There’s nothing better than seeing kitchens, displayed in their own habitat, to get a full picture of a brand, particularly if they are trying to find a foothold in the UK. And that’s exactly what we did, taking a trip to Ewe (pronounced Evie) new 1,600sq m showroom in Linz, Austria, to see its flagship Intuo brand.
Images hardly do the brand justice. Silky to the touch, black matt glass was shown alongside stylish horizontal woodgrains (shown). And these furniture ranges were joined by booked-matched walnut veneer, which is held in stock for two years should damage occur to the units. Each of the roomsets provided real design inspiration, including concealed wall units, inset stainless storage, and the use of cabinets as room dividers.
But the talking point of the showroom was the Virtual Design Studio, allowing retailers and their customers to try out combinations of door fronts and worktops. This technology allows you to choose the kitchen and worktop on screen, then the computer image is beamed onto furniture blanks to create a genuine 3D kitchen. Of course, this virtual impression doesn't provide textures, but a display stand of samples can help those who need to look and touch their kitchen before purchase. According to Gunter Schwarzlmuller, marketing director of EWE the technology is a world’s first for the kitchen industry and it just could be the future of all retail showroom design, everywhere!
To see a collection of EWE kitchens in the UK, visit the Searle & Taylor Showroom in Hampshire.
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