THE RISE OF RETROFIT

As consumers become more cost and environmentally conscious, there’s been a rise in retrofit kitchen options, in particular, replacement doors. Natalie Davenport, Head of Marketing at Häfele UK, explores the trend and the solutions available to installers.

In recent years, replacement kitchen cabinet doors have risen in popularity, with consumers recognising the retrofit approach as a more cost-effective way of updating their kitchen. Since 2017, Google searches for ‘replacement kitchen doors near me’ have grown by 3,600% and as the cost of living crisis continues, we can expect homeowners to be more frugal with their home improvement plans.

However, cost is not the only driver. Last year, we surveyed 2,009 homeowners about their kitchen and found that choosing and buying a kitchen that’s sustainable and environmentally friendly was important to 47% of respondents. Giving end-users the option to re-use existing carcassing but refresh

Replacing cabinet doors is an effective way to update a kitchen and to give the customer a new look – and feel.

Häfele York Matt Midnight Blue

with a new-look exterior, replacements cabinet doors can also appeal to the ecoconscious consumer.

Recognising the increasing demand for replacement kitchen cabinet doors, last year we launched Aspekt, a range of four cabinet door styles – standard slab, pressed shaker, integrated J-pull and a premium slab – each available in a variety of finishes and seven colourways. The collection also comes with a suite of complementary end panels, corner posts, cornices and plinths.

Our Aspekt colourways have been curated to reflect consumer demand, ensuring installers can provide options most desired by homeowners. In our survey, we found that white cabinetry still reigns supreme, with it being the colour of choice for 25% of respondents. Light grey followed at 17% while cashmere and cream came third.

As such, Aspekt has a wide palette of neutral shades, as well as on-trend colours including midnight and aqua blue – the most popular bolder shades from our survey. Plus, with matt finishes chosen as the preferred option by almost half of our research respondents, Aspekt includes matt, as well as gloss and ultra gloss finishes. →

SUPPORTING INSTALLERS

While catering for consumer tastes, when creating Aspekt we thought heavily about the designer and installer too. Aspekt doors are UK manufactured meaning they come with a 48-hour delivery promise if ordered from Häfele before 3:30 pm, helping you to manage material ordering and job scheduling more effectively. Delivery is also free for customers who spend over £50 and there’s no minimum order quantity required.

With our research finding that 60% of respondents would seek advice from a kitchen installer before designing and buying their kitchen, we’ve also ensured fitters have the tools they need to advise on cabinetry doors and accessories with confidence.

Within our Aspekt brochure, we’ve paired each door within the range with a selection of perfectly suited handles. The smooth classic Skye door, for example, can be matched with a rail handle in a brushed black finish for an industrial look, or customers can mix a matt door finish with a metallic handle for a contemporary design. The traditional shaker styling of the York door can also be dialled up or down by pairing different handle combinations. A cup handle in polished nickel for example gives an antique finish or you can select a geometric bar design for a more angular look.

Alongside Häfele’s Aspekt brochure, installers and designers can explore options further with their customer, and as part of a wider kitchen design plan, using 2020 Fusion. In the software, users will find the entire Aspekt door range and a wide selection of Häfele handles.

A PERFECT PAIRING

Replacing cabinet doors is an effective way to update a kitchen and to give the customer a new look – and feel – it pays to upgrade their hinges too. Our new Metalla 310 hinge is a great all-around solution alongside replacement cabinet doors, giving a high-quality choice, whatever the application. The 310 is suitable for wide-angle openings, post hinges, and 30 or 45 degrees openings plus is available in soft-close or a non-soft close variant. It’s also ideal for standard installations such as common 110˚ angle openings. As the perfect finishing touch to Aspekt, installers can also purchase VuPlex® and Matte® Maxx cleaners from Häfele UK that are ideal for a post-installation clean and for ongoing customer maintenance. For gloss finishes, VuPlex® antistatic cleaner is recommended, while for the Elements collection of textured matt designs, Matte® Maxx is ideal to create a dust repelling surface. As replacement kitchen cabinetry continues on an upward trend, installers can work with manufacturers such as Häfele to ensure they have a strong offer for their customers, that’s supported by interactive design resources and market-leading components for a high quality finish.

www.hafele.co.uk

With our research finding that 60% of respondents would seek advice from a kitchen installer before designing and buying their kitchen, we’ve also ensured fitters have the tools they need to advise on cabinetry doors and accessories with confidence.