The shortlist has been announced for the 2016 kbbreview Retail & Design Awards.
The awards event, which is now in its 22nd year, is widely seen as the most prestigious in the kitchen and bathroom industry and rewards the best retailers and individual designers in the UK and Ireland.
And this year, there is a clear Scottish shift in the retail shortlist. Kitchens by JS Geddes in Kilmarnock and Kitchens International in Aberdeen are up against Reflections Studio in the Midlands and Diane Berry Kitchens in Manchester for the Kitchen Retailer of the Year.
The Scottish theme continues even more in the Bathroom Retailer of the Year category as The Bathroom Company in Perth, Napier Bathrooms & Interiors in Edinburgh and Victor Paris Bathrooms, also in Edinburgh are all up for the title alongside TileStyle in Dublin.
In the kitchen design categories, Julie Chan from Jack Trench in North London has secured a double nomination by appearing on the shortlist for both ‘Kitchen Designer of the Year: project cost over £50,000’ and ‘Kitchen Designer of the Year: project cost £30,000 – £50,000’ categories.
And in the bathroom design awards, Timothy Baber from Yellow Duck Interiors in Bristol and Rene Dekker from his eponymous design company are also double nominees. In the ‘Bathroom Designer of the Year: project cost £10,000 – £25,000’ category finalists Zoe Curtis and Sara Foster will be very familiar with each others’ work as they’re both with Taylor’s Etc in Cardiff.
The winners will be announced at a gala black tie event on March 7, 2016 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole alongside the kbb Birmingham exhibition at the NEC. Each finalist receives two complementary seats at the event.
“This is a fantastic line up of finalists for our awards,” said kbbreview editor Tim Wallace. “We had 30% more entries than the 2015 awards, and that was a record breaker! It’s a phenomenal validation of just how highly regarded the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards are and how proud these finalists should be to get this far.
“Good luck to them all and we’ll see you in March.”
The shortlist is just the first stage of the extensive judging process. In the design categories, the finalists now come to the RIBA headquarters in London on February 3rd to present their designs to the judging panel in person.
In the retail categories, judges will personally visit the shortlisted showrooms to explore and understand the businesses up close.
No other awards in the KBB industry operate such a comprehensive judging process.
For more information on the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards event, including how to book seats and tables go to www.kbbreview.com/awards
THE KBBREVIEW RETAIL & DESIGN AWARDS FINALISTS 2016
KITCHEN RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Neff
Diane Berry Kitchens, Manchester
Kitchens by JS Geddes, Kilmarnock
Kitchens International, Aberdeen
Reflections Studio, Dorridge
BATHROOM RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Ideal Standard
The Bathroom Company, Perth
Napier Bathrooms & Interiors, Edinburgh
TileStyle, Dublin
Victor Paris Bathrooms, Edinburgh
KITCHEN SHOWROOM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by InSinkErator
Art House Creative Interiors, Alderley Edge
Norman Glenn, London
Ulmo, Blackpool
Kitchens International, Aberdeen
BATHROOM SHOWROOM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Roca & Laufen
The Bathroom Company, Perth
Napier Bathrooms & Interiors, Edinburgh
TileStyle, Dublin
Victor Paris Bathrooms, Edinburgh
KITCHEN CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Blanco
Kitchen Company, Taunton
Harvey & Wade, Taunton
Scammell Interiors, York
Two Guys Kitchens & Bathrooms, Basingstoke
BATHROOM CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THE YEAR
Zest Bathrooms, Chester
New Image, Weymouth
Bathroom Elegance, Poole
Archway Bathrooms, Coventry
KITCHEN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – Project cost over £50,000
Sponsored by Miele
Andrew Hall, Woodstock Furniture
Matt Podesta, Podesta
Martin Smith, Holloways of Ludlow
Julie Chan, Jack Trench
BATHROOM DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – Project cost over £25,000
Sponsored by Keramag Design
Timothy Baber, Yellow Duck Interiors
Martin Hammond and Richard Fox, Ripples Solihull
Siobhan Scott, Ripples Tunbridge Wells
Rene Dekker, Rene Dekker Design
KITCHEN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – Project cost £30,000 – £50,000
Sponsored by AEG
Julie Chan, Jack Trench
Richard McGee, Holloways of Ludlow
Khan Stevens, Parker Kitchens
Diane Berry, Diane Berry Kitchens
BATHROOM DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – project cost £10,000 – £25,000
Zoe Curtis, Taylor’s Etc Design
Sara Foster, Taylor’s Etc Design
Rene Dekker, Rene Dekker Design
Justin Le Tissier, Luxioso
KITCHEN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – project cost up to £30,000
Victoria Hudson, C&C Kitchens
Mark Newbery, Sapphire Spaces
Jonathan Ames, formerly of Brandt Kitchens
Emily Burton, Reflections Studio
BATHROOM DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – project cost up to £10,000
Timothy Baber, Yellow Duck Interiors
Pippa Paton, Pippa Paton Designs
Shane Fraser, Stone & Chrome
Dorian Bowen, Project One
KITCHEN PRODUCT INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Compusoft
Axor Citterio – Select Kitchen Mixers
Corian – Charging Surface
Elica – Cyclone cooker hood
Hoover – Wizard Wi-Fi
Krieder – Parisian kitchen
Miele – DGM 6800 Steam Oven with Microwave
BATHROOM PRODUCT INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
Geberit – AquaClean Mera shower toilet
Kaldewei – Skin Touch
Methven – The Auraje Aio
Roman – Decem Expressions
Teuco – Pret-à-Porter walk-in bath/shower
Tissino – Intelligente Series Digital Shower system