Design Showroom First Floor Newcastle Kitchen

Realisation Project
Design Of First Floor Showroom At Newcastle Kitchen And Bedroom
Company
Josh Armstrong

Design Brief:
2
Newcastle Kitchen and Bedroom Company has been trading for fourteen months. The unit that our company
currently occupies has been partially renovated into a large showroom and workshop. The ground floor was
completed upon opening of the showroom but the first floor is yet to be planned. The ground floor briefly
comprises of four kitchens, three bedrooms a study and countless pieces of individual furniture.
For the first floor showroom I am looking to have three kitchens, one of which will be a full operational kitchen
complete with boiling water tap. The remaining two kitchens will be smaller pieces each possessing individual
styles and features. There will also be examples of bedrooms/dressing rooms and also a large living area. I
would also like furniture to be strategically placed throughout the showroom and tie in with the style of the
company.
The aim for the first floor showroom is to create a range of products that are less bespoke and more standard.
This will lower production times and production costs, this will then lower the cost that the customer pays. It
will allow the company to attract a larger target market that may have a lower budget than current customers.
The electrical and technology side of the business Evolve Systems will also play a large part in the planning of
the showroom. Their products will need to be showcased and seamlessly integrated into the new space so
they can demonstrate there functions and features to potential customers.
Where possible the any design should make use of the wide range of Karndean flooring that the company
offers and each individual space will advertise a different style.

Specification:
3
• Design One Large Kitchen with working appliances.
• Add a further two smaller kitchen examples to the space each possessing individual
style
• Two Bedroom examples should be included in the design proposal and at least one
double bed.
• Where possible add furniture and living room examples to showcase a range of
materials and components.
• Try and integrate existing Evolve Systems products into the design.
• Kardean Flooring is to be the only supplier used for the design of the first floor
showroom.
• Where possible try and keep any design concept simple and easy to manufacture.

Contemporary Kitchen
4
Traditional Living
room
Traditional Kitchen

Research Evaluation
11
To gain a good insight into what my client wanted from my design proposal I
asked him to source images that I could take inspiration from. Richard was then
able to access images that he obtained on a recent trip to a large furniture
exhibition he visited in Germany earlier in the year. This research was very
thorough and as it was only in January of 2015, this shows that it is very up to
date and trending. Top manufacturers such as Strasser, Hacker and Warendorf
had large prototypes that they were ready to make available to customers during
2015. From these images I will be able to take parts of each design and create
my own take on what I think the showroom should look like. From meetings with
Richard, and from the client brief; I have a very accurate vision of what Richard
needs in the proposal. I will also conduct other relevant research throughout the
project. For example materials, components and finishes will also be researched
when I have design concepts in place. What I have noticed during my placement
with NKBCO is that there are many suppliers and many more products offered
within the suppliers, so it would not be time efficient to look at these subjects
until I have narrowed down specific designs.

Initial Designs: Bedroom 1
15
This design proposal includes three single
wardrobes, two bedside tables and a
dressing table. The material used in this
design is called Mali-Wenge. It is an
Egger Laminate and comes in 2800–
2070mm size boards. This material is very
strong, durable and can be used as a
worktop for dressing tables as well as
end panels to support wardrobes. In this
design I have included features such as
the curved cupboard to add a
contemporary edge to design. Another
feature is the large panel above the
dressing table (also using the Mali-
Wenge laminate) which will be set
forward in front of a large glossy panel
housing six glass shelves supported by
triangular Chrome brackets. The Mali
Wenge panel will be fully capable of
supporting a large flat screen TV.

16
Similar to the previous design, I have chosen the Egger
laminate Mali-Wenge as the primary material. In total there
are seven wardrobes and twelve draws. There is plenty
storage and also room to fit a TV in the centre wardrobes. I
have decided to use floating bedside tables that will be
secured to the large headboard, this gives the interior a
luxury hotel feel. This design is very minimalist and makes
good use of the space with the maximum amount of
storage without imposing on the rest of the room.

