We want every customer to have the best kitchen for them at a price they can afford.
The words of John Le Masurier of kitchen company, Kutchenhaus, whom I met at their Petersfield Showroom earlier this week. Deciding where to buy a new kitchen is a minefield. When there are so many suppliers around, how do you differentiate? Carl has been recommending Kutchenhaus kitchens for a long time, so I went along to find out why.
On my way there. I pass another kitchen company just around the corner from them, so I start by asking John how they co-exist so close together. He grins at me. “Healthy competition,” is the reply. In the ensuing conversation, I discover why he is sanguine about rival stores.
Essentially it comes down to the confidence he has in the quality of the product and their customer service. It’s what sets Kutchenhaus apart from the rest, he tells me.
“For a start, every customer who walks in is treated like they’re the most important person in the store that day – because they are. We don’t put pressure on people to make a sale or to complete the process. We work at the customer’s pace, so if the consultation, design and eventual installation takes a year or longer, that’s fine. But if you want it done quickly, we can do that too.”
The quality of the kitchens is something John has absolute confidence in. He’s been to the factories many times to see how well they’re made and observe the rigorous tests they undergo. He tells me about the robots opening and closing kitchen drawers and cupboards 24/7, stress-testing the durability of runners and hinges for 15 years’ worth of wear and tear.
Kutchenhaus is a German company and part of Nobilia, Europe’s largest manufacturer of Kitchens supplied to over 90 countries. It was founded in 1945 by two brothers and is still a family business, albeit one with more employees than average (around 4523 at the last count). They opened two new production plants in 2021 and the scale of operations means they produce 3500 kitchens every single day.
It’s the scale and volume of production that means their product doesn’t cost as much as a small house. Marketed as affordable German kitchens, they are known for their first-rate design and engineering, and value for money.
It’s about as bespoke as you can get without actually being bespoke.
John tells me that Kutchenhaus has a product or unit for pretty much everything. And if they don’t, they can more often than not assemble one for you. “It’s about as bespoke as you can get without actually being bespoke.” On the rare occasions that something goes awry, or a builder damages a panel or drawer front, the issue is resolved for the customer as quickly and painlessly as possible.
The kitchens in the showroom are understatedly stylish with that indefinable element that quietly suggests excellence, first-rate design and attention to detail. Anti-fingerprint fronts and ceramic, heat and scratch-resistant work surfaces are proving popular with customers at the moment, while contemporary pastel colours for 2024, like coral and jade, are starting to sell.
Kutchenhaus is the fastest growing kitchen franchise in the UK which seems to suggest that we’re all going kitchen crazy, or the company are doing something very well indeed. Maybe it’s both. I checked their reviews on Trustpilot and saw dozens of five-star reviews, which speaks volumes.
As I prepare to leave, knowing I’ll be back when the time comes for my own new kitchen, John’s colleague, Linda, tells me: “When the installation is complete, we want each customer to be grinning like a Cheshire cat every single time they enter their new kitchen.”
There are Kutchenhaus showrooms across the UK, and you’ll find John, Mushtak and Linda in the Petersfield branch, and his colleagues in Chichester, Romsey and Whiteley, which opened in 2023. Check out their latest photos and updates on Instagram.
CARL Architect Ltd has no affiliation with Kuchenhaus or John Le Masurier, we just know a good thing when we see one.
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