Kitchen Matters, Grafton Retail Park

I have often complained about trying to find showrooms on labyrinthine trading estates with illogical layouts and a lack of signs.
This was not a problem in Milton Keynes. Designed on a grid system, it was easy to find my way round and every road, roundabout and trading estate was clearly labelled. So I bowled up at Kitchen Matters, on a small retail park, in a particularly good mood, further enhanced on entering this gleaming Leicht specialist.
Precise displays in horizontal wood grain and glossy lacquer shone under myriad spotlights. Polished floor tiles and acres of quartz worktop added to the pristine effect. Amol showed me upstairs to view a further selection of doors and when I expressed an interest in a particular finish, he instantly conjured up images of a recent kitchen installation on his iPad. He pointed out various design challenges he had managed to overcome and extolled the skills of his fitter. What about combining two doors in the same kitchen? Again, Amol had images at his fingertips to illustrate the options.

SERVICE: 5 SHOWROOM: 4    TOTAL: 9/10
Smart showroom and intelligent service

Stadium Studios, Drew Court

Five minutes and five roundabouts later, I was at Stadium Studios, on a small trading estate and between two Howdens joinery units.
Jane called out "give me a shout if you need any help and if you're interested in bathrooms, there are displays upstairs."
I wandered round the displays of Omega and Charles Rennie Mackintosh kitchens on the ground floor, which were neatly presented and then moved upstairs to Roca, Ideal Standard and Vitra. This floor was obviously undergoing a refit, as walls were half-painted and displays incomplete. There wasn't much to look at and what there was was cluttered with boxes and brochure dispensers that had been moved from elsewhere. Natural light flooded in from the skylight making this upper floor pleasantly bright.
Back downstairs, I found Jane, who didn't mention the disarray of the top floor, but she was friendly and helpful, introducing me to her son Chris and sorting out a couple of brochures for me. "Get an idea of what you like and we can come out and see what's possible."

SERVICE: 3 SHOWROOM: 3    TOTAL: 6/10
Friendly service but the showroom was messy

Lima Kitchens, Darin Court

Back in the car for another five-minute drive round a further 10 roundabouts to another small trading estate (do you see a pattern emerging?), where the lime-green sign for Lima Kitchens was easy to spot.
The showroom seemed small with a rack of door samples and a white kitchen with powder blue Corian tops. But Elizabeth immediately got up from her desk when I entered and explained that there was more to see. And indeed there was. We walked through to the back of the unit, passing a black gloss design with red glass splashback, a curved zebrano kitchen and a children's play table.
Elizabeth was friendly and helpful explaining the first step would be a home visit: "It'll take about 45 minutes. I'll look at your kitchen and we can have a chat about what you would like. Then I'll pull a few ideas together. Don't worry if you hate it, because we can play around with different finishes until you get exactly what you want." On the way out, Elizabeth pointed out photographs of installations carried out by Lima and opened a couple of units to show the internal fittings.

SERVICE: 4 SHOWROOM: 3    TOTAL: 7/10
Pleasant showroom and service

Kensworth, Alston Drive

Back in the car, short drive, more roundabouts. Kensworth was on a neatly-regimented trading estate, each unit clearly numbered with plenty of parking outside.
The grey-metal, windowless unit didn't look exactly welcoming, but once inside the space seemed to grow Tardis-like to house a warren of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom displays. I focused on the bathrooms.
Wandering from one busy display to the next, I came across a peach-coloured corner bath with flounced shower curtains. I turned a corner and found a stone-effect basin balanced on carved sphinx legs. These decorative items might not be to everyone's taste, but there was also mainstream Ideal Standard.
Back at reception, I got chatting to Liz: "Come in on Saturday and my husband Ron can look at your plans. After that, he will come out and have a proper look for himself and do you some 3D designs. It's a free service, but Ron likes to do the job properly."

SERVICE: 3 SHOWROOM: 3    TOTAL: 6/10
A friendly, colourful showroom

Koncept Interiors, St James Street

This showroom was on the edge of Milton Keynes, not on a trading estate nor a shiny new retail park. In fact, it was in an old redbrick Victorian school.
I had called ahead to check opening times and James had explained that they were undergoing a major refurbishment. "There isn't much to see," he said. "But please call in anyway and we can have a chat about what you are looking for."
James wasn't joking about the refurb, there really was nothing to see apart from rubble. So we talked about my requirements, flicked through Omega and Burbidge brochures, rummaged through worktop samples and looked at images of some actual installations.
James was a charming salesman - friendly and relaxed. By the end of our session, he had found out a lot about me and I felt confident Koncept would do a good job.

SERVICE: 5 SHOWROOM: 0    TOTAL: 5/10
Who needs a showroom with service this good

Bathworks, Alston Drive

Bathworks was on the same trading estate as Kensworth, but that was where the similarity ended.
Where Kensworth was a Spanish fiesta of colourful frills and flounces, Bathworks was the epitome of German cool.
Duravit was the dominant brand, with sleek wall-hung basins and toilets set against large-scale tiles in shades of cappuccino through to chestnut brown. Neatly-typed notices on Bathworks headed notepaper detailed the items in each display and their prices. The floor space had been neatly broken up with full-height walls to reflect the small bathrooms of the average Milton Keynes property. These displays demonstrated what could be achieved in a small space with wall-hung storage, towel radiators and over-bath showers.
Richard suggested I bring in a floor plan. "We will do a couple of layouts to give you an idea of the options. Everything you see is available in a variety of sizes, so we can always make it work. If you want us to fit the bathroom, we will bring an installer out to check the plumbing before we start." I asked about tiling and was reassured that it would be done to the same excellent standards as in the showroom.

SERVICE: 3 SHOWROOM: 4    TOTAL: 7/10
A professional set up

WINNER'S PROFILE: Kitchen Matters

Amol Karnik has been selling kitchens since 2006, initially as an In-toto franchise and then two years ago setting up as an independent
"I felt it was time, and that we would be able to offer a better product at a more competitive price," he says. The product he chose was Leicht contemporary kitchens from Germany, which represent 90% of his business, with Callerton kitchens as a British alternative. The business has grown and Kitchen Matters now serves customers across a 50-mile radius.
Amol says that although he invests in a small amount of advertising, the majority of his business comes through customer recommendation. "We are friendly, professional and reliable. When we say we are going to do something, we do it," he says. "We pride ourselves on good design and good service."