Celebrating 20 Years of Beautiful Kitchens! In honour of our 20 year anniversary, we are giving away a free QUOOKER PRO3-VAQ boiling water tap in polished chrome valued at £870 for each new kitchen order before Easter 2012. Minimum order applies – please see below.

The Quooker is the only hot water tap that delivers boiling water at 100 degrees. Perfect for making tea and other hot drinks at the twist of a dial. Of course you can also fill up a pasta pan, blanch vegetables, heat up plates and serving platters, make coffee, prepare baby formula, peel tomatoes, remove candle wax and even poach fish! All done in a moment and with a continuous supply of water at 100°C. Fast, fuel efficient and much smarter than a kettle.

Terms and Conditions: Product being offered is Quooker PRO3-VAQ in polished chrome only. There is a choice of three different tap styles. Minimum order value: £15,000. Installation must form part of your order. Orders must be confirmed by payment of a deposit in line with our standard terms and conditions before Easter 2012. The tap is valued at £870 including VAT. The cost of installation is not included. The cost of any water filter selected by the customer is not included. May not be used in conjunction with any other offer, discount or special terms. This offer does not affect your statutory rights.

In order to qualify for this valuable offer appliances must be ordered as part of an complete kitchen from Design Matters, and it must include installation. The order must include one Gaggenau product from each of the three qualifying product categories:

1. Ovens (including Combi-Steam and Microwave Ovens)
2. Cooktops or Ventilation Products or Coffee Machines
3. Dishwashers

The order must be placed up to and including 31 January 2013. This scheme applies only to appliances installed in the UK and ROI. Applications must be received within strict time guidlines.

Provided these terms are met, all Gaggenau items that form part of the order will qualify for the extended warranty.

Contact Natalie in the Design Matters office for more information and to apply for this sensational deal.

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.

If you love the classic good looks of polished granite, then this offer is for you. Contact the office for more details, or speak to your Design Matters Design Consultant to make sure you are getting the best value for money.

Our friends at Neff are giving Design Matters customers a chance to win diamonds worth £5,000 with purchases of a Neff Dishwasher. The draw includes a first prize of diamonds worth £5,000, a second prize of £2,500 and a third prize of £1,000. In addition there will be 5 monthly mini-draws where you could also win £250 worth of John Lewis Vouchers.

In order to take advantage of this amazing offer, buy any Neff dishwasher as part of a kitchen order through Design Matters and answer a simple multiple choice question on the Diamond Prize Draw entry form. All entries must be received by 18 May 2012 – for more information visit the Neff website.

Neff appliances are a huge favourite with our clients, and this sparkling offer reflects the brilliant results you get from Neff Dishwashers and Finish dishwasher tablets which are recommended by Neff for their outstanding clean and shine.

Good luck to all our customers!

Design Matters will be appearing at Naidex South from 19-20 October 2011. Naidex South is the new exhibition for SouthEast England providing inspiration for families and individuals affected by disability, learning difficulties, long term conditions including arthritis, diabetes, dementia and autism, to live more independently.

Adam Thomas of Design Matters will be available for individual appointments during Naidex South. Book your appointment now by calling the office or emailing us.

At our stand we will be demonstrating a Ropox rise and fall table, distributing brochures and leaflets  and responding to queries from visitors. For more information on the show and to register, visit the Naidex South web site.

To make your visit to Naidex South even more worthwhile, the GLA Disability Capital Conference 2011 will also be taking place at ExCel London to celebrate independent living in the Capital. The conference will include sessions on the 2012 Paralympic Games and the work that is already taking place to improve access to transport, employment and disability arts in London.

Speakers include Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People. Topics will include Olympic legacy, transport, hate crime, volunteering, London debt strategy, changing faces, invisible disability and disability equality in practice. London 2012 Paralympic Athletes will also be attending to meet visitors, share their experiences and explain how you can get involved.

Follow this link to the Disability Capital web site for more information.

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.

We are delighted to announce that Ruby Slippers Solutions Ltd are now distributors of Access Matters kitchen furniture across Central Scotland.

Ruby Slippers specialises in helping people enjoy their homes for longer through careful design and planning. Working on principles of ‘ageless design’, they offer a full range of home improvements including kitchens, bathrooms, stair lifts and access ramps. Company founder Lisa McMyn is passionate about her business and plans to further expand the Ruby Slippers offering to include an online boutique with carefully selected products that are designed to make life easier at home.

The Ruby Slippers team have just completed their first kitchen using Access Matters furniture and it is stunning. We are delighted that the Access Matters range of furniture can now be enjoyed by a wider audience and we look forward to many more successful collaborations with Lisa and her team.

Visit the Ruby Slippers web site to read about this beautiful kitchen project, and to see what the client had to say about her new kitchen.

For more details of the Ruby Slippers service, contact 0131 660 9574 or send them an email using this link.

The compact CM5100 Barista freestanding coffee machine is Miele’s first countertop bean-to-cup appliance.

Much more compact than previous freestanding models, this unit has touch-controls and a scroll-through menu for its many brewing options. It makes the perfect cup by allowing selection of coffee strength and water quantity, with four cup size options. The coarseness of the grind can also be specified, and its 15bar pump is capable of producing a fine and creamy ‘crema’ layer.

The CM5100 Barista comes in white or black with stainless steel highlights and Miele have produced a short video to promote its launch which can be viewed here.

The CM5100 will be available in the UK from November 2010 with RRP starting at £999.

Adam talks to Lara Masters about his campaigning days, and how the Access Matters range of furniture came about. Read the full article now at the Disability Now web site.