THE COLLEY'S GRAND DESIGN

At the end of 2011, Ian was invited to the home of Lynda and Rob Colley in Milton Keynes, who were exploring the possibility of having a kitchen refurbishment.  I now know I should have packed him off with sandwiches, as Lynda and Rob didn't just want a refurbishment - oh no - they wanted a Grand Design, and nothing less.



The kitchen is clearly Lynda's realm and domain and  Ian loved the level of creativity and involvement he shared with Lynda, as it gave him an insight into what was really wanted and needed from their space: we're all about asking what you'd like, rather than telling you what you can have.

Lynda and Rob's patio doors are directly opposite a doorway leading into their lounge, with the former dining room in between.  Lynda's vision was to widen both the patio and living room doors and install bi-fold doors that would open right back, to create one huge inside-to-outside space.

Lynda loves to cook and bake and create gorgeous little chocolately thingys that linger forever on the hips!  However Lynda is not the tallest chocolateer and finds working at conventional worktop height uncomfortable; so Ian designed this central seating and working area.

The Colley Grand Design took approximately eight weeks to complete, but the results were worth waiting for.  From widening the patio door and lounge door recesses, to replacing ceilings and plastering walls. There was miles of new electrical wiring and Building Control liaison/certification to ensure. Obviously there was the kitchen installation itself, complete with all the appliances, wirework, recycling and storage solutions, in addition to the plumbing and decoration work. Rob requested a bespoke Sky box housing, whilst Lynda requested a purpose built, fully co-ordinated dog bed for the VIP's (i.e.: her dogs!).  This was all done with the endless laughs, generous refreshments (and cake!) and tireless patience of Lynda and Rob Colley - we had a blast, thank you, and we're so glad you like it.

On Sunday 22 April 2012, Lynda posted the following on her Facebook wall:

Ian's dedication and pride in his work is second to none.  He was here until seven last night tinkering, just wanting to make sure every little detail was "just so".  It is.  It is GORGEOUS.  We both love it, it's a total joy just to stand in the kitchen/Deck Room and admire the completed project - which I have to say just grew and grew from a new kitchen to walls coming down, ceilings being skimmed, renovations moved to the lounge too.  So practically the whole of our downstairs has had the Ian Dennis touch.  Thank you Ian (and Karan for her patience and enthusiasm).

And finally there there was this, a beautiful hardbook photobook, stuffed full of gorgeous glossy photos of Lynda and Rob's kitchen and Deck Room, by way of thank you for our contribution.  This, quite simply, is the best testimonial we have ever received, and by far the most generous, by every definition of the word.

SCRABBLE'S LIFE LESSONS

My name is Karan and I love playing Scrabble.  They say the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, although I don't see this as a problem; it's only some other people who think I'm uncool; but their opinion of me is none of my business, is it?

I generally play online, as it allows me to play with far flung friends and family, in addition to random strangers who may, or may not, become regular Scrabble buddies.  I love words (you may have noticed) and I love the challenge, whilst keeping my brain and vocabulary well exercised.  It's not as cool as being plugged into an Xbox 360 I grant you, but I don't care, as I'm learning new words all the time.

Recently I was involved in two games simultaneously, which were nearing the end, and both results were looking bleak for me.  In fact, I was certain I'd lose these games, as I had a single low scoring tile left in both games, and absolutely no opportunity on the board to place them well and win.  It crossed my mind fleetingly to forfeit both games, to save time, but my opponents both had their penultimate turns to take, before my seemingly inevitable loss.

Following the dictum "Don't quit. Ever. Do. Not. Quit", I decided to play on, hoping my opponents would hit the "Forfeit" icon themselves - in error if nothing else - stranger things have happened at sea.  And this is where Scrabble taught me a life lesson: as both opponents laid down their penultimate tiles they created an opportunity for me.  I now had somewhere to put my single low scoring tiles, which was basically at the end of the words they had just created.  Both single low scoring tiles landed on Double Word Score squares, which meant that I won both games, unexpectedly and from nowhere, by one single point, and within minutes of each other.  I laughed.

What I took from this bizarrely timed experience is this: in business you can never second guess what your opponents and competitors are going to do; in some ways it's none of your business what they do - you have to play your own game with confidence, until the end.  Don't quit. Ever. Do. Not. Quit.  Your opponents may make mistakes and create opportunity for you.  They may even be successful and create opportunity for you; you never can tell.  All that you can do is be patient, persevere, and actually be around to pounce on the possibilities when they eventually present themselves.  I'd have lost these games if I had quit, but I always had a chance (that led to eventual triumph) whilst I was still in the game.  Losing is not inevitable and you always have to play to win despite the odds.

If anyone fancies a game of Scrabble with me, please let me know via our Facebook page as I'll play anyone - but I'm obviously going to play to the death and would expect you to, too!  May the best uncool Scrabble geek win!

