If you were to walk into Concept Interiors’ new Sheffield showroom, you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s the launch of a brand-new business. In reality, the company’s roots run deep.

Founded more than four decades ago by company director Kieron Eyre’s uncle as a traditional furniture manufacturer, it has steadily grown into a dual-purpose operation – factory and premium retail showroom combined under one roof.

“We’ve been going for 40-odd years now,” Eyre says. “My uncle set the company up and we’ve traded for the majority of that time under traditional furniture manufacturing.”

Eyre joined 15 years ago and now handles design, sales, marketing and the running of the retail arm. That arm – Concept Interiors – was officially created in 2015 when the business split into its trade manufacturing operation and a new consumer-facing brand.

“The first major investment came a year later with the addition of a 70-plus sq m extension. But the transformation that now defines the business began three years ago, when the team took on a far more ambitious project.

“We dug the wasteland out and built a purpose-built showroom,” Eyre says. The resulting facility, created entirely in-house – right down to the windows and doors manufactured in the factory below the showroom – represents a £500,000 investment.”

The business held its grand opening just a couple of months ago. “We’ve built a real state-of-the-art and stunning kitchen showroom, which is probably the biggest independent kitchen showroom in the area.”

Designed to feel like home

The new space sits across multiple levels, thanks to the unusual plot and the factory beneath. The total footprint (factory and showroom combined) reaches an estimated 16,000-17,000 sq ft.

“If you went from the actual factory base to the top of the showroom, you’d be on four levels,” Eyre says. Parking is tucked beneath the raised extension, adding to the sense of a purpose-built, layered structure.

Inside, the focus is on openness and authenticity. “When you walk in here, it feels really warm, cosy and home-like,” Eyre explains. “I try to avoid small, pokey displays with studded walls everywhere.” Instead, spaces are presented close to the sizes customers might install in their own homes, giving a sense of scale and practicality rather than a curated gallery feel.

The mix of displays reflects the business’s manufacturing strength as well as its partnerships. Three large Rotpunkt kitchen sets sit alongside Concept Interiors’ own handmade furniture, which features throughout the rest of the showroom.

Visitors will find bedrooms, a boot room, media walls, a bespoke bar area and numerous lifestyle setups that show how the business’s cabinetry and craftsmanship extend beyond the kitchen. Eyre’s favourite display sits at the top of the building. “We’ve got a big double-island display up at the top,” he says.

“The sheer size, the detail in the cabinetry, the worktops, and you’ve got the pocket door system for a bar area. All your appliances are built into a central area, and then a big cooks’ pantry. That’s the one I find most impressive.”

And because the factory sits directly underneath, clients can follow their showroom tour with a behind-the-scenes look at production. “Our manufacturing plant is here on site,” Eyre says. “They can see the showroom and then also tour the factory where we make all the bespoke product by hand.”

Geared for growth

Concept Interiors is located around 15 minutes from Sheffield city centre, and is close to the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club stadium.

Although the showroom is highly visible, walk-ins are not the focus. “Predominantly it’s by appointment,” Eyre says. “Eighty percent of our business is through either word of mouth or through our website.” As with many independent retailers, the mid-market has softened, but Concept Interiors is enjoying one of its strongest financial years to date. “We’re £250,000 up on last year’s figures,” Eyre says.

That increase comes despite the team simultaneously constructing and fitting out the new showroom entirely in-house. He notes that while enquiry numbers are consistent with recent years, project values have increased, largely driven by more premium clients with larger budgets.

The expanded showroom is already having an impact. “We’ve pulled in two or three really big jobs already, which I think are a direct result of the new facility,” Eyre says.

In terms of offer, Concept Interiors positions itself as a one-stop shop for whole-home projects – manufacturing cabinetry, completing building work, supplying flooring and working with a curated set of appliance and worktop brands.

Looking ahead, further expansion is already being considered. An adjacent listed chapel, owned by the business, could form the next phase. “We’ve built the new showroom with the view and the ability to knock through,” Eyre reveals. “Probably in the next three to five years, that might be something we look to do. It would add a further 15,000 square feet again.”

For a family firm with 40 years of heritage, Concept Interiors is entering its most ambitious chapter yet: scaling its manufacturing roots into a full lifestyle destination built for modern, design-led clients.