The kitchen is often considered the main focal point of a home,
highlighting just how important it is for consumers to work with the right kitchen retail partner who can understand and facilitate their vision. When planning a redesign or new fitting, creating a concept kitchen can set the tone for other rooms, too; something that needs to be taken into account when planning. Many trends for 2019 are focused on offering styling and color palettes that also work throughout the home – all built around the kitchen, which sits at its heart.
To explore these designs, consumers are increasingly turning to online configurators and design sites – a trend that kitchen retailers need to leverage with an online 3D planning solution if they are to allow customers to fully explore their kitchen catalog by emulating current trends. These solutions can be invaluable in helping users to create their own concepts. It enables them to select and add kitchen items into their template and add new features to create their perfect kitchen.
For retailers, an online 3D design solution that is also integrated in-store is the perfect bridge between ecommerce and bricks and mortar. It draws customers and new shoppers into their portal and, crucially, keeps them there. Once a design is complete, rendered designs produce stunning photo-realistic visuals. Special effects such as shadows and shading, along with outside panoramas and vistas, complete the final ‘real-life’ look as though users were standing in the room.
Below are five key concept themes built in the HomeByMe platform; an example of the functionality that retailers can offer their own customers and sales teams to help increase engagement and drive sales.
Country farmhouse rusticism
For rustic living, even in suburbia, the farmhouse look is easily achieved with the use of worn antiques, open shelves, apron sinks and painted cabinets. Retailers can showcase brand new items alongside vintage or period style pieces, achieving the rugged feel of country living, but with the convenience of the modern era.
Worktops serve as the real focal point for any farmhouse design. They must be wooden, authentic and worn to achieve the desired effect. A 3D planning solution allows users to experiment with the different finishes available, whether rounded or square, planed or hewn. If a customer wants to see added effects such as picture frames, jars or crockery on the mantelpiece, 3D planning can piece together all the elements required to achieve and visualize the perfect look and feel.
Minimalist cool
Minimalist living is all about living with less, stripping back the unnecessary and keeping only to the bare essentials. Clean angular designs and black on white finishes deliver on style, while functional storage solutions support clutter-free living. Kitchen appliances, such as fridges or cookers, while providing function, need to blend with their surroundings so as not to cause distraction.
3D planning solutions provide the perfect antidote to clutter by supporting modular storage solutions that can be specified to exactly fit the space requirements, utilizing every inch available. Due to the versatility of the solution, retailers can provide customers with options for the style and look of their new kitchen, alongside the functionality for clean living and space efficiency.
Contemporary and modern styles
Contemporary living focuses on the present day, encapsulating the latest trends and ‘must-have’ gadgets and appliances. Due to the fast-paced advances in technology and the changing nature of trends in line with product collection release dates, designs need to be transitional and easy to adapt to remain current.
Using a 3D design template means users can come up with multiple designs in a matter of minutes. If one outcome doesn’t suit, they can create another version with a few simple button clicks. It is simply a matter of selecting a new product from a retailer’s inventory and adding it into a room layout. Once the final selections have been made, the 3D rendering solution produces a lifelike image to showcase the result, ready to take in-store and discuss with expert sales staff before purchasing. This winning design template can then be built upon or adapted in the future to suit changing requirements.
Romantic Parisian bistros at home
Known for its delicious cuisine and romantic connections, many consumers are looking to replicate that same Parisian experience in their own kitchens. Mood lighting, a snug atmosphere, elaborate awnings, classic bistro style furniture and the aroma of good food from a top-of-the-range fridge are all part of bringing a little bit of Paris home.
Achieving this look is simple using the power of 3D, with the ability to play with different lighting solutions paired with a selection of color schemes to really hone in on ensuring a cozy feel. With access to extensive product catalogs, consumers can easily search for the perfect showpieces to take this style to the next level, combining modern and vintage to achieve a sense of that much revered French sophistication.
Light and airy coastal kitchens
A holiday by the sea often evokes happy holiday memories and this nostalgia carries over into the kitchen. Consumers wishing to replicate the lighthouse effect, can opt for blue and airy color schemes, with matching complements of cream and golds for accessories and furnishings. The reclaimed driftwood–effect bar or workspace brings the perfect touch to a coastal paradise, acting as a striking yet practical focal feature.
Matching the perfect blend of colors and styles sometimes requires a helping hand. A 3D design solution provides the opportunity to experiment with colors across the entire room layout, making sure every element is on point to create a design ready to implement and share with in-store sales staff. The team can provide advice on enhancements, price savings, shortcuts or design tweaks to bring the kitchen design to professional standards.
Building brand loyalty and encouraging advocacy
An online 3D design solution is critical to seamlessly bridging the transition from online to instore, offering great value to retailers and consumers alike. The ability to produce multiple variations from the same template online makes home design as simple as possible. For retailers, this means that the sales cycle is considerably shortened. In-store design consultants can also create mock-ups within an hour, producing a design that will eventually produce the flat-plan for a final creation.
The result is greater satisfaction all round. 3D design solutions ensure that customers can fulfil their desire to DIY design, with all of the information needed to make accurate and well–planned decisions that they can ‘sign-off’ in-store. Store returns are also minimized, as after-sales disappointment is minimized at the outset.
Ultimately, incorporating the 3D design process and utilizing the power of visual concepts enables the retailer to build brand loyalty from the start of the customer journey through to the end. By making the design, production and planning process fun and hassle free, customers are much more inclined to advocate the virtues of the kitchen planning process and recommend it to friends, family and associates.
To further explore how you can add value to your kitchen retail business using 3D planning solutions and inspirational concept kitchens, visit our website built specifically to serve kitchen retailers where you can organize a demonstration of the platform with a member of our team of experts.