17
In this design I have chosen to use a shaker style door on the wardrobes and also the draws under the low window seat. I have
chosen to create two examples of this design, one with a window and another without a window. Both design are very
symmetrical and which gives the room a more balanced feel, also the storage space can be split evenly if the room was occupied
by two people, a husband and wife for example. If a client was to have a window in the specified room, the window seat would be
a perfect solution, it would create comfortable seating in the room and storage space for the client. This specific example has
draws that are 300mm in height and 400mm in depth, this would be ideal space for storing shoes. The alternative option without
the window is to have a chest of draws with a mirror above. The mirror will be manufactured in the shaker style to compliment
the rest of the furniture and also reflect any light that is entering the room. This design can be manufactured in our in-house
workshop and will need little specialist outsourcing, this will keep the production cost down for the client.

19
This design includes a three
double wardrobes, two floating
bedside table and a dressing
table. I have chosen to use a
glossy white door through out
the range of furniture, this will
reflect any light that enters the
room and make the room feel
more spacious. I also chose to
use long chrome finish handles
on the wardrobe, again to give
the design a more contemporary
feel. The dressing table has
storage space for items such as
hairdryers, make-up and jewelry.
The center draw is on a push
latch runner and when opened
reveals storage for items like nail
varnish, jewelry and other small
items.

20
This design is actually already in use in the
showroom downstairs at NKBCO, but I have
included a glossy finish on this example and also
added my own bedroom furniture to compliment
the wardrobes. They also have a gloss mushroom
colour finish.

21
For this example I have created a small room that could be
used as a dressing room/walk in wardrobe. I have used
shaker style doors with a cream sprayed finish. There will
be a stud wall to the left of the window which will include
three shaker doors, two of which will be functioning doors
that will allow access to the walk in wardrobe and the third
will have a hinged mirror that will be able to opened like a
door to change the angle. There will also be a small storage
facility in the end panel of the shaker wardrobes, this will
be on a push latch and will easily accommodate scarves,
jewelry and other small accessories.

Initial Designs: Kitchen 1
22
This kitchen will feature a cashmere colour glossy door
with a Mali-Wenge Egger laminate. I have chosen to use
a more contemporary style for this kitchen to mirror the
existing style of the company. The use of the Egger
boards will lower production time and meet my clients
brief. The comma shaped island worktop is also making
use of another Egger product, this is worktop grade
laminate and comes in 1300mm wide sheets and is
38mm in thickness. This was taken into account when
modeling the final shape for the worktop.

25
For this design I have gone for a
more traditional style. I have
chosen to use a mixture of
materials that will showcase
many materials that are
currently on offer at NKBCO. For
example I have used Elephants
breath paint as the finish for the
frame work and doors. The
worktop on the island is called
star galaxy and is in price group
two (£2000-£3500). The
breakfast bar area could be
either solid walnut which would
inflate the cost dramatically or
as an alterative the use of an
Egger board would also be
suitable as this is considerably
cheaper and does not come with
natural faults like knots.

27
For this design I was
looking more at the use of
colour's and materials
rather than the overall
style of the kitchen. As
you have seen with my
style guide on pages 4 and
5 there is a very similar
design already in the
showroom. The use of
grey and the driftwood
style Egger board would
allow a customer to see
how different colour's go
together even though
they aren't the generic
whites and creams they
are used to seeing.

28
In this example I used the Mali Wenge Egger
laminate and white gloss doors. The reason I have
used this combination is because many of the
clients who we have dealt with in the past, have
used this same mixture of materials. Having an
example already manufactured and on display in
the showroom would save a lot of development and
decision making when it comes to planning a
kitchen for them. This would also reduce the
requirement of spending a large amount of money
and not knowing what you are actually purchasing.

Evaluation Of Initial Designs:
30
In my initial ideas I have used Google sketch up to create concepts using possible
materials such as Egger laminates and various granite worktops. I have been able
to gain a very good understanding of which materials can be applied to different
parts of the design. For example I have learned that the Mali Wenge laminate
comes in two grades, one is the shelf grade or cabinet material, the second
version is the worktop grade material. This means that the shelf grade is less
durable and would be easily scratched and marked if it were used as a work
surface. I have also improved my skills using the 3D software and rendering
package SU Podium, I have been able to create new effects using the reflection of
materials so they look more realistic. I will be able to look back through my initial
designs and try to apply them to my developing designs leading through to the
final design. Completing this phase of design has given me a deeper
understanding of the products that we offer at NKBCO. I will now be able to
complete research into the price bands of different materials including the Egger
laminates.

