Plympton Community Magazine, January 2024
3rd January 2024
New Business Alert: Plymouth Advice and Support Service
4th January 2024
It’s one thing having a vision for your dream kitchen, it’s another thing entirely to find a firm that will turn your vision into reality. But after seeing the stunning kitchen that Plymouth family firm KF Kitchens designed and fitted for a neighbour, Val from southeast Cornwall had every confidence they’d be able to meet her high expectations.
“In fact, they’ve more than met them, they’ve gone beyond them,” said Val.
The journey began with a visit to the firm’s extensive showroom at Faraday Mill and a chat with kitchen designers Nathan and Derinda Damarell. Val then invited Nathan to her home to discuss the design in detail: “Although we had a very clear vision, we wanted Nathan to suggest other possibilities,” which he did.
“He showed us things that we might not have thought about. But we really wanted to do that so we could confidently confirm our original vision. Nathan was more than happy to go along with what we wanted, and he enabled us to create our vision. But equally, if we didn’t have a vision, he would have helped us to create one. Once we had the basic layout and idea, everything was put onto the computer so we could see. We could then see what it would look like with different handles and different colours. We had print-outs of four different options which we put on our old fridge freezer, which we whittled down over time to our final choice. That was nice too, the way we had time and space to make our decisions. We never felt pressurised at all.”
Val chose a Nolte kitchen in Oak Barolo, with Miele appliances and Silestone worktops, Blanco sink, Quooker tap, and engineered oak flooring. The appliances include a combination conventional oven and steam oven, a warming drawer, and a coffee maker, while the induction hob on the island has an integral extractor.
“We’ve lived here for 10 years and what we had before was totally different,” explained Val. “The sink was in a different place and the island was the other way round and took up a lot of room. By moving the new one around by 90 degrees, it has created a lot of space.”
Further space was freed up by removing part of the wall adjoining the utility room, which has also been renewed by KF Kitchens. This extra space in the kitchen is now home to the integrated fridge, freezer, and wine conditioner: “The re-organisation makes the room a lot bigger,” said Val, “and when I’m cooking, everything now feels ergonomically correct. It’s revolutionised how I cook.”
The new appliances have also changed the way she cooks. KF Kitchens arranged for Val to go to the Miele Experience in London, and she said: “We were cooked a three-course meal by the chef, to show us the possibilities of Miele ovens, and the food was beautiful. The experience made me re-look at how I cook and what I need and don’t need in the kitchen. It’s given me a different mindset. I absolutely love the steam oven, that’s been eye-opening. I’d never have thought about having a steam oven but now, I use it all the time.”
The new kitchen has also made a big difference to how she uses the space: “We are spending much more time in the kitchen, and it’s actually a joy to cook. And we’ve future-proofed ourselves. It’s not just the quality of the kitchen and the appliances. Economically, because the appliances are energy-efficient, I’ve noticed the difference when I check the smart-meter.”
