The KBB industry is populated by those who specialise in kitchen or bathroom design and those who look to cover both. But how many people would regard themselves as both a competent kitchen AND bathroom designer? What does it take to be skilled in both? Toby Griffin investigates…
Even if you are not into cricket, you’ll have probably heard of Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Imran Khan. What’s the connection between these great players? They are all regarded as among the best ‘all-rounders’ to have ever played the game.
All-rounders are often criticised as being a ‘Jack-of-all-trades’ and ‘master of none’, but that proverb goes on to say that this is ‘oftentimes better than a master of one’.
So, within our vast, diverse industry – spanning design, sales, surveying, product specification, project management, operations, supply, manufacturing, installation, and more – is it possible to be a KBB master and expert right across the industry? What skills bridge between specialisms? Do high professional standards require specialism? Or is there just too much for one person to learn?
To begin with, it’s worth understanding what the term ‘specialist’ actually means.
“The term to me means someone who knows exactly what to do,” explains Verena Lindemann, product development manager at German kitchen manufacturer Pronorm. “A person with experience in whatever their specialist field is. Someone you – as a client or even as a team member – can trust.”
It seems that depth and breadth of understanding is key to the term, with Jac Sanderson, warranty coordinator at Wren Kitchens stating: “To me, a specialist is a person who is highly skilled in all aspects of our industry. Someone who has a vast range of knowledge, in both product and installation, that can share this expertise with others.”
To gauge where the good people of our industry see their expertise, I posted a poll on LinkedIn asking “Which area of the KBB industry do you specialise in?” and received the following results: Kitchens 52%, Bathrooms 22%, with a further 20% stating that they specialise in both kitchens and bathrooms.
So, with three-quarters of the industry defining themselves as a kitchen or a bathroom specialist, it begs the question: Can people be a specialist in both fields?
According to Tony Robson, CEO of kitchen and bathroom retailer Day True, yes, they can.
“Each member of our team looks at both kitchens and bathrooms,” he says. “Hayley Robson [creative director] is a great example of someone that is an expert in both…and I would say I am too, because I have always taken a keen interest in being up-to-date with trends and innovation.”
Looking at this topic from a fitter’s perspective, Paul Miles, managing director of Ace Plumbing and Heating, says: “I have in-depth knowledge and the skills in plumbing, electrical, tiling and carpentry, so I would argue I am a specialist in the KBB industry.”
But even for those that work on, or ‘specialise’ in, kitchens and bathrooms, do they have their heart in one?
According to freelance kitchen designer Mary Plumley, “even with those that cover both fields, I’ve always found that they lean towards one or the other”. This sentiment is echoed by Day True’s Tony Robson, who adds: “To find people in the industry who are multi-disciplined is harder, as they are normally one or the other.”
But are times changing with greater cross-pollination between rooms?
“Through expert knowledge and problem-solving creative design, many of our partners have studios that supply both kitchens and bathrooms fantastically well,” explains Ryan Smith, head of residential worktop sales at Formica. “We are increasingly seeing commercial and residential trends blending.”
Lindemann from Pronorm concurs, stating: “Why not have your bathroom designed with the same materials and the same standard as your kitchen? The rooms in a house or an apartment are merging more and more now, so for me that makes sense.”
So why don’t more salespeople and designers look to branch out of their areas of expertise into adjoining parts of the KBB industry? Freelance kitchen designer, Plumley explains: “I would be reluctant to design a bathroom with any confidence as I don’t feel that I have enough plumbing knowledge. Surveying is also more important in bathroom design. There are transferable skills, but the product knowledge rarely crosses over. And, as we know, it is often even the tiniest details that can make or break a smooth installation.”
It also seems that it can be a matter of once bitten twice shy, as director of Portrait Kitchens Mitchell Burton adds: “Although we’ve never done bathrooms as a company, I have personally. I had a couple of bad experiences early on and backed away from bathrooms to specialise in kitchens.”
