Not so long ago, something incredible happened. We were nominated for one of the most prestigious kitchen awards. Then something totally unexpected unfurled. We did it. We took home the award. We are still in a little bit of shock, and so writing these words might feel slightly alien for some time but, wow, we are the winners of the 2023 KBB Review Kitchen Awards for projects between £30,000 and £50,000 for a kitchen we handcrafted for a renovated Georgian manor house. Here’s everything you need to know.
What are the KBB Review Awards
For those who are still in the dark, the KBB Review Kitchen Design Awards are an annual competition here in the UK that celebrates the best kitchen design projects and designers in the industry. Essentially, it’s the big one. The Grammy’s. The Oscars. And KBB Review, the leading magazine in the UK’s kitchen and bathroom industry, are the people who organise the awards.
As for the competition itself, this one is open to kitchen designers, architects and manufacturers who have completed a kitchen design project in the UK or Ireland within the previous 12 months. Those entries are then judged by a panel of industry experts who evaluate the designs based on factors such as innovation, functionality and aesthetics.
“The KBB Review Retail & Design Awards are simply the biggest awards in the kitchen and bathroom independent retail industry. It’s the event everyone wants to attend and they’re the trophies everyone wants to win.”
What Are The Different Categories?
Every year, the competition features a variety of categories, including Kitchen Showroom of the Year, Kitchen Retailer of the Year, Kitchen Designer of the Year, and Kitchen Concept Designer of the Year. This categories typically include:
- Kitchen Showroom of the Year
- Kitchen Retailer of the Year
- Kitchen Customer Service of the Year
- Kitchen Designer of the Year
- Kitchen Product Innovation of the Year
- Kitchen Project of the Year (in various price brackets)
- Kitchen Component Supplier of the Year
- Kitchen Lighting Supplier of the Year
- Kitchen Training and Education Award
What Do The KBB Review Awards Mean?
The KBB Review Kitchen Design Awards are considered one of the most prestigious design competitions in the UK’s kitchen industry; an awards ceremony that recognises unrivalled excellence in kitchen design, manufacturing and installation, with each category judged by a panel of industry experts.
For us, that means everything. Just being recognised amongst the best kitchen designers humbled us beyond belief, so for our “little” kitchen design company that makes everything right here in the UK to take home such a significant award is both overwhelming and price-inducing.
About The Award We Won
The KBB Kitchen Awards for projects between £30,000 and £50,000. That’s the award we collected from the stage, stared at in quiet disbelief and now sits in our South London showroom as a reminder of just what can be achieved when you pursue your passion. It’s an award that recognises the absolute best of the best in kitchen design with the expert panel of judges carefully scrutinising each entry.
From the carefully considered kitchen layouts and innovative use of materials to the high-level execution and customer service, this award is about showcasing the absolute pinnacle of excellence in the industry, celebrating the very best in kitchen design and craftsmanship. That’s what we won. That’s what has left us with pinch-marks up our arms.
The Kitchen Project That Wowed The Judges
This may have been our toughest project to date. To renovate the kitchen of a derelict Georgian Hall in Cumbria, creating a timeless space that blended practicality and personality. That is where our passion lies. But while every kitchen has its own unique set of tests, this one felt different. This one felt layered and complex, grand and important, daunting yet rewarding.
Handcrafting all of our cabinets, we wanted to create a showstopping space that would stand out at first glance yet fit in with the rest of this renovation. A kitchen that felt fun and functional, bold and beautiful, exciting yet timeless. We wanted to turn this incredible space into the beating heart of a home that deserved to be spectacular because that is exactly what this Cumbrian Georgian manor is: spectacular.
And so, with lashings of countryside charm, a thousand unique details and the beauty of open plan living, we set about creating a kitchen that celebrates the only things that matter: personality and practicality. From an old derelict country house to the ultimate kitchen for every occasion, this is a renovation as impressive as they come.
From the endless kitchen island to the ceiling high backsplash, the mix of open shelving and bespoke cabinetry, parquet flooring, beautiful back kitchen, contrasting colours and unique details everywhere you look, this is a kitchen that can do it all. Prepping a Sunday roast for twenty, hosting a drinks party for fifty and everything in between.
And yet the thing that really makes this kitchen so special is all the natural materials and stunning textures and, of course, the spectacular views of the rambling English countryside that sits on the other side of the huge industrial-style windows. As bias as it may be, this is the proudest we’ve ever been of a project and, looking back at it now, this is a kitchen that deserves recognition. We hope you agree.
