Richard Cripps is the owner of Kitchens By Design. He strongly believes in the need for good design in our lives, particularly in a complex, multifunctional space such as the kitchen, and that an important component of any successful kitchen is design itself.
In conversation with Richard on the topic of design, we agree that good design is hard to define (after all, this is the topic of theses, too vast for this article). For someone aiming to ensure their new kitchen is both functionally and aesthetically pleasing, the best option is to use a good designer.
Kitchens By Design, Richard says, offers the expertise of six designers, four of whom are acknowledged with awards as among the best in new Zealand and Australia. “All our designers are professionally qualified, and regularly attend industry events to keep up to date with the latest in materials, appliances, style and ideas.”
While as a client you’ll deal with one designer as your kitchen design concepts are developed, your KBD designer is not working in isolation. “We are a team,” says Richard, "and there is often cross pollination of ideas around a project as the designer works to meet your brief."
Design, he adds, is also about relationships. “A good designer works on building a relationship to find out what motivates and excites each client. Are you a baker? Do you buy in bulk or shop every day? Do the kids help prepare the meals?
“Good design creates something unique. A well-designed kitchen is one that should be a perfect fit for the client – and stand the test of time.” Recent examples of “perfect fits” created by KBD designers include a custom-designed drawer to fit a client’s precious vases, for example.
Good design, Richard says, gives you better use of the space you have in your kitchen, and is all in the planning. The choice of benchtops, colours or door finishes can be subjective, though in a kitchen, as he says, beauty needs to be in the eye of more than one beholder. “The planning is what we bring you. We also bring innovative ideas. Our designers are aware of trends, but are able to discern the difference between a trend and the latest fad.”
Good design need not be expensive. Indeed, in the long run it can offer considerable savings. In a kitchen, Richard points out, the cost of materials (appliances, cabinetry, plumbing, benchtops, lighting…) that goes into a poorly-designed kitchen is the same as goes into a well-designed one. And he has testimonials from Kitchens by Design customers whose custom-designed kitchens are still serving them well decades later.
The initial briefing meetings with your designer may take several hours, and the process to get a kitchen planned may take several weeks of discussion between you and the designer. These meetings allow the designer to consider how you use your kitchen and for you to be aware of options that take into account your lifestyle and use of your kitchen; KBD designers then present concepts that incorporate your requirements and that offer possibilities you may not have initially considered.
The KBD showroom in Takapuna also allows clients and prospective clients to get a sense of some of the possibilities, like bi-fold pantry doors that hide all your appliances but open up to provide an extension of your bench space; electric touch-opening drawers or kitchen bins; or drawers with power points so you can charge cellphones or other small electronic devices near where you are working.
“I think design helps us actually change the way we think about things,” Richard adds. “Great design is not just restricted to what’s on the surface and how it looks. It solves everyday problems. We design drawers to make items easily accessible. We incorporate good lighting design to help you undertake tasks. We use design to shorten the distances to complete tasks. For design to be successful, a designer cannot be just artistic in their approach; they must always have a focus on the customer or user of the product.”
In short, good design is a wonderful mix of imagination and pragmatism, specifically tailored to each situation. “Our designers creatively bring great decorative surfaces, hardware and known planning principles together to create not only beautiful one-off kitchens but kitchens that help bring friends and families together, fuel a passion for cooking or just simply enhance entertaining and socialising.”
“Design should be seen as an important ingredient in any successful kitchen.”
Kitchens By Design, 3 Byron Avenue, Takapuna
www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz 09 4887201
