different builders all of whose work we can vouch for – but the decision as to which builder is always for the Client.
Okay, so let’s stay with the first meeting. Do we talk budgets?
The sooner the better. You’ll have an idea of what you want to spend, and I’ll know what materials and specifications I can use when designing the kitchen.
I can see why the meeting might take two hours. Okay, so then what happens?
I go back and closet myself in our Design Office with my assistants. Every detail of the Brief is set down and we start work from there.
How long does that take?
About ten days as a rule. There’s a tremendous amount of work involved. The finished report often runs to twenty pages, setting out our proposals including plans and elevations, an artist’s impression of the finished kitchen, costings, specifications, and of course a fully costed Scope of Works if building work is involved.
That is a lot of work. But this is still for free, right?
I’m afraid so. You said our business is different and this is just one example, but in twenty years I’ve learned there are no short cuts. When the report is finished we’ll ask you for a second appointment. By then I’ll be able to recommend specific materials and products, so we’ll bring samples as well as the report. Certainly samples of furniture so that you can see the quality, we’ll also bring wall tiles, floor tiles and whatever else is needed to help your decision.
So another two hour meeting?
Sometimes, but not always. I’ll present the report and we’ll discuss whether our proposals tick all the boxes. Most of them will, but sometimes there’s minor tweaking to be done. For example you might have had second thoughts on some of the details.
Okay, so now I have preliminary designs, layouts, artist’s impressions, specifications, and the costs of everything, including building work, samples of furniture and other products – without spending a penny or leaving my own home and all from one source. I have to say that’s very impressive. Now what?
You’re at the commissioning stage. All of the work so far has been preparatory, now detailed work will start in earnest for which we will require a deposit of ten percent of the contract value, excluding building work, all of which is deductible from the total price of your kitchen.
Do I have to decide there and then?
Most people don’t. They’ve only just seen the report. There’s a lot to take in. I’m a Designer not a high pressure salesman. Most people like to spend a few days re-reading it and talking it through by themselves. Generally they call us the following week. Bear in mind that the workshops are on an eight to ten week lead time from signing contracts – and we’re not at that stage yet.
So okay, no pressure but the sooner the better. What’s the next stage?
At least one more meeting to finalise the designs and layout. Then, when our surveyor has checked every measurement, we’ll produce working drawings for plumbing, electrics and everything else. That’s hours of work for our draftsman. Other things will be going on at the same time – especially if there’s building work – but we’ll be agreeing provisional installation dates and much else besides. Finally I will ask for a day of your time.
A day? For what?
This is where you came in. Your first question was about showrooms. Now’s the time – but with a difference – we’ll be taking you to specialist showrooms – some of which are closed to the public.
But you’ve taken care of that. I’ve seen samples.
And they’ll have taken us a long, long way - but now we’re finalising every detail. We’ve agreed the layout, style and much else – but you might want to see your exact furniture finish, hand painted perhaps; there’s your granite to select, possibly you’ve appliances to choose; we might visit one of our Clients to see the kitchen we designed for them.
What if I simply don’t have the time?
About a third of our Clients don’t; they leave everything to us. So it’s not a problem for us. But if there’s anything left that you would like to see, now is the time. We pick you up from your home and return you afterwards – specialists meet us at our every appointment, and by the end of the day we’ve nailed everything down.
That’s impressive. So then we’re ready to go?
That’s it. Every i has been dotted and every t crossed. Contracts can be finalized, furniture put into production, materials ordered, and the clock starts ticking towards the installation date.
I have to say it sounds a very efficient way of working. So, now let’s turn to something else that makes you different. You make a big deal of Project Management. Other companies employ Project Managers to supervise their installations. Why don’t you?
I think you’re talking about kitchen furniture companies. Their Project Managers only deal with furniture and appliances. That’s all they do. They don’t need to know about plumbing, heating, electrics, plastering and all the other trades involved. They leave their Clients to worry about that We’re involved in everything that makes a kitchen a beautiful and functional space. So I supervise every detail of every tradesman’s work. At the end of the day, I sign everything off.
Ah, which means a vast difference in knowledge and experience. I see that now.
You’re right, there’s a huge difference, but actually it’s more even than that. By the end of the design process the Client and the Designer share the same dream. We’ve poured our hearts and souls into this project. Usually the Client can’t wait to see the finished result. Now let me ask you a question. How would you feel if we’d worked together for weeks and then - at the last moment, just when the kitchen is about be installed – I hand you over to a complete stranger. Wouldn’t you feel let down?
I suppose I would.
I know I would. No matter how good a design is on paper, the kitchen has no use until it exists. So I’m there for the Client from concept through to completion.
That’s why you visit the site every day.
During installation? Absolutely. Not for the whole day, but every day to check progress – and if the Client is away we email them a daily report – with photographs if required.
Do they pay extra for your Project Management?
Not as a rule. Circumstances might arise where it could become an issue – say if the building work was so extensive that it lasted for weeks and the Client wanted me to visit the site every day – then we’d have to look at it – but it’s never happened. We’ll always find a solution acceptable to the Client.
So generally there’s no charge for Project Management.
Correct.
Which brings me to another one of your differences. You allow Clients to retain part payment for three whole months after the installation. Why do you do that?
To demonstrate confidence. We invest so much care in each project that we know you’ll be delighted, but you don’t. Not in advance, you can’t. So we like you to live with the results before making your final payment. We also arrange for you to retain ten percent of the costs of building work. If a tap leaks you won’t have to call an emergency plumber. That sort of thing. Nothing dramatic ever happens, but it’s reassuring for you as the Client.
I can see that. I must say that the whole package makes enormous sense. Finally can we talk about the prices and quality of your furniture. I’m thinking about some of the names at the top end of the market. I can see that you provide a much more comprehensive service, but how competitive are you on price?
On furniture? We’re very competitive. Ask our Clients.
And what about quality?
Again, ask our Clients. They’ll tell you that our quality is second to none, and we know it’s true.
So you’re claiming better quality at very competitive prices. How does that work? Most people would find it hard to believe.
It’s not really so surprising. Size matters with kitchens. A big company needs big numbers to feed their factory and to meet overheads. We’re a niche company. Ours is a very personal business employing a handful of talented and experienced people. The huge amount of time we invest in our Clients would be ruinous for a big company. They couldn’t afford to provide our level of service. They know that as well as we do. So we co-exist in different sectors of the market.
Okay, one last question. I’m fascinated by your Clients because I happen to know you’ve designed for some very well known people. As a matter of fact that’s what led me to think you’d be expensive.
I hope you’ve changed your mind. We save our Clients money, as I’m sure they’d confirm if you asked them. And just because someone is well known doesn’t mean they don’t expect value for money. They do, and quite rightly so.
So they’re very demanding?
All our Clients are demanding. I’m demanding. If you don’t care what sort of kitchen you have, don’t come to us. A lot of our business comes from the professional sector – architects and property developers – and they’re very demanding. And our Private Clients are just the same. They’re not all well known, far from it, except in their own work or professions, but they all expect innovative design, top quality product, an unrivalled level of service and value for money. That’s what we provide.
Well, I’ve spoken to some of your Clients and they all sing your praises.
That’s kind of them. After twenty years I must be doing something right. I always was a quick learner. But I sing their praises as well. We’ve never had a bad client.
For more information on Mike Taylor or his custom built luxury kitchens please call 0207 808 0122
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