Developing Designs: Design 1
32
These two images show a very rough
layout for the large kitchen that will be
the first interior that customers will see
when walking up the stairs. I have chosen
not to develop this design further, the
reason being; I feel the design does not
maximize the use of the space available;
and does not have the “Wow” factor that
my client is looking for. Another reason
for not developing this any further is
because the format of have two large
cabinets with a raised workspace in the
center has already be done on the ground
floor and I feel repeating it would be
wasteful, also the curved units and wall
will increase the cost dramatically and
this would not meet my clients brief. One
feature that I may keep in the design will
be the island unit, as I feel it is a clever
use of space and very functional.

33
This design I felt met my clients brief very well; the
materials used are very easy to work with and don’t
involve a great deal of cost. I chose to use mid height
units to mirror the style seen in many of the research
images used. However; this unfortunately does not fill
the space well and seems very small and lost. The
island is the main feature of the design, to the right
hand side there is a 200mm frame created from the
extension of the worktop. This would be a nice feature
to draw customers upstairs. Unfortunately the Egger
laminate that is of worktop grade comes only in sheets
that have a width of 1300mm and are 38mm in
thickness. I chose to ring the supplier (Egger), directly
to ask if they have any alternative products which
would be suitable to be used in this design. They
informed me that a compact laminate would be
suitable as it can be used for worktops, and comes in a
thickness of 13mm and widths of 2500mm, the
disadvantage of this product is that the center of the
sheet or “the core” is white. I therefore chose not to
develop this design any further because in order to
achieve the desired effect for the worktop and island;
we would have to laminate the worktop in our
workshop, this is time consuming and adds £350 per
square meter to the cost.

34
To the left you can see the layout for the large
bedroom design. it features two large wardrobes
that are manufactured from a plain white egger
board, the doors are supplied by a company
called Integral. The style of door that I have
chosen to use is called the Capri 2, it features a
300mm wide wood inlay. The advantage to using
Integral for supplying the doors is that the cost is
very low compared to manufacturing them
ourselves and you can fully customize the finish
applied to them. The finish I have chosen to use
includes an ivory gloss paint with a walnut
Tiepolo inlay. The headboard; I have designed is
actually inspired by a design I proposed for a
past client, the frame will be made of walnut
Egger board and will be 300mm wide, the center
of the headboard will be filled with padded
upholstered, meter square panels to form a
diamond shape. I have chosen not to develop
this design any further because although I have
met my objective of lowering production costs, I
feel that the design looks visibly cheapened and
does not posses the unique selling points
required.

35
To the left is a second design for the large
kitchen at the top of the staircase. As you
can see I have chosen to pull the wall
forward by 600mm to create an illusion
that the cabinets will be sunk into the
wall. I have input a long row of nine
cupboards with a small work surface to
the left. I have also included the island
from the previous design; as I felt it
complemented the style that I have
chosen to use in this design. After
consulting with my client it was decided
to redesign parts of this kitchen, mainly
the far corner so the space can be more
useful and balanced in order to
compliment the rest of the design.

Evaluation Of Developing Designs:
36
Though many of these designs appear to be unfulfilled, and do not give the
impression that they are in a state of completion, I was able to gain a more
focused perspective as to special awareness and functionality. After repeat visits
to the actual space on offer; I was able to come to the balanced conclusion that
the designs were not functional. I will take influence from these designs so there
will be elements that will have been taken and inputted into the final designs.
For example the Island of the first kitchen will be unchanged, although the
materials will change in line with the overall style of the final design.