It seems though that a learning curve can eventually bring benefits. Dave Roland, managing director of the Long Eaton Appliance Company, tells the story of the introduction and subsequent development of kitchen sales at his company: “Despite being an established appliances retailer, when we ventured into kitchens, I was reluctant to be involved for the first three or four years, and we had a lot of issues with customers. But we learned through those experiences, and I took more control as
I became more familiar, although I wasn’t comfortable and confident with kitchens until five or 10 years had passed”.
So, it can be intimidating to move into new fields within the industry, but do client requests sometimes force one’s hand? Showroom and design manager at Halcyon Interiors, Graham Robinson, reveals: “Although we only do kitchens, some of our customers ask for bedrooms, and help with elements of a bathroom project, such as sourcing a solid-surface worktop, or a tap, which we are willing to take on.”
Diversify
Nevertheless – in challenging times – it can be good to have a diverse offering. Ace Plumbing’s Miles keeps his offering flexible, stating: “We don’t do many bedrooms, but we will if asked. We have also done a few complete home renovations, and I am always up for a challenge.”
To look at why people either tend to stay within a profession/skill/area, or look to branch out, it is worth considering the theory of the Comfort Zone, as developed by psychologists Robert M Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson (see diagram).
The ‘Comfort Zone’ is a state in which your ability and skills match the degree of challenge in a situation or activity. You’re fully in control of the situation and the tasks it involves.
Over time, with repeated practice, you may also develop mastery in specific skills. This combination of being familiar with a situation and knowing how to handle it creates a feeling of psychological safety.
The ‘Growth Zone’ is a state in which the degree of challenge in a situation or activity slightly exceeds your ability to handle it. This shift in balance creates a mild tension, making you feel alert and a bit nervous at the same time. The marginal gap between your abilities and the degree of difficulty can be an opportunity for you to move outside the comfort zone and grow. This zone is considered ideal for new learning to take place, especially with the right guidance and support.
The ‘Stress Zone’ is a state in which the degree of challenge in a situation or activity far exceeds your ability to handle it effectively. This can throw you off balance into a state of anxiety, fear, and self-doubt. This zone is therefore considered least conducive to new learning and growth.
According to the law, performance increases with physiological or mental arousal or stress, but only up to a point, as when the stress becomes too high, performance decreases.
But stretching experience and knowledge may not just be a case of expanding into other or all rooms within a home, but also up and down the price and budget points in our sector.
Plumley certainly believes so, stating that at the “lower end of the market it would be easier to cover both kitchens and bathrooms, as these outlets generally have very small product ranges, and therefore there isn’t too much to learn”.
Creative space
Surely then the smaller numbers and complexity of product knowledge would make things easier, but it seems that the creative space at the middle-to-high end of the market is really valued by many who work within it.
Plumley continues: “I don’t think that I could work at the lower-end as I’d miss the time available on design, and the time I can spend hand-holding clients through the design and fit stages”. Portrait Kitchens’ Burton agrees: “I have worked at the lower end of the market, but I didn’t like the restrictions.”
But there are a number of product categories that fundamentally cross between sections of the industry – those that ply their trade in tiles, worktops, flooring and lighting to name a few. Many cabinetry manufacturers supply across the board (pardon the pun), with Sheridan stating: “We are a ‘furniture specialist’ first and foremost, that supplies for kitchens, bathroom, and bedrooms.”
There are those specialist support professions that work among the industry in fields such as
training, accountancy, recruitment, and legal support, many of which would consider themselves as KBB specialists.
So, what of the professions that feed into our industry, and how do we deal with their lack of specialism in KBB? Burton says: “A lot of our work comes through architects and interior designers, who offer the outline, palette, materials, and we make sure that it will all work.”
It’s not all plain sailing, though, as he goes on to explain: “Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of experiences where architects and interior designers think that they are experts at room design, but they are not.”
Nevertheless, there can be positives, as Burton continues: “Having an interior designer on board can bring a cohesive feel across the whole property.” But Plumley finds “most architects’ and interior designers’ drawings/renders are very conceptual, and avoid detail”, while Robinson understands this, adding that “the best ones we deal with acknowledge that we are the specialists”.
And so just as opinion would be split over the greatest cricketer of all time, deciding whether it is best to be a specialist or an ‘all-rounder’ in our industry is a matter of circumstance, need and opinion.