APOLLO n. shorthand for EXCELLENCE

[Karan]:  IKD Kitchens have had a business Facebook profile for well over a year now, and we have had  the pleasure of making lots of new friends and acquaintances as a result.  We met our new stationery guru, Sheila from Knights & Hyde through Facebook, and now enjoy huge discounts on all of our office supplies, as well as having them delivered promptly and FREE to our door.  The potential from Facebook truly is limitless, if you know how to drive it properly.

One of the biggest connections we have made on Facebook however is with Tim and Jenny from Apollo Blinds of Northampton.  Tim is the owner of the business and responsible for all of the free design consultations and free installations, whilst Jenny (Tim's daughter) is responsible for practically everything else, in her capacity as Showroom Manager.  This includes organising Tim and managing his overflowing diary, whilst ensuring the first class customer service they have developed and are understandably proud of.

Jenny's also something of a social media whizz and first contacted me, via Facebook, way back in April I think: we hit it off immediately.  Jenny has a very dry and observational wit, is very clever and a tiny bit bonkers - all qualities I appreciate very much.  It also helps that Jenny studied economics and politics at university, has a son of roughly the same age as my own, and absolutely adores The West Wing.  Could we have been separated at birth I began to wonder, until Jenny firmly reminded me of the considerable age difference between us.  Charming.  So that would be "no" then?!

The more we got to know each other and how we ran our respective businesses, the more we realised we had something in common.  IKD has a "family" of supplementary tradesmen and suppliers who we work in very close association with, but they have to be more than good - they have to be damned good, as we're all about the excellence.  There is no point Ian and I working our socks off to build a solid 18 year-old reputation for excellence and then bring in third rate electricians, gas technicians or builders who are going to undermine everything we're trying to achieve.  So when we asked Tim to install two venetian blinds for our showroom window and they were subsequently made-to-measure and fitted without error or issue, we knew we had to invite them into the IKD family.  We are now proud to be official Trading Partners with Apollo Blinds of Northampton.

This is the "Cotton" venetian blind on the showroom side of the window.  You can see how exactly it fits and how beautifully it has been installed.  On the office side of the window we have a "Flint" venetian blind, complete with the Uniwand safety feature, and it's a brilliant idea.  To eradicate the risk of small children being hurt by loose blind cords, the Uniwand fully encloses all cords in a plastic wand, and this wand completes all of the blind functions (ie: up, down & tilt etc).  We chose to have two blinds because there will be times during a kitchen showroom demonstration, when we will want to effect a blackout, so we can demonstrate the various innovative lighting options available.  Tim understood what we were trying to achieve and was able to provide us with great professional guidance, which has afforded us two beautiful and functional blinds that we love.  You are more than welcome to stop by and test out the Uniwand for yourself.

As many of you will already be aware, we invited Tim and Jenny along to exhibit at our Kitchen Showroom Opening event last weekend, and I'm delighted to report that our trading partnership with Apollo Blinds is already paying dividends for them by way of sales enquires and design consultations.  Watch this space to see what Tim, Jenny, Ian and I are cooking up next for our future respective customers, it's very exciting and it's going to be great!

HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE!

[Karan]:  A very strange thing occurred yesterday, which I eluded to on Facebook and Twitter, but didn't really do it full justice.

It all started back in February 2010 when Mrs G of Norwich found us on Google, and enquired upon a bathroom for her mother-in-law, Mrs D, who lived in Kettering.  As Mrs D is a widow of a sensitive disposition, and didn't want a train of salesy types traipsing through her house, her daughter-in-law agreed to play rear gunner and devise a short list of likely bathroom supplying candidates; of which IKD were the only name on the list, we later found out.  IKD duly designed and installed Mrs D's new bathroom and all was well; Mrs D was delighted and IKD had a brand new Kettering customer, so we were delighted too.

Then, on Monday 10 May, Mrs B contacted us.  Mrs B lives across the road from Mrs D, had seen the bathroom we had installed there, and now wanted a very similar design and finish herself.  This was great news, but not necessarily a rare occurrence, as IKD have a high word-of-mouth recommendation rate; it's how we generate at least 90% of our work.  Over the last couple of weeks, Ian has been composing Mrs B's bathroom design and quotation, and was awaiting her return from holiday for her feedback.

In the meantime, Mrs W contacted us about the possibility of designing a bespoke master bedroom suite, suitable for a wheelchair user.  We learnt that Mrs W had found our details in Yellow Pages [note to self: not everyone is online], and had found it impossible to find anyone capable - or willing - to build custom-made low level wardrobes.  Until she found us, of course.  We have found in our years of trading that too many customers are told what they can have by some of our competitors, who do not have carpentry or joinery backgrounds.  This gives IKD a distinct advantage because Ian is a carpenter joiner by trade, and so has the apprenticeship training and experience to either customise or custom build anything that the customer requires.  We're able to ask our customers what they would like, rather than tell them what they can have.

Shortly after my phone call with Mrs W about her bespoke bedroom, Mrs D contacted Ian again, asking if he could now quote her for a kitchen refurbishment; which he duly did.  We're certainly very thankful to have been found on Google by Mrs D's daughter-in-law in Norwich, because we are now blessed with a loyal and returning customer we might not otherwise have met.

