There is no doubt that the world has changed dramatically over the past 18 months. Working in the design industry in and around London for the last five years has been an exciting time, it seemed that people couldn't develop, extend or redesign their homes quickly enough. The buzz was heady and deafening.

Home owners knew all too well that by the time their beautiful new extension or redevelopment had cleared the planning stage the value of their home had already risen past their initial outlay and that once the designer kitchens and bathrooms were installed the property would without question be worth far more than the spend.

Many small, design led companies thrived on this massive demand for beauty and new showrooms sprouted out of the small tree lined high streets of the more affluent neighbourhoods of London offering high brow Italian and German brand kitchens and bathrooms. Subsequently the many large name high street giants caught onto the idea of a more design-led approach to selling their products as well as a keen eye for soft close doors, clever storage solutions and high gloss lacquers in shades of Mocha and Cappuccino.

This has undoubtedly left these larger companies in a very strong and competitive position. As the financial market turns downward the general public are not giving up their hard earned cash so readily. They may still have money to spend on their homes and of course want beautiful things but are far more willing to search out a real bargain.

So is it the end of small design companies and the takeover of mass manufacturers with cheaply produced design copies and the death of innovation and progress?

Perhaps not, in a quirky turn around I believe that the housing market slow down will re-establish a connection with a more personal design process. Rather than buying a property with one eye on its development potential and re-sale value, I am finding that people are still developing their properties but into homes for themselves, homes that they may spend the next three, four or five years living in. This need for a more family oriented space is leading to interiors that are beautifully designed with care to a client's every requirement with exquisitely engineered furniture using hand crafted materials and finishes and a firm eye on attention to detail and service.

Interior and kitchen design is changing to a slower moving, quieter place where clients are in no rush to have this week's fashions, fitted in a heartbeat and the property put back on the market within a year. They are looking for a more deliberated, considered design which may incorporate more personal requirements and tastes. A design that they and their families intend to use and love and spend time in that has been designed especially for them and hand made by a manufacturer with provenance and a truly bespoke product.

 I think this pause in the mayhem of London's hunger for fast design and profit will prove to be a time when kitchen design, in fact all design from architecture through interiors to furniture becomes more personal. Better thought through designs will be manufactured with quality materials and a real eye for detail not only for designs that use traditional cues but for cutting edge, crisp, modern designs also. This could be a rebalance of focus towards a more organic approach to interiors with the emphasis on quality, locally sourced bespoke furniture, designed with time and care to each clients individual needs and time for true artisans to flourish.

Perhaps the universe is unfolding as it should

Matt Chambers, freelance kitchen designer and interior architect

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