Finalists - Showroom Award for Kitchens

Dream Design - Dorset

What Dream Design says: “The average value of our kitchens is relatively high so although the displays are exciting in design, they tend to be timeless in terms of finish.”

What the judges say: “The way they mixed non-kitchen and kitchen was excellent. It’s a great mix of features and products.”

Situated out of town, Dream Design’s showroom is made up of several distinct areas so customers can always find a quiet place to discuss their ideas with each other or with one of the consultants.
Dream Designs also retails living and dining furniture so it co-ordinates all the areas into one welcoming whole. The kitchen displays are interspersed with dining or snug areas, giving clients a better feel for how the styles would look at home.
Clients are offered refreshments to encourage them to fully appreciate the showroom and a slideshow of completed projects run continually on several LCD screens positioned throughout the store.

Design House - Dalkey, nr Dublin

What Design House says: “The store is now a showcase for some of the finest handmade furniture incorporating no less than 32 Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances, the majority of which are fully functioning.”

What the judges say: “Visually they have portrayed the showroom really well. There’s an impressive variety of different sized settings and it maintains a great overall ambience. A really nice job.”

Design House was founded in 1996 in the village of Dalkey, a few miles to the south of Dublin, and despite the economic downturn has invested in a new 1,700sq ft showroom refurbishment in conjunction with Sub Zero and Wolf.
The revamp had to cope with uneven floor levels, ducting, utility and lighting issues and the showroom has been transformed as a result. The collaboration with Wolf and Sub- Zero has given birth to the ‘Living Kitchen’ theme showcasing furniture and appliances. It also includes a themed wine area where Design House can host wine tasting events.

Designspace London

What they say: “We pride ourselves in not only ensuring we supply clients with a kitchen they can be proud of but the service we offer throughout the whole process is committed.”

What the judges say: “I liked the fact that they hadn’t put divisions in to separate everything, it’s very wide and open. They have used the architecture around them to full effect.”

Designspace London has been in business for four years and displays Schiffini kitchens from this flagship showroom in Battersea.
Located on an industrial unit that was formerly a dairy works, Designspace has endeavoured to keep the original features including the stunning glass atrium in the centre of the 6,000sq ft showroom - an impressive setting for the contemporary product.
In the past two years, the company has tripled its sales of Schiffini thanks to its stylish approach.

John Nicholls - Banbury

What they say: “We have cooking demonstrations using the live kitchen products, allowing customers to use them before purchasing. We are holding a free oven cooking demonstration in January which will help our data capture and find new customers.”

What the judges say: This is a very commercial showroom. You’ll find a kitchen for most customers in there with a very wide variety of products, both on the traditional and contemporary side. It’s not always easy to pull that off.”

John Nicholls was founded 43 years ago by the eponymous owner and has grown into a well known family business with sons Andrew and Phillip.
The showroom starts with a large open reception area where the customer is guided through to either kitchens or bathrooms. They then pass through rooms dedicated to each supplier’s product - Rational, Sheraton and the bespoke range from Fordbrook.
There are working kitchens where cooking demos take place and a seating area where customers can read a book of thank-you letters.