Majjie's Blog

I went to the Grand Designs Live show at the NEC last Sunday; the last day that it was on. There was lots of lovely stuff there, but I restricted myself to looking mostly at the kitchens.

There were a few big name stands, notably: Poggenpohl, Mark Wilkinson and Edwin Loxley. And a few more, like Charles York and Rational were represented by retailers. It was the smaller independent companies I was more interested in, though.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot that I admire about the big names. Mark Wilkinson is, of course, almost a legend in the industry and Joe Cavani, founder of Edwin Loxley, had everyone talking about the quality of his kitchens when he first exhibited at a trade show (... a few years ago now). Have a look at this walnut larder from Edwin Loxley, which they had on the stand at the NEC:

It's beautiful to look at and beautifully designed, with some fashionable curves ... but I believe it would cost you around £14,000 ... and I don't believe that's real burr walnut. Some people would expect a couple of kitchens for that price ... not just a larder ... however beautiful.

I'd never seen a Mark Wilkinson kitchen in the flesh before ... they don't tend to go to trade shows ... and I was truly impressed with the quality but, the prices would, if anything, be even higher.

I didn't look at the Poggenpohl displays. There was a time when, if you wanted sleek modern looks, you had to go to a German manufacturer, or an Italian one, but these days you can get the same look from a UK made kitchen. There's a lot to be said for German engineering but ... through companies like Blum, Hettich and Hafele (although Blum originated in Austria, not Germany) the same fittings are now available worldwide.

There is obviously a market for very upmarket, very pricey, designer kitchens ... and a certain cachet in saying that you've bought one. For us ordinary folk, though, the excitement in looking at their kitchen displays is to see what the trends are and get new ideas. I think it's a great shame (although possibly quite understandable) that Mark Wilkinson (the business, rather than him in person) pursues anyone who tries to copy their designs ... and takes them to court. They obviously believe that if you can't afford to pay for a big name kitchen you shouldn't benefit from their ideas. I think a legend should be a bit more philanthropic (although it's easy for me to say that, I know).

So, anyway, what were the new ideas and trends? Well, I have to say, I didn't notice any! There were a lot of wild woodgrains and some walnut (although less high gloss woodgrain than at previous shows I've been to). There was quite a bit of more rustic looking oak ... a lot of plain coloured, high gloss, handleless doors ... and a lot of curves.

The only new aspect, that I noticed, was that the lighting was very innovative. LED lights that changed colour, lights that came on when you opened drawers and lights under the shelves in larders. Perhaps lighting is the new black (or should that be stainless steel) for kitchens.

I was hoping to see Mark Wilkinson's new Shan Gara kitchen range. It was supposed to exemplify a new oriental influence in interior design ... but it wasn't there. Perhaps a Grand Designs Live show isn't the right place to look for style innovations. It was a showcase for the general public and a lot of them (you) are more interested in tried and tested designs. The next trade show is the KBB show at the NEC in March next year ... I'll look out for new ideas there and keep you posted ... I know the new Warendorf kitchens designed by Phillipe Starck (that I was talking about the other day) will be there. Perhaps they will have grown on me by then.

In the meantime, I'll tell you about the more mainstream suppliers at the Grand Designs Live show ... the ones  that did impress me ... in further blogs over the next week or so.