New Year, New Designs & the Sun’s Out. Happy New Year to all of you! As John Lennon said, “Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.” I’m excited to embark on this journey through 2024. I know it will be ‘a good one’, filled with fun, creativity, and much to share.
The year started wonderfully – the sun peeked out last Sunday, prompting me to enjoy a peaceful, albeit chilly, paddle down by the old boats. Moments like these are perfect for reflection and creativity. On that note, I’ve been busy at my drawing board, working on several new exciting designs, including innovative living spaces that redefine comfort and style. Plus, I’m nearly ready to start that floor plan video design thing I mentioned months ago.
My students are starting to design a seaplane terminal in Southampton, which has got me thinking about summer plans. I’ve high hopes they’ll have the terminal finished by July, fueling my dream of a European tour on a classic flying boat. After a stop in Deauville, I will land on the Seine to see the Olympics. Then, a quick hop to Plage de Pontaillac for a surf, down to Cap Ferret, and then onto Santander, before blasting over the Pyrenees for a few days in Palma, then Corsica and finishing up in Capri. Here’s hoping my trusty old Sandringham Short Beachcomber is ready for such an adventure!
This month’s newsletter features a chat with John from our favourite kitchen company, Neil’s property predictions for this year, and our regular wine feature with Lucy, which is always a highlight.
Are you a culinary enthusiast with recipes to share? We are looking to feature a new recipe each month. Send in your delicious creations, and you might receive a bottle of fine wine in return! Please contact Lisa with your recipes so we can add some flavour to this newsletter!
Keep an eye out for our next edition, where I’ll be sharing our build cost data for early 2024.
My architectural heaven
This month’s newsletter is loosely themed around kitchens and Art Deco style. Why Art Deco? Well, I spent Christmas in Miami (I know I know but someone had to) which is home to the most extensive collection of Art Deco buildings in the world. I love this style and spent hours wandering around gazing at the fabulous pastel-hued hotels that are the calling card of South Beach.
The style is epitomised by geometric shapes, curved corners and symmetrical windows with ‘eyebrows.’ It developed during the 1930s and the main architects behind it were Lawrence Murray Dixon and Henry Hohauser. Between them, they transformed Miami Beach from a sandy swamp of a Florida outpost, decimated by a hurricane, into a stylish, glamorous destination and a tropical playground for the rich and famous (it already had sun, sea and sand).
In the 1950s it attracted celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and his pals, as well as the likes of Al Capone, who had been using it as a base for his liquor smuggling during prohibition. In 1964 The Beatles stayed at the Deauville Hotel and there was a repeat of the celebrity influx in the 1990s, fueled by Miami Vice (what else?). So I was surprised to learn, on my cocktail tour of the district, that in between these periods, many of these beautiful buildings fell into disrepair and some were even demolished.
It was thanks to the Miami Design Preservation League, formed in 1976 and led by Barbara Baer Capitman, that the historic district exists today. Thank God! I thanked Barbara personally as I walked past her statue on Ocean Drive on Christmas Day.
If there was a point to writing this, other than indulging my holiday memories, I guess it’s about preserving what you have before you lose it forever, which could just as easily apply to many other things in life. It’s not a bad thought to start the new year with.
Meanwhile, if I ever stop spending money on travel, I might be able to afford a new kitchen. Which brings me to my next item.
Planning a new kitchen?
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. Carl has been recommending their 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.
2024’s movers and shakers
This week I had a chat with Neil Maxwell, Director at Fry & Kent estate agents in Southsea as he updated us on the situation since September.
Q According to most news outlets, house prices will fall again in 2024: eg the FT The Times and Forbes. Meanwhile, the Guardian says we’re past ‘peak pain’ but agrees that prices will drop by up to 4% year on year etc. What are your thoughts?
A I find it hard to believe that, given a national housing shortage, prices for a commodity in short supply should fall. Recent indicators before Christmas showed prices making a slight gain. The reality is though as interest rates go up the market stalls until there is a plateau which I believe we have now reached and we have been seeing signs of improvement since October.
Q What does this mean for people who were holding off last year and who would like to move this year?
A With some unbelievable mortgage rates now on offer, I believe it is becoming cheaper to buy than rent so we will see more first-time buyers enter the marketplace and those who have been putting off moving take steps into the market, aiming to fix a mortgage deal before the general election.
Q What does this mean for home improvements? Usually, people do up their bathroom or get a new kitchen when these features are really old or when they move house.
A Home improvements are big business at the moment if you can find a contractor with space in his schedule to help. Refreshing key areas of the home is really helpful and adds to the saleability, but not always the value.
Q The cost of living crisis must be squeezing people, but many of the builders we speak to are still busy – what are people having done? Are extensions and major remodels still being considered instead of a move?
A Yes extensions and remodels are being used instead of moving, with the cost of stamp duty legal fees etc some people decide to spend this money on improving their current home rather than give it to the Government.
Q And what about interest rate forecasts?
A Interest rates had been predicted to come down this year and, as an optimist, I hope they do. But there are several global inflationary factors which could impact the ability of the Bank of England to cut rates.
Q Any other predictions or thoughts for this year and beyond?
I believe 2024 will see an active housing market as confidence returns and better mortgage deals are more prevalent. With many people having sat on the fence for so long, it’s a natural conclusion. Anyone contemplating a move should ensure they make use of good estate agents with local knowledge, experience and integrity rather than those relying on computer modelling to come up with the answers!
New year and three new wines to try
1) Tikves Smedrevka – Macedonia: fresh and zesty with notes of white flowers and jasmine, this dry white is crisp with balanced acidity and pairs well with seafood.
2) Oumsiyat Soupir Rose – Bekaa Valley, Lebanon: a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Tempranillo, this is a fuller style of rose with robust fruit flavours, making it a perfect winter rose, and goes great with dishes that have a little spice.
3) Maggio Petit Sirah – Lodi, California: a full-flavoured jammy red, which will warm you up on a winter night, and pairs perfectly with slow-cooked meats. Full-bodied, hearty and delicious!
All wines are available at Wines by the Sea, Albert Rd, Southsea.
This week’s links
Some of those fabulous Miami Art Deco buildings and some Art Deco in the UK.
Let Emma help inspire you to plan your kitchen.
If I ever get my new kitchen then I’d like some Art Deco tiles like these or these available through Tiled of Southsea.
I drank a lot of margaritas in Miami – here’s Stanley Tucci making one in his rather splendid kitchen.
