I sent an email, probably a couple of years ago now, about something slightly unusual that happened in the showroom…

A woman came in carrying a fairly hefty bag.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Customers usually arrive with ideas, photos on their phones, a rough vision of what they want.

But then she started unpacking.

Out came a worktop sample…

Then a cabinet door handle…

Then a piece of tiling.

She wanted to hold everything up against the cookers and see what actually worked together.

Like I say, this was years ago. And at the time, it really stood out to me.

But what’s interesting is this…

It’s no longer unusual at all.

Maybe because of my email, maybe not. But over the past year or so, more and more people have started bringing in:

• Flooring samples
• Worktop offcuts
• Door handles
• I’ve even had customers arrive with their favourite pans!

And to be quite honest, I love that people are doing it.

When you’re investing in a cooker that will last a lifetime – and planning your kitchen around it – you don’t want to rely on imagination and screenshots.

You want to see it, touch it, hold things up. Stand back and think, “Yes, that actually works.”

You can’t get that online.

Screens can be misleading. Photos flatten colours. Measurements on paper don’t always tell the full story.

So, please do bring whatever matters to you on your visit to the showroom.

A tile, a pan you use all the time, even a kitchen door if you can carry it!

Take a walk around the showroom and see what works and what doesn’t.

That way, when you do make a decision, it’s based on real life, not guesswork.