Design studio for Kitchens, Bathrooms, Laundries, Wardrobes, Livingrooms

We know Melbourne joinery market, better than anyone else. Melbourne has some high quality  manufacturers, but there is a lack of very good designers.  There are typically 3 categories of joinery companies:

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-Manufacturers only. These companies work on plans done by architects, designers, builders etc. They do not provide design service.

-One man band or  small manufacturers, where the owner is the designer, manager, cabinet maker, check measure. Most of these small manufacturers use a cad software and the design they provide will come straight from the library of that particular software

-Kitchen designer companies. These companies are generally well established, have showrooms and work with several designers. These companies will send the designer out, chat with the client, generate plans and quotation and close the deal.  Some are manufacturers themselves, some outsource the cabinetry from elsewhere.

 

How do you become a designer in Melbourne?

 

The kitchen designer is also the cabinet maker 

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There is a big advantage in knowing how the kitchen is built, what can and can’t be done, and the finishes and hardware available. Most cabinet makers use cad programs such as Cabmaster, Cabinet Vison,  Quisine, Cadpro etc. The software has a significant database of cabinets, handles and benchtops so you can simply drag and drop them into your designed floor plan easily. Reaching a decently designed kitchen isn’t hard, but  that only covers the planning, not designing. It is one thing to know what materials to use, it is a completely other thing to know how it should be used for creating a functional space.

 

A  person who worked for the same cabinet maker for long

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This person grew up with the company and could have been in administration, or the check measurer, or simply a relative. They learnt all they know from observation and their colleagues and are trying their best at kitchen planning and designing without any formal training or experience. 

 

The kitchen designer has a background in sales

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There are many companies that will advertise kitchen designer jobs, emphasising ‘sales’. A ‘salesperson’ with design abilities:” all training supplied”. What that company tries to do is to use the sales knowledge of that candidate for selling kitchens. But there is more to selling kitchens than just using a funnel selling technique or the gift of the gab. At the end of the day, the kitchen has to work without anyone having to convince the clients.

 

The kitchen designer has a background in architecture

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They have spatial understanding, 3D representation, and rendering skills. But what we have noticed throughout the years is that the architects tend to pay less attention to their client’s domestic needs regarding storage, bench space and drawers and focus more on the design. Design is great but focusing on creating a statement piece fit for a magazine cover rather than what a client actually wants or needs will not generate the satisfaction and usability that a good kitchen needs to have.

 

As you can see, kitchen designers and planners come from far and wide backgrounds, hence their expertise vary greatly.

 

Best of both worlds

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Valentin Tinc of 5 Rooms  has starting designing kitchens in 1991, has a Bachelor in Fine Arts and Design, taught design for 9 years at various universities, wrote several books on kitchen design, runs a school for kitchen designers and informs himself constantly with latest trends , finishes, accessories available on the market. He has an unique experience among the designers from Melbourne. Because his experience , we are able to offer a high quality service, employ valuable expertise and knowledge into the designs we produce. With us you are in a winning situation: you will get high quality designs and we will recommend the best manufacturers.