Feature Image Credit: iStock.com // hoangpts

I’ve always believed our role is to understand today’s market and then to respond within our designs – no matter the setting, location, or circumstance. 

So long as a strong visual direction is established, a concept can be discussed, planned, and built upon without the need for lots of physical displays all under one roof. 

In response to that, Et Lorem has recently made the decision to completely evolve the way we operate by closing the doors to our Reading studio to create a more focused model for how our teams collaborate with brand partners, deliver bespoke projects, and client orientation. 

We’ll still continue to welcome clients through our Beaconsfield studio, but the biggest change for us is that the relationship now starts long before a client walks into a showroom. 

People arrive with ideas, images and a much clearer sense of how they want their home to look and feel. Our role is to listen to that, understand the architecture of the property and the way they live, and then bring those things together.

Don’t get me wrong, physical samples and displays still remain an important part of the overall design process, particularly when clients want to experience the quality, texture and detail of a material. But they are now one part of a much broader design journey. CGI, digital communication, home visits and collaborative meetings mean we can explore an idea before a client ever needs to stand in front of a particular display.

Putting our clients’ needs, personal aspirations, and project aims at the centre of all company operations means our experts can now routinely adopt a hybrid design approach that combines physical retail, virtual touchpoints, and at-home experiences.  I truly believe that this new model gives our team greater flexibility to meet clients in the place that makes most sense for their project.

Evolving market

Over the last few years, the way people discover, research, and make decisions about their homes has evolved considerably. When we opened Reading in 2021, the traditional showroom played a much bigger role in discovery. But today, clients often arrive having already explored hundreds of ideas online through Instagram, Pinterest, interiors websites and increasingly AI. In fact, they may already know the specific colours, materials or atmosphere they are drawn to.

In that case, what they really need from a designer is interpretation. A saved image might be the starting point for them, but it doesn’t tell us how that idea should respond to the architecture of their home, how the space needs to function or how they want it to feel when they live in it.

That has massively changed what we believe a design studio should do. We don’t need to try to show every possible kitchen. We need to show enough to demonstrate quality, materials and craftsmanship, and then create an environment where a much broader conversation can happen.

In many ways, I think the increase in digital inspiration has actually made the role of the designer much more important. Our job is to edit, interpret and turn that inspiration into a space that belongs to the client and their home.

We’ve also decided to keep our Beaconsfield showroom open because we absolutely still believe in physical design spaces. But what has changed is the role they play.

Beaconsfield gives us a beautiful environment where clients can sit with our designers, experience materials and craftsmanship, and have that important face to face conversation. We don’t see digital and physical experiences competing. 

Reading has played an incredibly important part in the Et Lorem story, but as the business has grown, we have learnt more about how and where our clients want to work with us. 

With a new head office and a presence in some selected partner locations, it means the business is no longer centred around having multiple conventional kitchen showrooms. Instead, we have different spaces serving different purposes, supported by home visits and digital collaboration.

For me, hybrid retail isn’t about replacing the showroom at all. It’s about giving clients more ways to engage with us and making sure each part of the experience adds something meaningful.