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Turning up the Heat: How Kitchen Designers are Adapting to Change
Will people use this quiet time at home to plan their renovations? It's wait and see, say these three kitchen designers
Georgia Madden
5 April 2020
With many would-be renovators stuck indoors and itching for a project right now, could that mean steady business for kitchen designers in the coming months? We spoke with three kitchen designers to find out how they’re faring and what they think is around the corner when the coronavirus abates.
Zesta Kitchens
Toby Walker is the CEO of Zesta Kitchens, a 10-person team working from three showrooms in Melbourne, Victoria.
While enquiries have reduced, it’s still business – although not quite as usual – for Walker. “We are lucky to be a solid Melbourne business – we’ve been in kitchens since 1946 and have manufacturing in Melbourne, so we can continue to design and manufacture clients’ kitchens,” he says. “We have clients who are in the middle of a renovation, ones who are just about to begin and those who urgently need a new kitchen or laundry for their new rental.
“Our business is built around face-to-face design with the client – first displaying our products in the showroom before an in-home kitchen design,” he says. “We’ve introduced strict sanitising in our showrooms and have moved towards private showroom tours – maximum of one group, two people at one time.
“Prior to meeting clients, we ask if they have been overseas or have been in contact with anyone who they know has had the coronavirus, and if they feel well themselves.
“Installers and delivery personnel are wearing gloves and face masks in homes and the delivery company is sanitising their vehicle daily. We’ve organised staff to work remotely and introduced in-home client consultations via Zoom calls.
“We now use the phrase ‘designing differently in these times!’”
Toby Walker is the CEO of Zesta Kitchens, a 10-person team working from three showrooms in Melbourne, Victoria.
While enquiries have reduced, it’s still business – although not quite as usual – for Walker. “We are lucky to be a solid Melbourne business – we’ve been in kitchens since 1946 and have manufacturing in Melbourne, so we can continue to design and manufacture clients’ kitchens,” he says. “We have clients who are in the middle of a renovation, ones who are just about to begin and those who urgently need a new kitchen or laundry for their new rental.
“Our business is built around face-to-face design with the client – first displaying our products in the showroom before an in-home kitchen design,” he says. “We’ve introduced strict sanitising in our showrooms and have moved towards private showroom tours – maximum of one group, two people at one time.
“Prior to meeting clients, we ask if they have been overseas or have been in contact with anyone who they know has had the coronavirus, and if they feel well themselves.
“Installers and delivery personnel are wearing gloves and face masks in homes and the delivery company is sanitising their vehicle daily. We’ve organised staff to work remotely and introduced in-home client consultations via Zoom calls.
“We now use the phrase ‘designing differently in these times!’”
“Our staff have adapted and have been amazing during this crisis. We have never been in a crisis like this and we are in it together,” says Walker.
The new restrictions have necessitated a change to future planning for the business, says Walker. “Our strategic business planning has always been 12 to 18 months, but a more fluid, six-month plan is now required.”
A lot more will go online, too. “The average kitchen and laundry design can take months to get right. Clients can use this time to work with our designers through video calls and we can display our designs via 3D renders. Once the self-isolation period ends, these clients will be the first to complete their renovations,” he says.
Quieter times will also give Walker’s designers an opportunity to upskill and for the team to service their social media community, he says.
The new restrictions have necessitated a change to future planning for the business, says Walker. “Our strategic business planning has always been 12 to 18 months, but a more fluid, six-month plan is now required.”
A lot more will go online, too. “The average kitchen and laundry design can take months to get right. Clients can use this time to work with our designers through video calls and we can display our designs via 3D renders. Once the self-isolation period ends, these clients will be the first to complete their renovations,” he says.
Quieter times will also give Walker’s designers an opportunity to upskill and for the team to service their social media community, he says.
Walker’s advice to other kitchen designers? “Embrace IT – one-on-one conference calls and a good 3D-design software program – so clients can visualise their end renovation during the self-isolation/hibernation phase.
“Support Australian businesses by looking for supply companies in your local area,” he says.
“Times will get tougher, so remember to look after your team and your clients and keep communicating. As a Melbourne family business we have lived and breathed the words ‘no such thing as a problem, only an opportunity’. In this ever-changing environment we just need to find them.”
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“Support Australian businesses by looking for supply companies in your local area,” he says.
“Times will get tougher, so remember to look after your team and your clients and keep communicating. As a Melbourne family business we have lived and breathed the words ‘no such thing as a problem, only an opportunity’. In this ever-changing environment we just need to find them.”
Stay on-trend: see the stunning shortlisted projects in 2020’s Dulux Colour Awards
The Kitchen Designer
Susan Wasley is the owner and sole operator of The Kitchen Designer in Collingwood, Victoria.
For Wasley, the effects of the crisis are already being felt. “I’ve had almost no inquiries for three weeks,” she says.