Final Design : Kitchen 1
40
Component Material/Finish Supplier
Doors Natural Dijon Walnut Egger
Worktop Keon (Tech Collection) Dekton
Handles Stainless Steel Long Hafele
Small Fittings - Hafele
Plinth Stainless Steel TBC
The final design for kitchen one includes very much the same features as developing design 4 on page 36. The island is
unchanged and will feature a large sink called a Rieber Water station, this costs roughly £2500 and will create a wow factor to
any potential customers as it is very unusual. The main material used for the doors and large covering under the breakfast bar
will be manufactured using Natural Dijon Walnut Egger board. This board comes in the standard size of 2800mm x 2070mm
and at a cost of between £40 to £60 per sheet, this material is very durable and is wide enough to accommodate the long
doors without needing to be joined together, which would weaken the structure. The long bank of cabinets will be sunk into
the wall to achieve a lower ceiling and create more of a room interior rather than having a large gap from the top of the
cabinets to the sloping ceiling. The worktop is supplied by a company called Dekton, this specific style is called Keon and is
taken from the Tech Collection. This material is very strong as it is artificial rather than natural. In a conversation with Richard
he stated that the materials used for the 1st floor showroom should show multiple examples of Dekton products, also the
colour mixes very well with the dark browns of the Walnut. The main difference in this final design is the left hand side corner. I
was able to extend the workspace around onto the long bank of cabinets to make the space more functional and balanced. The
previous design looked unbalanced because the worktop did not line up correctly with the tall cabinets and therefore reduced
the functionality of the corner cupboard. The new layout allows more worktop space, which in my opinion is needed due to the
unique layout of the curved breakfast bar intruding on the island. The floor chosen for this interior, is called Atlantic Slate from
the Opus range supplied by Karndean Flooring. The grey colour scheme is continued from the worktops onto the floor and
keep the room balanced and complimented, for prices for the Karndean flooring please refer to page 58.

Final Design: Kitchen 2
43
Doors White Gloss/Driftwood Egger/Glacier
Worktop Aura Dekton
Handles Brushed Steel (400mm) Hafele
The available space for the second Kitchen display is significantly smaller than the previous example. After trying many
different layouts I decided on this example, the design shows a long bank of cabinets sunk into the wall to minimize the gap
from the top of the cabinets to the sloping ceiling. I have chosen to use 500mm wide cabinets so I could achieve an even
number of cabinets in the design; so it would be symmetrical and balanced. The doors of the cabinets will be manufactured
using two different materials. The wood veneer used above and below will be manufactured using the Egger laminate
Driftwood, as this material comes in a standard size of 2800x 2070mm and costs between £40 and £60 per sheet. The white
Gloss section of the door which is also used on the doors on the island unit will be supplied by a company called Glacier who
specialize in this material. The worktop material used on the island is another Dekton example called Aura from the Natural
collection, this has the aesthetic qualities similar to marble and is very effective on the island which features a bookend effect
for a seamless join. I have taken influence from the images in my kitchen image research, the clean lines and simple form of
the island is very trendy and is very simple for the customer to visualize in their own home. The position of the island is
strategically positioned to look over from the mezzanine floor into the lower showroom and the front entrance. This allows the
designer to present proposals to customers upstairs at the breakfast bar but also keep an eye on the rest of the showroom.
The floor used in this kitchen is called Ashland Oak supplied by Karndean, this was a set requirement within the scope of the
design brief, all flooring to be from the Karndean range. Overall the design is able to deliver a very informative example of this
style of kitchen and possesses many different materials which will assist the designer when showing samples to a client.

Final Design: Kitchen 3
46
Doors Trento Beige grau Egger
Worktop Danae (Natural Collection) Dekton
Handles Chromed Thin (600mm) Hafele
This design format will allow customer to visualize this kitchen in their own homes, it posses everything
needed for a kitchen with plenty storage space and all the appliances. I feel the space has been used to its
full potential with the storage wall cabinets starting at floor level and rising up and along to end at the
other side of the design. The stone effect panels are manufactured from an Egger board which comes in
the standard size of 2800 x 2070mm and costs between £40 to £60. The stone effect is inspired by many
of the images that Richard supplied and seems to be the most trending concept in 2015; this is my reason
for including it in my design proposal. The clean and straight lines in the kitchen allow it to be very easy on
the eye and the stone Egger board adds texture. I have also added a breakfast bar to the left of the
design, the raised bar area again is a trend that is very popular amongst the design companies. This
concept makes the bar look like a separate component and gives the design a quirky look. The worktop
used In this design is another Dekton example called Danae, the plain finish on the worktop is needed
because the busyness of the Egger board. The flooring in this design again is supplied by Karndean and is
in keeping with the cream colour scheme.

