A Herringbone Christmas With Stories Of Home

The Christmas season is well and truly here, bringing with it the dark and cold evenings making us cosy up in the heart of the home, the kitchen. We sat down with Roma of Stories Of Home on Instagram and beloved previous Herringbone client, and chatted about all things Christmas. From decs to favourite meals and fondest memories of family time in the kitchen during the most wonderful time of the year.

HK: Roma, what do you love most about interiors during this time of year? 

R: I absolutely love using what is around us outside in our decorating. Traditionally that’s what people did. They brought holly, firs and all sorts inside to make their homes more festive. I love that it doesn’t have to all be too much effort. Some wreaths on the windows, hydrangeas on the tree (that my friend gifts me from her garden each year). Twisting berry branches on your front gate and a string of preferably battery lights with a timer!  

HK: How wonderful, bringing the outside in! What are some little things you add or change in your home and kitchen during the festive season?

R: Our beautiful Herringbone kitchen comes into its own at Christmas. It is a pastel green and just looks incredibly Christmassy without the need to do much. So we dress the island a little then put a really nice wreath up on the window and this year the pantry doors too! I have a bit of a collection box of velvet ribbons in forest greens, deep mustard colour, ink black and deep red. I use these to tie up strings of light, bows on cupboard handles and of course to tie up some wreaths. 

HK: It sounds beautiful! What part of your kitchen do you find yourself coming back to the most or is most useful during Christmas? 

R: All of it! I can’t actually choose. We love to cook and use every section of our Lacanache Flavingny cooker. Roasting, stewing, baking or something bubbling away on top. 

Our pantry cupboard has been so very useful. It is actually incredible how much you can store there and it’s so nice to make it pretty with different storage containers and tins. When it is tidy it’s one of my favourite places!! 

Finally the sink. I spent a lot of time there during the holidays. Probably the most useful thing here is the hot water tap. It saves so much time if you need to fill a large pan or if you fancy a quick cup of tea. 

When friends come over we gather around the island and share a toast together. So happy to be able to do that again this season! Fingers crossed. 

HK: It sounds like your kitchen is well in use! We love to hear that. What’s your go to festive colour scheme/aesthetic? And has this changed? 

R: Well I’m pretty much obsessed with greens and this has continued. I like to add black, pinks, deep red and toffee or mustard coloured accessories. Green on green is also great! 

HK: Green has definitely been a huge favourite in kitchens this year! And we have been seeing a lot more colour come into projects too. Do you have any fond memories of being in the kitchen during Christmas, with family , friends or from your childhood? 

R: Before we did our renovation at home and had just moved into the cottage we had to have a Christmas BBQ outside as our old oven gave up. It was a real laugh and definitely one of the funniest memories we have for this time of year. 

Luigi is from Sardinia and they create the most wonderfully detailed miniature Christmas village displays at home. Spending a long time preparing each little section and collecting moss to be the base of the little village. It’s so beautiful to look at. 

In Ireland I remember my family restaurant at Christmas time. My sister would paint the front windows with Christmas characters and cute winter scenes. People bustled in for a rest during their Christmas shopping and there was always a lovely community atmosphere.  

HK: A BBQ Christmas sounds fantastic! Albeit might be a bit cold for me! Finally Roma, what is your favourite Christmas recipe? Are you Team English kitchen table or Team Italian?

R: We have so many! It’s impossible to choose, However at Christmas Luigi @theislandtable is head chef in our house and our favourite festive menus look a bit like this: On Christmas Eve we usually cook some fish dishes with a Sardinian twist. On Christmas Day it’s a pull out all the stops roast. Followed by some olives, chutney, cheese like taleggio, pecorino and local British and Irish ones. 

HK: Sounds like the perfect blend of Italy and the UK!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Roma for chatting to us and we wish her and her whole family a very Happy Christmas!

Herringbone Kitchens 2019 Press Round Up

With 2019 coming to an end, we decided to reflect and look back at the press and media we were so lucky to be featured on and be apart of.

Instagram and YouTube personality Lily Pebbles in her Herringbone Kitchens bespoke kitchen on the cover of KBB Magazine

Herringbone Kitchens in South East Business Magazine

Herringbone Kitchens Features in Kent Online

Herringbone Kitchen in ‘That Works For Me’ on Flexible Working

Director of Herringbone Kitchens, Elly Simmons Interview with ‘Parent Chum’ on Maternity Leave

Director of Herringbone Kitchens, William Durrant featured in a snippet of the podcast ‘Kizzi’s Friday Game Changers’, giving advice and tips to aspiring business owners

Directors Elly and William interviewed for ‘Homes & Antiques’

Flexible Working in Manufacturing and Retail

We’ve been told flexible working is only for those who work in an office and it was not possible in the manufacturing or retail industry. There are some obvious barriers, we can not make a kitchen from our back shed at home, you need to be in the workshop with colleagues and retail is done face-to-face with clients. But flexible working does not just mean working from home and we were determined to find a way to make it work.

