Cutting edge design and Eco, outstanding !

Ey up my faithful blogworms, this weeks adventure gives me a sense of immense pride. It's getting harder and harder to be totally inventive within our industry and when you create a totally brand new product there's always that moment of trepidation wondering whether people will share your enthusiasm.

I've already given you the revolutionary Milestone Handleless Shaker in a previous blog but it appears it wasn't just a flash in the pan as we've had a lot of interest, resulting in another one and here it is.

This is a rework of a kitchen we did 10 years ago for a lovely couple who were quite brave, for them, and used a burnt orange glass splashback in the layout.

They fell in love with my new creation and wanted us to refurb their kitchen using it. All our kitchens are created using our top quality cabinets thus enabling this sort of thing to be carried out later without any worries about whether the cabs will still be good enough to take it.

Anyway, here's the pics:

The original kitchen being stripped down ready for re-dooring, keeping the granite tops and Burnt Orange splashbacks.

Back then we used a fairly standard flat cream door with handles in the normal manner as was the fashion of the day

The new doors and drawer fronts going on with new panels, plinths etc to keep it all together

We laid a solid hardwood floor originally and after 10 years it was looking a bit rough as you can imagine so, while we were there, a good sanding and 4 coats of lacquer and it looks as good as new ! There's potentially a whole new blog here but suffice it to say, we only fit natural unfinished hardwood and finish it with flooring specific, water based lacquers so that it is easy and very successful to bring it back to life some years down the road. We NEVER fit prefinished floors as they never looks the same again when trying to refinish them !

A clean contemporary look never before possible in a Shaker door until Milestone got on the case !

The finished effect is that of a brand spanking new kitchen, no handles to spoil the overall look and the couple are highly delighted with it ! The doors are very subtly 2 different colours with the lighter shade at the top.

We are so delighted, as are our customers, with the finished job that we feel it's high time we put the revolutionary Milestone Handleless Shaker door on display here at Milestone HQ. The parts lists have been done and the cunning plan set in motion so give us a few weeks, realistically after Xmas, and come and have a look and tell us what you think, we'd love your feedback !!

I just love been cutting edge and it's extremely gratifying when other people agree with you.

As a footnote and with our commitment to the planet, these doors can be made in two ways:

1) As part of our Eco Organic range being made, as here, from sustainably produced Tulipwood and painted with Organic paint

OR 

2) If Eco's not your thing, made from furniture grade green MDF and painted with our normal, low VOC, water based lacquers coming in at lower cost.

Watching the pennies and the planet. 

Jules

Live long and prosper !

Ey up my faithful blogworms, firstly we have a new member of staff ready to start with us on Nov 17th so we're good to go again. An enthusiastic lady who I'm sure over time you will get to meet and really looking forward to her starting here at Milestone HQ.

To recent projects now, we've just completed another small but perfectly formed kitchen for a couple whose parents are coming to live with them. They've built an annex on the side of the house and the kitchen will give them their own independence.

All you need to function day to day in a short run of units measuring only 2650mm all in.

Starting with a split unit on the left providing a fridge built under with a compact multi-function oven built into a seperate unit sat on the worktop, the best way to achieve this combo and not compromise the venting of either.

Moving right with base storage, into a drawer pack with hob over it, a compact dishwasher to the right up to the sink base and a taller than normal end panel to provide a stop end preventing stuff falling off the end. A wall unit for somewhere to store your basics and put things away out of the dishwasher.

Small but perfectly formed, the units are in our ever popular 'Mussel' colour with a white sparkly Quartz for the worktops for durability and ease of cleaning.

The Mussel colour has been, and is continuing to be, one of those colours that comes along once in a while that just seems to capture peoples imagination.

It's an easy to live with colour that takes us away from the cream concept and provides a bit more interest while still being in the neutrals bracket that ticks the box for most people.

It's one of those colours that whether you dress it traditional or really modern with the full spectrum of worktop colours, it just seems to work. 

Long may it continue.

Bit of a short blog today, I'm afraid, but I have a lot of order planning and processing to catch up with, as you can imagine, so I'll sign off and see you all next week.

As Mr Spock on Star Trek used to say ..... Live long and prosper .... we intend to !

Jules

Modernising backwards

Ey up my faithful blogworms,

It is with sadness today that I have to report that Charlotte, our much valued showroom manageress has left Milestone HQ due to personal reasons but I'm pleased to say that she will be working "satellite" from home for a while yet so you can still email her if you need to !

Meanwhile we begin a search for her successor ! Could it be you ??

If you've missed me these last couple of weeks or so, we have all been on holiday but back now and firing on all 4 cylinders. 

We have new product to bring on stream in the form of a retro material for cabinets and doors called "beige linen" and I hope the pictures below at least give you an idea of what it looks like ! 

Our new linen pattern material showing cabinet interior and door

My pic of the material

The manufacturers pic of same thing

Made up into a full cabinet and door

It's really the sort of thing that you need to see "in the flesh" to appreciate fully. As you would expect with all our products, both can be made any size you need: both standard and custom sized. 
So, it can be used as:

Replacement doors to facelift your kitchen. Modernising it backwards in time, if you like !

Complete units, matching cabinet and doors

And using linen cabinets as a base for your kitchen with any door of your choice fitted to it.


The pattern harks back to the heady days of the 60's and 70's, so very much in keeping with the current retro or nostalgia trend.

We are also trialling a "concrete" effect material to the same end which offers something with a bit more interest and detail to fit in with the current popularity for various shades of grey. And, No, I don't think there's 50 shades of it, before you ask !!
We are waiting for this board to come in, so when it's made up into a display unit, I'll let you all know. We think it looks really interesting and a bit different but we'll let you decide ! 

Think that's all for now but stay tuned for further developments, as they say.

Don't forget, if you're looking for a new career path and keen on design, do let me know.

You know by now that we don't stand still and are always looking for new and different ways to do what we do and if you would like to be part of it, let me know 

As ever. Jules