Final Design: Dressing Room
47

48

49
Wardrobes White Gloss XyloCleaf
Handles Flat Chrome Handles Hafele
Hanging Rails Chromed 40mm Rail Hafele
For the dressing room; I have created a stud wall which will separate it from the rest of the showroom.
There will be a walnut panel door which will have the ability to slide into the wall, rather than opening out
or into the dressing room. The purpose of splitting the two interiors is to give the customer a surprise as
they are exploring the show room and give the dressing room the wow factor. As you can gather from the
images I have used a gloss white XyloCleaf board for the main material that makes up the shelving and the
open wardrobes and draws. I have used this colour simply because it is a small space with little light and I
feel that a dark material would make the space feel cramped and crowded. I have also left the wardrobes
open for this reason. The main feature in this room is the grid like shelving, I will have LED lighting in each
section to illuminate each square and this will give the customer room to display any valuables such as
designer shoes; or even jewelry. Another use for this part of the concept, is so the designer can show the
customer this example and explain it can also be scaled down and be wall mounted so it can be used in a
living room or dining room setting.

Final Design: Side Board
50
This is my final design for the side board, which will be
placed opposite Kitchen 3. I have taken influence from
one of the images on page 11; taking inspiration from
my living room research. The design parameters is to
showcase the new XyloCleaf material, and also appeal
to customers as a functional piece of furniture. The
design features three long open cabinets with shelving
for displaying ornament etc.. The center horizontal
component adds a more functional use to the design
as there is a large flat surface and also some storage
draws that are on push latches. The design is also
inspired by a piece of Hulster furniture which appears
to have three storage spaces which are vertical; and
then one horizontal component which should look
completely separate to the rest of the design. The
XyloCleaf materials used in this design includes the
gloss white finish used on the vertical cabinets, Kaki
Penelope used for the back panels; and finally the
Sherwood board for the horizontal draws.

Final Design: Bedroom
53
Doors/Plinth Cashmere Gloss Glacier
Back Panel Autumn Plum Egger
Bed Autumn Plum/Light Lakeland Acacia Egger
Headboard/Wardrobes Autumn Plum Egger
Handles Art Deco Handles TBC
For the bedroom design I was going for a luxury hotel feel. I have included two wardrobes, shelves, headboard, bed and a
TV cabinet complete with TV lift. There is a considerable amount of storage space with the wardrobes and shelves. The
whole design flows and every component compliments each other. After many layouts I decided on this design because I
feel it makes use of the space very well without being overpowering. The left and right hand side walls are left mostly free
fore future developments such as a dressing table or wall cabinets. As you can see there are many shelves, each one will
have an LED light above to illuminate the objects below. The bedside table is similar to the shelves apart from there will be
separate switches for the LED lights so there is no bedside lamp necessary. The platform bed flows through from the
bedside table and down to the TV cabinet and creates a floating effect due to the change in materials. As you can see from
the images there is two main materials being used, they are both Egger boards that are called Autumn Plum and Light
Lakeland Oak. I chose to use two contrasting colour's to emphasize the change in material, this allows customers to see the
definition between the the components and it also creates an eye catching effect at the same time. The doors and draws on
the wardrobes will be manufactured from cashmere gloss and supplied by Glacier who specialize in bespoke doors. The TV
cabinet will also be made using the Egger boards and the TV Lift will be supplied by Hafele, our components supplier, for
more information on the TV lift please refer to page 61.

