May 9, 2012 by admin
The team’s back from a great show at the NEC . Naidex National is the premier disability, rehabilitation and homecare event in the UK with over 300 exhibitors and thousands of visitors. This year it took place over three days at the prestigious Birmingham exhibition centre and we installed a fully featured kitchen in the Independent Living Show Home at the heart of the event.
This was a great opportunity to show how far accessible kitchens have come in recent years, and to exhibit a kitchen that might be fitted in a typical family home where both wheelchair users and ambulant family and friends could access the space. In the Naidex design, some worksurfaces are at fixed standard height, and others are height adjustable so that everyone has a comfortable place to prepare meals and drinks. All the important kitchen elements are fully accessible and importantly, a little safer. One day all kitchens could contain these features. Imagine how much landfill could be eliminated if all kitchens could be used by the whole family, for life!
Only ten years ago kitchen designers were struggling to break away from cold, clinical colour schemes. Now our designers have a full range of colours and wood finishes to choose from, and we’re not confined to delicate mfc (melamine faced chipboard). We can specify durable laminate doors on our kitchens (the same tough material commonly used for worktops) which will take knocks and scuffs from wheelchair footplates and walking frames in their stride. Kitchen cabinets can also be made to any dimension, which means they can be tailored to each client’s precise requirements, and still offer built-in flexibility. In the Naidex design above, we have specified midi-height storage units around the ovens, so that every cupboard can be accessed from a wheelchair or perching stool, and this height can be tailored to the reach of an individual client.
We specify a carefully curated range of appliances with extra safety features, including an oven with a door that slides into a recess beneath the oven cavity called the Neff SlideAway. In this kitchen we are also demonstrating an L-shaped rise and fall worktop, which accommodates both sink and induction hob. We are increasingly using this solution as it makes the essential elements of the kitchen accessible to every kitchen user and requires a single rise and fall hydraulic mechanism. We specify Ropox hydraulics which are durable and reliable. The rise and fall worktop is made to our own carefully developed design from a water resistant material called Corian. The sink area is equipped with front-mounted taps, and a convenient instant hot water tap – the modern, safer equivalent of the kettle. The designer extractor hood can be operated by remote control for ease and safety.
The Design Matters team chatted with hundreds of visitors during Naidex National. Next we’re looking forward to Naidex South in October, where this kitchen will be making a second appearance! If you’d like to keep in touch with us, you can ‘like’ our Facebook page which will ensure you get all our news on accessible kitchens, or follow us on Twitter - @designmatters3.
For more pictures and details of recent projects, visit the Portfolio pages of our web site. If you would like to discuss your own kitchen project, please contact us by email using this link or call us on the office number: 01628 531584 and make an appointment to see our fully accessible showroom. and meet Adam Thomas our award winning designer.
April 4, 2012 by admin
We are delighted to confirm that Design Matters will be supplying a state of the art accessible kitchen for the Naidex 2012 Show House at Birmingham’s NEC from 1-3 May.
The house itself is being built by iHUS, and Adam Thomas is currently putting the final touches to the design and colour scheme of the fully featured accessible kitchen that we are having built specially for the show. We hope to be able to release more details soon.
Please pass the word to friends, family and colleagues and be sure to come and say hello at the show.
If you would like to make an appointment to see Adam during Naidex 2012, a limited amount of time has been set aside for this purpose. Please contact the office if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, and bring along a sketch outline of your existing kitchen space if you would like to talk with Adam about a specific project.
We look forward very much to showing you our latest design ideas, and hope to see you there!
January 20, 2012 by admin
We are delighted to present a gorgeous new accessible kitchen recently fitted at the West London home of Geoff Adams-Spink, former BBC correspondent and producer and currently Director of Adams-Spink Ltd. Mr Adams-Spink has upper limb disabilities and severely impaired vision as a result of the morning sickness drug, thalidomide. Following an injury in the 1990s, he also has chronic back pain.
Geoff worked closely with designer Adam Thomas to create the perfect kitchen for his newly extended home. The goal was to create a modern, yet timeless kitchen that would be a real asset to the house. Geoff selected Access Matters light oak furniture in a simple shaker style. It was important to incorporate good visual cues into the design, so dark polished granite worksurfaces were added to the scheme along with light porcelain floor tiles. This makes it much easier to see the edges of the worksurfaces. Careful lighting choices also emphasise the perimeters of the floor and provide focussed task lighting on the large island unit.
The impressive Elica Om extractor hood can be operated by remote control, as can other accessories in the room. A striking blue glass splashback, above the hob, picks up the colour of the LED plinth lighting and provides an easy-clean surface in the main cooking zone. Appliances have been set at very precise heights to ensure good access, and heat resistant pullout surfaces beneath each oven allow hot food to be transferred safely. Neff SlideAway ovens were selected for this design because their doors disappear into a void beneath the oven cavity, creating a safer cooking experience.
Mr Adams-Spink believes that the beauty of his kitchen lies in the subtlety of the accessible features, which are not immediately apparent. And for us this room is the epitome of a well designed accessible kitchen; function and form in perfect harmony, and a totally bespoke solution for our client.
More images of this superb room can be found by using this link. If you would like more details about our accessible kitchen service, give us a call and arrange to meet Adam to discuss your requirements.
Filed under: DM News, Press
Tagged: Access Matters, Accessible, Accessible Kitchens, Adam Thomas, Elica, Geoff Adams-Spink, Glass, Granite, kitchens, Liebherr, Miele, Oak Kitchen, Thalidomide
January 10, 2012 by admin
A very Happy New Year to all our clients, suppliers and colleagues in the industry! This year we’re celebrating 20 years in business with a fantastic New Year’s offer for all new orders placed by Easter 2012. Read all about it using this link.
Our passion for beautiful kitchens and exceptional workmanship is the motivation behind the Design Matters team. Hot off the press this month are two great examples of the finest British craftsmanship; stunning projects using Edwin Loxley bespoke furniture which we have just posted on our Classic Kitchens portfolio pages.
The kitchen featured below is Premier Shaker style from Edwin Loxley in a combination of painted oak, and oak framed doors with pippy oak centre panels. This very simple shaker door style, with a narrow frame set into a wooden frame is shaker style in its purest form. Ivory brown polished granite and square knobs have been chosen by our client and the finished result is classically stylish. The adjacent room has been fitted with matching oak storage which is featured in more detail in our portfolio pages for this project .
The kitchen shown below is a shaker moulded door from Edwin Loxley, which has an interesting ‘bead’ detail on the door frame. This small addition gives it a slightly more traditional feel without becoming fussy. This kitchen was factory primed and hand painted on site for handmade perfection. Antique bronze door knobs and polished Ivory Fantasy granite complete the picture. The furniture extends to the adjacent dining area with bespoke cabinetry and display shelves. For more images, go the the page for this project.
September 22, 2011 by admin
Adam Thomas, the UK’s leading accessible kitchen designer will be a delegate at the Case Management Society Annual Conference , at the Gatwick Hilton in early October.
The Conference tagline is: ‘A Life Changed – Case Management Intervention’. Of particular interest to Adam will be the items on Back Injuries and Motivating Clients on 4 October, since these two areas inform much of his work.
There will be an opportunity to meet Adam over lunch on 4 October, or afterwards over drinks.
If you would like to set up a meeting, please contact the office with your details so that Adam can keep in touch.
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