Wasley continues to service her existing clients, albeit in new ways. “I have stopped all face-to-face meetings,” she says. “All discussions are now on the phone, via email or on WhatsApp.
“This week I went to a client’s new home for a site measure. She’s not living there so I was there on my own – very strange. I then follow up on the phone and via email.
“I am now reluctant to do site visits in a home that someone is living in. Samples are being sent direct to clients and anything sent to me is via my post office box so I have minimal contact with people,” she says.
Susan Wasley is the owner and sole operator of The Kitchen Designer in Collingwood, Victoria.
For Wasley, the effects of the crisis are already being felt. “I’ve had almost no inquiries for three weeks,” she says.
Wasley continues to service her existing clients, albeit in new ways. “I have stopped all face-to-face meetings,” she says. “All discussions are now on the phone, via email or on WhatsApp.
“This week I went to a client’s new home for a site measure. She’s not living there so I was there on my own – very strange. I then follow up on the phone and via email.
“I am now reluctant to do site visits in a home that someone is living in. Samples are being sent direct to clients and anything sent to me is via my post office box so I have minimal contact with people,” she says.
The speed with which things have changed has surprised Wasley the most. “In early February, I booked to travel to EuroCucina in Milan. A week later I was in a quandary as to what to do. Two more weeks and cancelling my trip was a no-brainer. EuroCucina was postponed, but my business here was going along as normal. Another month and inquiries had virtually stopped and a lot of existing clients had put renovations on a low priority.
“I am now self-isolating for the foreseeable future – and counting the cost of the Milan ticket as a relatively small loss,” she says.
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“I am now self-isolating for the foreseeable future – and counting the cost of the Milan ticket as a relatively small loss,” she says.
Smart Ways to Use Ideabooks for Communicating With Clients
“As a sole operator working from home, my overheads are relatively low so I can weather the storm for a while,” says Wasley. “When this is all done, I may have a slow uptake as I imagine prospective clients will take a while to be confident enough to spend money on a kitchen or bathroom renovation. Larger companies have so many overheads and commitments; it must be terrifying for them. Unfortunately, we will hear a lot of sad stories in the months to come.”
Wasley has a long list of tasks to occupy her during any quiet times. “First, I need to finalise the projects I have in the pipeline and master Zoom and WhatsApp consultations. Then I need to think about new marketing strategies for when it’s all over, update my Houzz profile and master the new CAD program I bought last month. And tidy my office!
“My advice to others is to use the time to catch up on all those things you have been putting off because you were too busy – many of which may not be financial commitments,” she says. “Of course, don’t commit to any new expenses that will stretch your resources, but keep your eyes open for new opportunities. There’s not really such a thing as good luck – just someone vigilant in watching for a chance and having the courage to act on it.”
Wasley has a long list of tasks to occupy her during any quiet times. “First, I need to finalise the projects I have in the pipeline and master Zoom and WhatsApp consultations. Then I need to think about new marketing strategies for when it’s all over, update my Houzz profile and master the new CAD program I bought last month. And tidy my office!
“My advice to others is to use the time to catch up on all those things you have been putting off because you were too busy – many of which may not be financial commitments,” she says. “Of course, don’t commit to any new expenses that will stretch your resources, but keep your eyes open for new opportunities. There’s not really such a thing as good luck – just someone vigilant in watching for a chance and having the courage to act on it.”
The Kitchen Design Centre
Peter Schelfhout is the director of The Kitchen Design Centre, which has a 34-strong team, two showrooms and a factory in Melbourne.
The team at The Kitchen Design Centre continues to design and build kitchens for their clients, but showroom openings have been impacted by the outbreak. “Our showrooms are open by appointment only, with only one customer at a time,” says Schelfhout. “We sanitise the showrooms between each customer.”
Meanwhile, design consultations and client meetings are being conducted via video conferencing.
Peter Schelfhout is the director of The Kitchen Design Centre, which has a 34-strong team, two showrooms and a factory in Melbourne.
The team at The Kitchen Design Centre continues to design and build kitchens for their clients, but showroom openings have been impacted by the outbreak. “Our showrooms are open by appointment only, with only one customer at a time,” says Schelfhout. “We sanitise the showrooms between each customer.”
Meanwhile, design consultations and client meetings are being conducted via video conferencing.
Schelfhout believes that some clients who were intending to renovate before the outbreak may use this quiet time at home to conduct their planning. “They will be spending a lot of time at home and have the opportunity to think about everything they want and need. And with fewer people planning travel in the short term, some will be looking to invest in their homes,” he says.
Your turn
Are you optimistic about clients using this quiet time at home to work with you online? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, follow these design professionals on Houzz, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to hear how other sectors of the industry are coping? Don’t miss Green Scene: Landscape Designers Respond to Corona Challenges
Are you optimistic about clients using this quiet time at home to work with you online? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, follow these design professionals on Houzz, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to hear how other sectors of the industry are coping? Don’t miss Green Scene: Landscape Designers Respond to Corona Challenges
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