Final Design: Living/ TV Room
56
Doors Black Gloss Glacier
Back Panel Kaki FA44 Penelope XyloCleaf
Worktop Danae Natural Collection Dekton
Frame Dark Cordoba Olive Egger
For this design I wanted to make use of the facilities that Evolve had already invested in. This included the speaker
system were the cinema screen would have been. I have designed a large TV cabinet that will be fitted from wall to
wall, there will be a 100mm wrap around frame that will be manufactured using Dark Cordoba Olive, this is an Egger
board that comes in the standard size of 2800 x 2070mm and costs between £40 to £60 per sheet. The gloss black
doors will be supplied by a company called Glacier, who specialize in manufacturing bespoke and standard size doors.
There will be glass panels at middle height which reveal display cabinets which will each have spot lights inside to
illuminate ornaments ect, they will also be hinged so you can gain access to the display cabinets. All the doors and
draws on this design will be on push latches and therefore don’t require handles. In the center of the TV unit there is
room for an 85” TV which will be mounted onto a back panel. The back panel is manufactured from a XyloCleaf Board
which is similar to Egger, but has a more textured finish applied to it. The boards come in a standard size of 2800 x
2070mm and cost between £60 to £100 per sheet. This specific example is called Kaki Penelope and has a grey
crosshatch effect. Xylocleaf is another product that Richard is keen to show off throughout the showroom as it is
brand new onto the market, for more information on this material please refer to page 60.

Final Design: Coffee Tables
57
These coffee tables are to be manufactured
using Autumn Plum walnut laminates supplied
by Egger. They will be placed in the TV/Living
room interior to create a more homely feel to
the space. Both designs are very simple to
manufacture and can be made using our in
house workshop with the exception of the glass
panel which will be ordered directly from our
glass supplier. The raised flat surfaces reveal two
hidden storage compartments. The orange
colour stripe on the second example will be
made using either sheet metal or a stone effect
Egger laminate. I feel both designs posses the
same qualities which Richard is trying to
engrave into every product that we produce,
which is simple, effective and original in form.

Flooring
63
Walkway
Style: White Washed Oak
Range: Van Gogh
Cost (PSM): £37.99
Kitchen 1
Style: Atlantic Slate
Range: Opus (Special)
Cost (PSM): £52.99
Kitchen 2
Style: Ashland Oak
Range: Loose Lay
Cost (PSM): NA
Kitchen 3
Style: Terra
Range: Opus
Cost (PSM): £33.99
Dressing
Room/Bedroom
Style: Summer Oak
Range: Art Select
Cost (PSM): £48.99
TV/Living Room
Style: Pale Limed Oak
Range: Knight Tile
Cost (PSM): £26.99

Materials:
64
The innovative and highly textured range of premium, Thermo Structured Surface (TSS) decors - XyloCleaf - which offers a variety of wood grains,
linens and other unique materials. Unlike anything else on the UK market, XyloCleaf is a highly original and exclusive range of decors which are
created using a unique process of thermal fusing in which decorative papers are treated with melamine resins, that under heat and pressure become
part of the panel itself, hence the term Thermo Structured Surface. This process provides not only a stunning end result, but also a product that is
strong, durable and highly scratch and chemical resistant, meaning that as well as looking great, it will stand up to the toughest of challenges when
used in high traffic areas.
A manufacturer of wood based panels: Chipboard, MDF, OSB, Laminates, MFC, and worktops. EGGER LAMINATE - Scratch resistance -
Heat resistance - Chemical resistance - Abrasion resistance - Stain resistance to all kinds of household stains - High-quality EGGER
laminates are suitable for a wide range of different applications.
The revolutionary product Dekton imagines a new concept in the world of design and architecture. Made by sophisticated raw materials used in
the glass, porcelanic and quartz surfaces production, Dekton is a material with unique characteristics and infinite application possibilities such as
countertops, flooring, cladding, facades for both inside and outdoors. Dekton employs exclusive Sinterized Particle Technology, a high tech
process which represents an accelerated version of the metamorphic change that natural stone undergoes when subjected to high temperatures
and pressure over thousands of years. Sinterized particle technology synthesizes truly innovative procedures from the most advanced technology
industries. This evolution represents a technological and industrial leap capable of generating a new process, a revolutionary material and a
leading product.