The bizarre thing about these events is that they all occur in the same street.  We know Mrs D and Mrs B are neighbours, but so too is Mrs W.  More than that; Mrs D lives at number 46, Mrs B lives at number 47 and Mrs W, who is unaware of our involvement with the other two ladies, lives at number 48.  And even more than that, Mrs D wants a kitchen, Mrs W wants a bedroom and Mrs B wants a bathroom - and they all accepted our quotations on the same day - yesterday!  Isn't life weird sometimes?

PLEASE VOTE FOR...WHO YOU WANT TO!

[Karan]:  I'm fed up with everyone telling me how to vote, and in particular that I should vote Labour! 

By everyone I'm referring to some of those I follow on Facebook and Twitter, some of whom are in the public eye and should know better than try to influence people by using their elevated public position.  There is of course one quick, easy and painless solution to my problem - I have stopped following the culprits, but it's the principle that has got my goat - who the hell do they think they are?!

As we're in the midst of a general election I can just about tolerate weeks of party political activists urging me to vote their way as opposed the evils that await me if I dare vote the other; it's their job.  But I draw the line at feeble TV personalities and D-list celebrities Tweetpic-ing who they have in their helicopter whilst on the campaign trail over the weekend!  Champagne socialists should definately be doomed to Room 101 if you ask me, they're a scourge.

Can I just ask a question to the celebs who repeatedly insist I vote Labour?  If Labour were truly the great saviours of the universe you believe them to be, why are you taking every opportunity to influence me?  Surely their greatness would be obvious, and you'd be confident of a landslide majority on Thursday?  But you're not confident of a landslide majority are you; you're not even confident of coming in as Her Majesty's Opposition, are you?  Why should you when Labour have taken us into an illegal war, failed repeatedly to supply our troops with even the basic equipment to keep them alive - and don't get me started on the NHS, education, immigration and the economy! 

And before you ask, please do not assume to know who I am voting for, as I am not a dyed-in-the-wool anything.  You may be surprised to know who I have supported in past elections, but at the end of the day, who I vote for is none of your business, and who you vote for is none of my business. 

My only concern is that people should vote.  Like I said in an earlier blog entry not so long ago, people have died and continue to die for the privilege of democracy.  The Suffragettes battled like hell to win the right for women to vote, and were routinely imprisoned for their efforts.  Many died on hunger strike and Emily Wilding Davison threw herself under the King's horse so that women would eventually be permitted the vote; it wasn't always our entitlement.  I therefore believe that we all have a duty to vote with our consciences - what if everyone shrugged their shoulders?

Decisions are made by those who show up!  Please vote on Thursday.

A BAG OF CATS

[Karan]: On Facebook this morning I was cordially invited by the RBS 6 Nations fan page, to try and win tickets for an upcoming match, by singing for my seat.

Those of you who know me, will know how much I just lurve my rugby - although who knew watching 30 enormous men in tiny shorts and tight shirts could be so engaging - or exhausting. A friend of mine once took me to see Northampton Saints, in the days when the very lovely Tim Rodber was playing, and I was thoroughly unprepared. Prior to the match all the players came out and Tim Rodber limbered up right in front of me, split his shorts with his huge muscular thighs, and I was in need of a lay down! So, even the most remote possibility of winning tickets to see our national squad - particularly the divine Jonny Wilkinson - is extremely tempting. However...

Those of you who know me are also aware that my singing voice leaves a lot to be desired: I sound like a bag of cats being slammed against a wall. It's sad but true. During our daughter's recent school concert, we parents were invited to sing along, and I now have camcorder evidence of my daughter frowning, waggling her finger and forbidding me from singing, and all from her elevated position on the stage! Other parents were smiling - knowingly - and assuring me it was for the best. You see, I used to sing to our daughter as we boogied around the lounge, in the days before she could walk or talk - escape in other words - so she knows you know.

I will therefore not be competing for tickets to a 6 Nations match. It did cross my mind that perhaps the worst singing would win the tickets but, knowing my luck, they'd play my rendition of Bat Out Of Hell over the tannoy during half time, and that's a 10 minute song! There'd be a stampede of 82,000 people with blood pouring from their ears, all thinking they'd gone deaf when the caterwauling finally stopped. So perhaps it really is for the best if I stay home to watch the match and sing the National Anthem in my head like I always do, and in accordance with my formal Cease and Desist Notice.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BLOG!

Hello and welcome to the brand new IKD Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms blog, we hope you find all that is about to follow as fascinating as we do. We really do love our kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms - but we love en suites, cloakrooms, home offices and utility rooms just as much.

We began in September 1992 and, following a strict policy of constant reinvestment and continuous improvement, have built IKD into a strong and respected design and installation company, who trade almost entirely upon reputation and the word-of-mouth recommendations of our entirely satisfied customers.

IKD Kitchens Bedrooms and Bathrooms is family-run business based in Kettering, Northamptonshire with Ian and Karan Dennis at the helm. Please feel free to add your own blog comments here, email us, join our Facebook group or contact us via Twitter - we'd love to hear from you!