
kbbreview Rising Star: February
We’ve teamed up with Blum to find the upcoming stars of kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom retail. Meet this month’s Rising Star Sonny Upton, lead maker at Shape London, who gets a buzz from turning raw materials into dream kitchens
Sonny Upton always knew he would end up taking a more practical, hands-on career route, but until he left school, and an opportunity came up with a furniture restoration company, he didn’t really know how that would pan out.
“I’ve definitely always wanted to work with my hands – using machinery and tools – but, until I got a job working for a furniture restoration company, I didn’t really know what that would look like,” he explains. “Until then, it had never actually occurred to me that working with wood to make kitchens could be a career. But, after working for a couple of years, I had the opportunity to join Shape London, where I’ve been making bespoke kitchens for eight years now.”
Like most creatives, although he respects the entire process, the real buzz for Upton comes when the finished product is complete. “I enjoy taking the raw materials and gradually turning them into a bespoke kitchen, he says. “We dry fit everything in the workshop before it’s fitted in a client’s home and it’s just so satisfying seeing how we’ve taken a concept and turned into a kitchen that could well be in someone’s home for decades.
“I did do a kitchen installation just before Christmas and that was my first proper start-to-finish job – it was great seeing it as a finished product.”
Bespoke kitchen and joinery firm Shape London was founded in 2016 and Upton is one of the longest-serving members of staff, second only to the company’s founders.
As lead maker Upton not only has an integral role on the production side of the business but, despite being younger than the rest of the manufacturing team, he also takes an active role in educating and developing other employees. In his nomination for this award, Mary Williams operations manager, Shape London, describes his development over the past eight years as “truly phenomenal”.
That is some endorsement. But what does the future hold for Upton?
“Honestly, I’m not looking that far ahead right now,” he says. “This is what I know, and I really enjoy it, so I definitely will be staying in the industry. For now, I’m just going to continue to focus on improving myself and the way I work.”
Do you know a Rising Star?
We’ve teamed up with Blum to find the upcoming stars of kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom retail.
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]