Components:
65
Push Latch:
• With extra long throws
• For overlay door, gives 3 mm gap between door
and cabinet frame for pushing space.
• Fixing screws included
• Catch: ABS plastic
• Counter piece: Yellow galvanized steel
TV Lift:
• 3 section telescopic lift for compact installation height
• 5-100 kg maximum lift capacity
• 5-65 kg minimum and maximum lift capacity in standard installation
• 5-29 kg minimum and maximum lift capacity
for lift mounted in the upside down position
• Input power: 110-240 VAC/ 50-60 Hz
• UK AC plug
• Remote controlled with RF and manual switch
• Adjustable stoke
• Automatic reverse function for improved safety
• Lid lifter and TV mounting brackets included
• Veas fixing: 600 x 400, 600 x 200, 600 x 100, 400 x 400,
400 x 200, 400 x 100, 300 x 300, 200 x 200, 200 x 100
• Upsidedown use possible
• Black painted steelDraw Runner:
• For right and left hand use
• For drawer widths up to 1000 mm
• Can be disengaged using release lever
• For screw fixing to cabinet, drawer or
shelf, side or base mounted
• Load carrying capacity up to 160 kg
(see individual runner capacity)
• Galvanized steel
• Please note: Weight limit per pair based
on length, weight limits reduce by 75% if
base mounted
I have chosen a selection of key components
that will be used on the relevant designs. All
of these components are supplied by Hafele
who exclusively supply all of our
components. Included along with the
illustrations are some technical details about
tolerances and functions.

Final Plan of First Floor Showroom:
66

Evaluation
67
In my clients design brief it stated that the 1st floors show room should have new concepts and each design should
posses there own individual style. I feel throughout the initial design, developing design and final design stages I have
filtered down to original functional designs that fit in well with the theme of the business. What I have noticed during my
time with NKBCO is that the development stage is much shorter than I expected, there is very little time to develop more
than two designs for a client as there are many projects running parallel to one another. Throughout my education the
development stage was much longer so students could develop the theory behind the designs, this does not happen
within the industry.
I am now eight months into my placement with NKBCO and I am now starting to think about my future with the company
and whether there will be a position for me at the end of my placement. A few weeks ago I spoke to Richard about this
subject and he was unable to offer me any guarantees. What he did say was he was very pleased with what I had brought
to the business and he felt I had made a genuine difference with the use of computer 3D modeling. He also mentioned he
was looking for another sales designer that was more experienced in the sales role and more knowledgeable about
materials. I left the meeting full of determination to prove to Richard that I was capable of improving this side of my skill
set. I have spent the last two months going through samples and asking questions when it was necessary. I even
developed a showroom logbook that I could fill in and study, it included materials and finishes that we currently offer.
This project has helped me become comfortable making decisions on suitable materials and components. For example
the TV lift was one component that needed proper research. First I used the Hafele book to look up what I felt was a
suitable product, then I rang Hafele direct to get a professional opinion and further details so I could make an informed
decision. I repeated this process many times on other projects and I have become very comfortable calling suppliers
because of this.
New materials such as the Dekton and XyloCleaf ranges have only recently been introduced to NKBCO and Richard
requested for them to be incorporated into most of the first floor showroom products. This gave me the opportunity to
make myself more knowledgeable about how they can be applied to different pieces of furniture.

Evaluation
68
I even rang up Lathems the supplier of XyloCleaf to ask a question, the phone call was regarding wether or not the
material was of work top grade, the answer was no. But as you can see in this portfolio the new materials have been
applied to many of the designs and therefore fulfilled my clients brief.
All my designs are inspired by reliable sources such as the design exhibition in Germany that Richard visited in January
2015 and other sources such as Pinterest and Hulster. The research is therefore up to date and trending throughout the
industry. I was able to use my research as inspiration and take different features to create my own unique styles and
concepts throughout the showroom.
The scale drawings that I have included in the portfolio are of industry standard and are used in our own work shop to
manufacture every order that is placed with the company. The drawings are in scale 1:20 and use the same format that
the lead designer taught me to use. Therefore my designs, if they are approved could realistically go straight into the
workshop and be manufactured without any input from a senior figure. The purpose of the 3D images is purely a visual
aid for the client to gain an understanding of what they are purchasing. Throughout this project my understanding of the
rendering software SU Podium has improved greatly and I have even been able to add lighting effects to my final designs.
This will help any reader to understand the concepts and give a much more realistic experience.
In summary I feel the whole project has helped develop my skills as a designer and as a salesman. I also feel that all of the
specification points have been met during the project and I can comfortably approach my client with the proposal. I feel
much more confident as I am more knowable about materials and processes than before and I feel capable of answering
any questions Richard may have about my proposal.

Design Showroom First Floor Newcastle Kitchen

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