To be honest, we couldn’t find any examples of other manufacturing companies in the UK offering flexible working right now, so we had to make it up ourselves. After lots of planning, we launched a flexible working policy for the team earlier this month. It is far from perfect, but it’s a start in an industry that is dominated by traditional companies (that don’t often like to shake things up).

The average age in carpentry and joinery is over 40, it is an industry struggling to train younger people in the craft. We also hope that bringing in flexible working (as well as strong parental leave and other policies), helps bridge the gap and makes the area more appealing as a career choice. One that celebrates and values creativity, craftsmanship and problem solving.

Flexible working is not just for parents (although it can help with managing childcare), but is for everyone. So far 1/4 the team have decided to work condensed days. With their spare day they are taking courses, learning new skills, exploring their hobbies or just using the extra day to spend time with friends and family.

It’s a learning curve, but if our little family business can find a way to do it, it’s possible for any business. If you’re another small business and want to share any tips or interested in how we put together our policy- please get in touch! We are so happy to share our experience and learn/shake up this industry together.

Sustainability with Herringbone Kitchens

Here at Herringbone Kitchens we are incredibly proud of what we create! When we fist started the bubsiness we knew that sustainability would be a huge part of our ethos, and have continueud to be dedicated to implementing sustainable practices into our business.

We believe the ingredient to long lasting kitchens is using considered materials that have been well cared for. Every material used in your kitchen cabinet is from companies with strong sustainability records. In that way, we know that our kitchens are not just valued by our customers but are good for the earth and future generations.

Our timbers are sourced from well managed, responsible forests where the cycle of clearing and replanting has been continuous for many generations. We only use temperate hard and soft woods and avoid endangered tropical timbers where logging practices are generally less well controlled and regulated. We use indigenous British species wherever possible and we plant a tree for every kitchen made.

We made a conscious decision to only use water based low VOC paint, which is very rare in this industry. While it was not the easy option, we felt true to our ethos. We have worked tirelessly to come up with a method that makes using water-based paint both practical for the kitchen and eco-friendly.

Every month, for each kitchen we make, we dedicate a tree to the National Forest, a regeneration project across 200 square miles in the Midlands. Once you have agreed to go forth with your design, you will receive a certificate for you tree, which we have planted in your name. We might be small, but we have a dedicated team member who is our Eco Champion and helps bring new ideas on how we can continue to improve our sustainability record.

These are all small things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment. We do everything we can to not only ensure that you get the kitchen you’ve been dreaming of, but also to ensure we do our best by this place we call home.

The Design Process: How it Works & Getting Started

We get a lot of messages from you asking how to start planning your new kitchen and how our design process works. So here is a guide from start to finish so you know what to expect.

1. Firstly, if you have a budget in mind but are unsure of how much your new kitchen might cost, you can send us an email with your floor plans, architect drawings or dimensions of the kitchen and we will provide a rough estimate.

2. The next step is to book an appointment for a Design Consultation with one of our kitchen designers. Your first appointment will be at our studio in Canterbury or over the phone during the weekdays. We do require you to visit us at least once during the design process as it helps us ensure you know what you are buying and get a feel for our product.  

At your initial design consultation we will go through what you hope to have in your kitchen, we will show you all of your options including cabinetry, worktop and materials and can go through together any preliminary ideas on your design. This meeting is quite in-depth and normally takes 2 hours.

During your design consultation, you and your designer will go through your desires and requirements of your new kitchen, covering all areas. We provide a two hour slot to make sure there is time to discuss everything you want during the appointment. We will discuss the number and types of units, worktops, what sort of appliances & taps you would like or if you’re keeping your own/sourcing them yourself, the design and layout of the space, as well as cabinet colours, handles and tiles if you’re having any. Your designer will show you around our studio and explain the different ranges of cabinetry we provide. We can show you samples of work surfaces, tiles, etc to help you make your decisions.

Following this, if you choose to have a design from Herringbone, we will require a payment of £500 which is deducted from the cost of your kitchen. A full design normally takes our designers two weeks to complete. Your design can be presented in our studio or over Zoom, whichever you prefer. Your designer will then produce your kitchen design and quote. It is at this point that we will make any changes and decide whether or not you would like to go ahead with the project.

3. The next step is your pre-fit survey. Adrian our workshop manager will visit you to survey the room and ensure that everything is where it should be and take measurements of the space so we can start making your kitchen in our workshop!

4. After that, depending on our lead time, there’s a wait (think of it more like a countdown similar to Christmas or your birthday!). We will be in communication with you throughout the whole process, and will be here to answer any questions you may have.

5. Kitchen installation - our fitters will deliver your kitchen and start installing it. This can take anywhere from 3-5 weeks to complete, depending on your design.

6. The last step is moving in! Your kitchen is ready for you to start unpacking your things into and styling it. This is where all the waiting and emails will prove worth it.

Once everything is completed and the kitchen is all yours to enjoy, we are just an email or phone call away should you need anything. And if you’re in the area, please do pop in for a cuppa! We love hearing from you even after the project is finished and knowing you’re as in love with the final product as you hoped.