Colours, Styles and Finishes

One big thing a lot of customers have in their minds when they first come into the showroom is colour. The colour, style and finish of a kitchen is often the first decision made, which makes sense due to the fact that it is often the most striking feature of a kitchen. However, a lot of people disregard the fact that the colour and finish of your units can be the last decision, as most units come in a wide range of colours and styles. Today, we want to make sure that by considering the alternatives, you get a good idea of what the important factors are to consider when choosing everything colourful.

Firstly, an important point to make is that you do not have to make a choice on colour straight away. Advice we've often given to customers is that a more important decision to make would be your unit styles and worktop choices. Whilst colour and style can be striking, the actual design of a unit is fixed, whereas the colour and style upon the unit itself can be changed right up until the order is made. Making sure you're happy with the unit design and general aesthetic of the kitchen is a far more important choice. 

Secondly, the choice boils down to much more than blue or white, for example. All of our units have a different range of colours, styles and finishes that can be applied to it; the Malmo design, for example, comes in unpainted wood, painted, and glossed finishes, all of which give a different aesthetic. The glossly look provides a smooth, modern look, whilst the unpainted wood gives a more traditional spin to the overall kitchen. This is one example of why starting the process with a definite idea of colour can be detrimental - if you base your kitchen around the colour, you perhaps miss out the opportunity to explore new colours and styles you wouldn't have expected. A big benefit of the bespoke style is that it offers the ability to see how different colours and styles look through our 3D software, which can help you visualise your design more easily.

A last thing to consider is the look of your worktop with your unit choices. Do you prefer dark unit colours, and a lighter quartz, perhaps? Or would a wood finish, along with a darker granite be more your speed? By keeping your mind open, you can help grow your design to something that better fits your taste - after all, there's so much to consider, you wouldn't want to miss out on anything!

Regardless of your position along the road to a new kitchen, we at Herringbone Kitchens are happy to help. Pop in to our showroom in Canterbury, or contact us online, and book a fitting session today.

Meet the Herringbone Team: William Durrant

With Herringbone Kitchens having recently celebrated it's 2nd Anniversary (yay!), we thought it would be a perfect time to meet and introduce our team to the site, and who better to start with than our Director and Designer, William Durrant!

 

Hi! Give us a quick introduction; who are you?

Hi, my name is William Durrant. I live in Canterbury and have a one year old son, named Freddie, who keeps me on my toes.

Tell us about your career!

I have been working in the Kitchen industry for almost a decade. I started working for a much larger company and have also worked for another independent showroom. I learned a lot about design, project management and the kitchen industry in my first few roles. However, I wanted to branch out and be in the position to design my own kitchen ranges and manage all aspects of the project. I am lucky to have the opportunity to own my own company and very lucky in having the best team around me.

Where's Freddie. #kitchen #canterbury #kingsmile #baby #drawer #oak

What is it you do at Herringbone?

I am the Designer as well as the Director.

What about design drives you?

I love a project and love when there are particularly challenging elements to the design. It is especially fun when clients are brave in wanting to try new materials.

What project are you most proud of in your time with Herringbone?

I’m proud of every project, they are all very important to me.

What a transformation. #kitchen #canterbury #herringbone #quartz #interiordesign #design #brass #silestone

 

Why should people go with Herringbone?

We are a small independent company that relies on perfection, great design and customer satisfaction. Our team is up for anything, often times are clients come to us with ideas that we have not seen done before. We love sourcing new materials and finding creative ways to make kitchens that truly stand out.

 

What about you would people be surprised by?

I am a bit of a DIYer. I plumbed, rewired and plastered my entire house. As you can see, the transformation from an old student house is quite something!

Maximising Space

Space... The final veneer.... worktop?

Star Trek references aside, keeping a tidy and organised kitchen can be a real task. Clutter from dishes, appliances, cookbooks and fruit bowls can make using your kitchen a chore, which is never how one wants to feel. Ensuring that the workspace is clear is a difficult task, so today we're dropping some handy tips to help keep your kitchen organised, both through day-to-day tasks and through renovation.

Firstly, keeping the workspace clear can sometimes be a question of making sure all storage areas are used. Window sills, wall space and the tops of cupboards can be handy areas to use for sneaky storage, especially for those pots and pans that are rarely used. A quick review of how one stores things can be a nice refresher, and can often result in one finding a more efficient means of storage.

However, often times, a kitchen renovation is done in the interest of creating new space. With this in mind, there are many different designs one can consider. Shelving above the hob can look fantastic, as can the pantry, which is becoming more popular across modern kitchens. Spice racks in the cupboard door are another fantastic, quick solution, as well as the wonderful Storage Solution designs we feature in our showroom and on our website.

Another fantastic design choice that can result in much more storage is the kitchen island. From cupboards, to wine coolers, to drawers, eating space and more, the island can be adapted to fit whatever design you need in your space. By designing this space, you can ensure that you get exactly what you need from your kitchen, and we ensure that this design is tailored to you.

Hopefully this helps with your kitchen, and inspires you to work out storage effectively. We at Herringbone make sure that any designs we make for you will be tailored to you specifically, and we work very closely to make these designs exactly what you want and need. Contact us at info@herringbonekitchens.com or come into our showroom any day to discuss further.

Maintaining a Worktop

Once you get a new kitchen, it becomes a pleasure to cook and work in your new space, and often, we forget that our worktops need maintenance, much like anything else in the home. There are certain cooking implements and ingredients which can actually harm the quality of your worktop, and to help prevent disaster, we have a handy list!

The first, and possibly most secretly dangerous, is vinegar. Vinegar based cleaners, contrary to popular belief, can cause irreparable damage to certain worktops, such as marbles, natural stones or quartz. Warm soapy water is a much better alternative! Whilst these vinegar-cleaners are good for stainless steel utensils, aluminium and cast iron products actually react to it, so those too are off limits. Vinegar can be very useful - in the right circumstances! 

Wooden worktops are another difficulty in certain kitchens - maintenance is important to ensure prolonged quality. Oil-finished wood requires upkeep, in order to prevent stains or ageing. Matte or silk lacquer repels most stains, however, but the important thing to note is that most wooden worktops require, at the least, some care. It would certainly be a shame to lose quality in wood, especially as it is such an attractive worktop, so always be aware of the upkeep that comes with wood. 

Quartz and granite are very durable, and require much less in the way of direct maintenance, unlike the wooden alternatives. However, it is important to note that clearing liquids as soon as possible upon quartz or granite worktops is vital - it is unlikely, but can result in staining should the liquid be particularly abrasive. It is also important to remember to keep good care of where one places hot pots or pans - and this is true for every type of worktop! Whilst the durability of these worktops is very high, it is best not to tempt fate. A simple metal pot holder, or rubber plate can save one endless troubles, should the hot utensils cause any damage. However, Herringbone Kitchens offer a Silestone  Quartz and Sensa Granite, both of which offer a 25 Year Guarantee, which ensures staining will not occur.

We hope this short list has helped with some amount of care in your kitchen! The best thing one can do is treat their kitchen with care, and you are sure to be fine!