When you look at associated industries to ours you will find it is common practice to charge for design services. Interior designers wouldn't dream of offering their creativity for free, architects are guided by RIBA as to what their fees are, even the landscaping business makes a charge for design work.

Why is it then that our industry, in the main, makes no charge for its professional design service?

There are some, of course, who recognise their worth and charge anything from £50 - £300 to design a kitchen or bathroom for their client's. Some refund this against an order. If the whole industry would adopt this principal, as they have for the best part in the US, would it not have a positive effect on the profile of kitchen and bathroom retailing?

It would mean of course that the staff employed by studios would have to be able to design to a higher level than the "boxes on walls" principals adopted by certain sectors of our industry.

Who knows, this may even have the effect of encouraging bright new stars into kitchen and bathroom design who don't currently see it as an option as they feel it is not a "serious" enough career choice. Perhaps in some cases the retailer is not confident enough that his designer's have the ability that justifies him making a charge. These then, it could be argued, would be the perfect candidates for further training with bodies like the NTG.

Colin Seaton, CRS Agencies

letters@kbbreview.com