Being based in Edinburgh, UK and working with my local market for 11years, it has been apparent that geography really is quite predictable when it comes to kitchen styles and customer's choices. I frequently go on design trips with fellow designers from all over the UK and it always amazes me how certain kitchens sell so much more than others depending on the geographic region. You might think this seems obvious with country kitchens outselling contemporary kitchens in places like York and Windsor and vice versa in cities like London and Edinburgh but this isn't always the case in other continents. I was commissioned to do some kitchen projects in Hong Kong and the Middle East and looking at the cityslick local markets, you would assume that contemporary kitchens would be the main stay and highly in demand. Not so it turned out. English traditional kitchens in Hong Kong were all the rave and all my clients wouldn't look past them, turning their noses up at anything handleless or highgloss lacquered. The same could be said of my Middle East clients. On all occasions I was quietly amused as I designed traditional kitchen furniture into cutting edge apartments- much as I felt it contradicted the architectural design of the buildings and it going against my design principal, the clients were absolutely elated ! Looking back on it, I truly believe that the influence of TV and Celeb magazines in foreign countries portray this fairytale picture book of 'English living', making people want a wee piece of it. The amount of times I have been given a kitchen from a Hollywood movie to replicate is quite astonishing. ( Jack Nicholson's 'Something's Gotta Give' being the most requested )
As a designer, you always pride yourself into being able to predict a client's kitchen style without even entering conversation with them - it's always good to be proved wrong once in a while. Not all clients can be put into nice little stereotypical boxes - that's what makes design so enjoyable !
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