kbbreview Rising Star

kbbreview Rising Star: August

We’ve teamed up with Blum to find the upcoming stars of kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom retail. Our Rising Star for August is Melissa Halliday, designer at Archispek in East Lothian, who tells us about her vision of success

Listen to the full interview with Melissa using the player below, or go straight to it in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Melissa Halliday became a designer after studying product design at university. The course touched on interiors, which fuelled a passion for designing functional spaces. “The kitchen is central to daily life and the combination of creating a functional space that is also aesthetically pleasing is so rewarding,” she says. “I love the impact you have on a client’s lifestyle by improving their everyday experiences.”

For Halliday, her own positive experience of a collaborative workplace at Archispek is a blueprint for success in the showroom. “We have three designers here and we all bounce ideas off each other and have a collaborative approach to design,” she says. 

Archispek’s showroom manager, Louise Berry, certainly sees Halliday as a valuable team member. Having nominated her colleague for the Rising Star Award, she says: “At 22 years old, Melissa has been able to not only handle a very fast-paced, high-pressure job but has also excelled at the role and provided wonderful kitchen designs while supplying excellent customer service to our clients.”

Of course, happy clients and word-of-mouth business is a fair indicator of success, but Halliday also believes in the value of professional relationships: “We work with a lot of contractors and developers, and I think creating those strong working relationships is a good measure of success for any business.”

With such a positive outlook, what does Halliday wish to achieve within the next ten years? “I would love to become some kind of lead designer, especially if I continue to develop my skills and keep up with trends and innovations.”

Speaking of innovations, what really excites the former product design student about the future are the possibilities of eco-friendly materials and the increasing focus on sustainability. “There’s scope for things to change quite a bit in the kitchen industry,” she says. “This is what I love about being a designer. I have the opportunity to work with new materials and technologies that are constantly changing and evolving.”

Having fresh ideas is one of the reasons why Halliday believes it’s important to nurture new talent in the industry. “By nurturing new talent, you get fresh ideas and approaches,” she explains. “In a place like a design studio, you get unique perspectives that help drive creativity.

“It also ensures a robust pipeline of capable designers are coming through, and who are topped up by existing designers who are trained to create a kind of sustainability in the industry. And a diverse range of skill sets helps bring through multifaceted design solutions, too.”

Listen to the full interview with Melissa using the player above or go straight to it in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

Do you know a Rising Star?

We need YOU to tell us who your Rising Star is – who are the members of your team that you believe stand out as a star of the future in this industry?

THERE ARE ONLY TWO RULES: 

  • They must be currently employed by a retailer – defined as a company that sells direct to the consumer
  • They must be under 30 years of age on March 4, 2025

Other than that, they can perform any job role within your business – admin, design, sales, finance, installation, we don’t mind as long as they’re a star!

Between August 2024 and March 2025, we’ll be picking a monthly Rising Star to feature in the magazine, online, and podcast. Those eight monthly winners then become the shortlist for the overall winner which will be revealed at the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 in April.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SEND US:

  • A clear high-resolution head-and-shoulders picture of them (taken with your phone on normal settings is fine)
  • Their full name and job title
  • Up to 500 words telling us why they’re your Rising Star
  • Your full name and job title

And don’t worry, if you qualify and want to nominate yourself then that’s fine too.

This is a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of your business and the talent within it. It’s a great chance to let your people know how much you value them and believe in their contribution. It’s also a way of demonstrating to the wider industry just what can be achieved if you take the time to nurture raw talent.

Email your nominations to: 

[email protected]

 

 

Home > Risingstar > kbbreview Rising Star: August