“Long in the planning and build, but worth the wait” was certainly the overall feeling at the Melbourne opening of the new Let’s Talk Kitchens in Canterbury. With a much larger venue than previous, Rex Hirst, owner of LTK said in an exclusive interview with TKBB, that he wanted to show his customers that LTK was more than just kitchens. “It’s about kitchens, laundries, bathroom, wardrobes, entertainment units, home office, libraries, etc. every room in the home needs “boxes” of some sort in every room. For too long this industry has seemingly only dealt with kitchens. I wanted to show what else we do, and what we could do, so we needed to get a much larger property, preferably one with a lot of character.”
Acclaimed independent Victorian designer, Royston Wilson, who acted as the showroom designer certainly had some challenges: “In a lot of ways, the showroom project was very different. The brief was so much wider than what you would have on a normal consumer project. You’re not just designing for an individual or family but for a population! With a showroom, you only have one chance to capture the attention of consumers passing by – this can make the difference between a potential sale or zero!” (And by all accounts the work Royston did is exceptional and as with all good designers, filled the brief!)
But why the move, the old showroom had successfully served the clients of LTK for over 15 years, and some “outspoken industry experts” questioned the company’s decision? “Certainly the old venue had been successful, but we felt that our business needed to expand its mix of clients. We recognised that the old location didn’t reflect where the business was and in a 5k radius of our new showroom there is the highest per capita household income – in the country”
One of the many guests passing comment at Thursday’s opening was Blum Australia’s Ron Redman: “The Lets Talk Kitchen Showroom in Canterbury Melbourne is truly of an international standard. It is a credit to Rex Hirst and his team. The displays, which include kitchens, bathroom and furniture, allow the curious visitor the experience of discovering the most innovative collection of design and function in an environment that is not only welcoming but truly inspiring. We congratulate LTK on this fantastic achievement.”
It will be interesting to see if the wider community that LTK seek, agree with their decision. Personally I do, excellent location, superbly designed and fitted displays, and a great design and sales team. TKKB wishes Rex and his team all the best for the future, if you’ve got a new display or showroom opening let us know, we’re constantly asked for as much Australian content as possible on this Blog – show us what you’ve got!
