Do kitchen and bathroom designers sometimes play it too safe when it comes to the architecture of the space?

Is putting a farmhouse-style kitchen in a quaint cottage - or indeed an ultra-contemporary kitchen in a brand new apartment - the path of least resistance?

Is it a designer’s job to challenge these kind of conventions and produce the project that will come up with something that meets the client’s brief but also surprises them, in the best possible way, with something unexpected?

This all came out of a blog written by designer Keith Myers, from The Myers Touch in Winchester. In it he challenges this idea of ‘Safe Design’ and, put simply, asks whether or not your kitchen should match your house. 

So we sat down with Keith to find out more about what he feels ‘safe design’ is, and I roped in another great designer Graham Robinson from Halcyon Interiors based in Wigmore Street in London to get his perspective.

You can get in touch with host Andy Davies via email andrewdavies@taylistmedia.com

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Welcome to Episode 3 or Season 2 of the Kitchen & Bathrooms Design Podcast from Taylist Media.

The ease of the lockdown is turning many people in the kitchen and bathroom retail sector towards  reopening their showrooms and, with that in mind, we thought it was a great time to put out this episode all about showroom design.

Specifically, we’re looking at showroom design that really works not just as a fantastic gallery for products and design, but also as means to pulls in the customer and inspire them to seriously talk about getting you to do their project.

We’ve got some great guests together to talk about this…

Angus Kerr, sales director of The Bathroom Company in Scotland, Jim Gibson, the managing director of Stone & Chrome in Surrey and all the way from Auckland, New Zealand,  Xanthe Whiteley, retail experience designer for Fisher & Paykel 

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Changes in society are blurring the lines between how we live, work and enjoy leisure time and this will become a major driver of kitchen and bathroom design trends.

The ‘Blurred Spaces’ concept says that technology and changing habits mean that design must accommodate all aspects of our lives as they merge into one. 

Other drivers such as an ageing population, concern for the environment and technology are all playing a big part in this blurring and it is affecting the traditional lines many manufacturers have between residential and commercial product development.

In this episode we talk to Nina Bailey, the UK design manager for Formica about this ‘Blurred Spaces’ concept and what it might mean for design going forward.

LINKS

Tense by Panter Tourron

https://pantertourron.com/work/tense/

Hampshire House by Niall McLaughlin

http://www.niallmclaughlin.com/projects/hampshire-house/

Formica Blurred Spaces webinar

https://www.formica.com/en-gb/articles/trends/blurred-spaces-webinar

The kbbreview Podcast

https://kbbrpod.kbbreview.com/

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Welcome to the start of season 2 of the Kitchen & Bathroom Design Podcast and we’re kicking off with a fantastic interview with Adam Thomas.

He’s the UK’s leading expert in what has traditionally always been called accessible design but, as you’ll hear, he is also at the forefront of the drive to redefine that as multi-generational design.

At our kbbreview Retail & Design Awards back at the start of March he received the prestigious Special Achievement Award so he’s the perfect candidate to start our new season.

He’s a fascinating guy and his dedication to his craft comes through very clearly in this conversation but its driven by such a sense of injustice and frustration at the level of design understanding that is available to disabled people.

You can find out more about him at www.adamthomasconsultancy.com

Please don’t forget to subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any episodes, and remember we’ve got over 20 episodes in season one to binge on if you haven’t heard them before.

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It's the end of the first season of the Kitchen & Bathroom Design Podcast! But don't panic, we'll be back at the start of April for season two.

In the meantime, here's our pick of some choice bits from season one looking at an underlying theme of all of our episodes - how top designers get to know their clients.

Talking to such experts across 20-odd episodes has really brought home how much they are teasing, cajoling and managing their clients, and how often they have to be therapists, mind readers and often marriage counsellors to get to the true heart of what they want and need.

So, while we have a couple of weeks off to let everyone catch up, make sure you rate, review and subscribe to ensure you don't miss the start of season two.

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Do the best designs come when there’s full collaboration between designer and client? How do you manage that relationship to everyone’s advantage and make sure that expectations are met and exceeded? And when do you say ‘no’ to clients who think they’re an expert in interior design thanks to Pinterest and Instagram?

It's the last of our special live recordings of the Kitchen & Bathroom Design Podcast at kbb 2020.

Rebecca Nottingham, editor of kbbreview, is in the host's chair with guests Tom Setchell, MD of Rugby Fitted Kitchens; Tom Plant, showroom manager of Porcelanosa Solihull; and Lindsay Blair, editor of Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms

Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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We're taking a little dip into the world of the Smart Home in this, our third special live episode of the podcast from kbb 2020.

In particular, does it give designers new options for creativity and design or is it about using the functionality to help your clients improve the way they use the projects you have designed?

This one is hosted by Andy Davies with Stephen Dick from Residence Interior Design, Rob Mascari from Mascari Kitchens and James Kington - group manager for connected home and digital operations at BSH.

We'll be back tomorrow with our final live episode from kbb 2020 so please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Why don’t more kitchen and bathroom retailers charge design fees? Are they  undervaluing their own skills? Or is it simply too much of a barrier to purchase?

Here’s the second of our special episodes recorded live at kbb 2020 look at this very thorny subject. Elspeth Pridham, editor of Studio, is the host and she’s in discussion with Hayley Robson from DayTrue, Richard Hibbert from KSL Sudbury and Diane Berry from Diane Berry Kitchens.

If you haven’t visited kbb 2020 yet, you’ve got two whole days left so find out everything you need to know at kbb.co.uk.

Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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