With a focus on providing a resource for the kitchen & bathroom design, interior design, building and building design industries, Melanie Gardener and Simon Hodgson decided to create The Kitchen & Bathroom Blog in 2013. The blog celebrated its 10th birthday in 2023.
Having started as a side project, the Blog has grown to become a fully-searchable resource for the industry with daily weekday posts together with a weekly email roundup of stories. 2024 will see the blog relaunched (again) with new functionality and added sections.
Melanie has worked in the kitchen & bathroom industry for the past 24 years. She is the Editor of the Blog and is the main point of contact for all Blog-related enquiries. Melanie is responsible for the daily curation of stories and articles and runs the Blog’s social media profiles. Melanie has a background in Journalism and Marketing and also provides a range of digital marketing and copywriting services to the industry, including work for various industry associations.
Apart from a gap during the pandemic, Melanie regularly attends important design trade shows both in Australia and overseas and often undertakes public speaking engagements with both consumer and industry audiences to report on the latest designs, ideas and innovations. She has also spoken at specific industry events about digital marketing and PR within this highly-specialised sector.
Together with Simon, she is a tour leader for Australia International Design Tours (AIDT) which runs study tours to significant international design shows; in 2015 to Interzum in Cologne, Germany; in 2016 to iSalone in Milan, Italy; in 2017 to Interzum; in 2019 to iSalone; and in 2019 to ISH in Frankfurt, Germany. Tours have been on hold since the pandemic but in 2024 the group visited Milan, Italy for Salone del Mobile.Milano and Milan Design Week. Plans for a 2025 tour to Milan are underway!
Simon has more than 45 years experience across the kitchen and bathroom industry including wholesale and retail appliances, manufacture and installation of kitchens and bathrooms, design and industry training.
Simon is regularly asked to speak at functions in Australia and overseas on various industry issues to both consumer and industry groups and has led groups of designers to the major European shows, Salone del Mobile.Milano (incorporating Eurocucina, FTK and Salone Bagno), Interzum and ISH.
Simon has served various sectors of the housing and design industry in the capacities of National Chair of Housing Industry Association (HIA) Kitchens and Bathrooms, Member of HIA National Policy Congress, Chair of HIA Kitchens and Bathrooms in NSW and a Committee Member of HIA NSW Regional Executive. He was also a Director of the Kitchen and Bathroom Designers Institute of Australia (KBDi), having served on the board for five years since the organisation’s inception.
In December 2020, Simon was elected to the Board of the Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA).
Both Melanie and Simon are independent contractors to the kitchen and bathroom sector in Australia. From time to time, articles may appear on this blog where either one or both are contracted to the company featured in the article.
