The key kitchen design difference

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In the first of our new Meet the Designers series, we talk to Michelle Pickstock, Senior Design Consultant at Callerton Kitchens & Interiors.

Michelle has worked for Callerton Kitchens for around 11 years, delivering hundreds of kitchen designs for homes across North East England. We caught up with her during a rare break to find out what she loves about her job – and what keeps her inspired.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I enjoy all aspects of the job, but by far my favourite moment is when we surprise and delight a client. I always listen to what the customer wants, then set myself a goal of exceeding their expectations. We get a real buzz out of going beyond what they hope for in a kitchen, to give them what they dreamed of instead.

What aspect of the design process are most clients unaware of?

This varies significantly from client to client – there can be huge differences in their experiences. One that does crop up quite often is when we get a new customer who has previously bought a kitchen from one of the “big shed” retailers. They are often surprised at how much freedom we can offer them.

The bigger retailers don’t tend to have what we would class as proper designers – they are sales teams trained to use a software platform that builds a kitchen using cabinets and worktops with set dimensions. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can be quite restrictive if your kitchen isn’t the right size or shape for that building block approach.

True design means starting from a blank canvas and delivering the kitchen the client wants, rather than trying to shoehorn and off-the-shelf design into their kitchen space.

How do you stay inspired? And where do you find new inspiration?

One of the best sources of inspiration is always the client! It’s a real pleasure to work with customers who are bursting with ideas. Another element of my job is to keep on top of trends, so I do extensive research across a variety of media. I do enjoy visiting kitchen trade shows to see new products – and of course keep up to date with trends via social media and the trade press.

What is a design trend you’re excited about right now?

A really exciting trend right now is the transition away from dark greys and blues and more neutral colours. They have dominated for a few years, whereas now we are definitely seeing more creative use of the colour palette, particularly pastels for furniture.

Complementing this is the move away from safe and perhaps unexciting worktops to stronger and bolder patterns. Together they are reinvigorating kitchen design, giving us designers a wonderful new tool kit we can play with!

Where can I find out more?

To find out more about how Callerton Kitchens can deliver your dream kitchen, talk to us. Alternatively call into our showrooms in Newcastle and Berwick for a friendly chat.


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