Irish Kitchen industry news, irish Bedroom industry news

Award Winning Kitchen Design-Interview with Joanne Reilly, McAdam Kitchens

In 2011 Joanne Reilly was voted KRI Ireland’s Young Designer of the Year. She has also been shortlisted by the KBB Review in the category Kitchen Design up to €30,000 (winners will be announced on March 5th, 2012). Joanne graduated from the DIT College of Marketing and Design with a degree in Interior and Furniture Design and following a few months spent as a bathroom designer she joined McAdam’s Fitted Kitchens in Cavan in 2005 and has been designing kitchens there since. The IKBA asked Joanne to share her top kitchen design tips for the homeowner planning a new kitchen. Here’s what she wrote:

"Have your kitchen designed professionally. It is important that you develop a good relationship with your kitchen designer. They should be able to listen to your requirements and incorporate the right solutions taking into consideration things such as space and budget. The most important things I work on with my customers when designing a kitchen is creating a practical layout, incorporating as much of the wish list as possible and doing this within the clients given budget. Also with every kitchen I try to give it something special – the “wow-factor” as some people call it. This I feel is something that makes the kitchen personal to each client. The layout of the kitchen is what makes it a success or not. It must work for you and your family’s lifestyle now and in the future. Forget the old design rule of the kitchen triangle as it doesn’t relate to the modern family and how they use the kitchen. The kitchen is much more of a family space today coping with many more tasks that in previous years. It is more important these individual tasks can be completed efficiently. Dynamic space by Blum demonstrates this very well in that it shows the kitchen as five zones rather than the traditional space containing sink, fridge and cooker. Maximising storage is also a key to success within the kitchen. Pullout drawers maximise storage and use the space much more efficiently. Corners can have pullout shelving for easy access rather than keeping stuff buried in the corner for years without use. It is much more important for everything that you require in the kitchen to have an accessible dedicated space rather than have rows of cupboards where things get buried for years."