A beautiful kitchen starts with a great design. But what happens next? Following my recent visit to PWS in Newton Aycliffe, I went behind the scenes to see the British manufacturing, cabinetry production and worktop fabrication behind many of the kitchens we design at Palmer & Palmer.
I brought plenty back from my visit — new colours, doors, clever storage ideas and lots of inspiration. But one of the things that really stood out was much simpler.
Just how much of what goes into the kitchens we supply is manufactured here in Britain. We probably haven’t talked about that enough. So here goes.
From our design to British manufacturing
Every Palmer & Palmer kitchen starts here in Yorkshire with a conversation.
How do you use your kitchen? What works? What drives you mad? How do you cook, eat and entertain? What do you want the room to feel like? From there, I design a kitchen around you and your home.
But eventually a design on a screen has to become something real.
At PWS I was able to get behind the showroom and see some of that process for myself — including cabinetry production and the facilities where work surfaces are cut and fabricated.
It was very impressive.
There’s serious investment in British manufacturing behind many of the products we’re specifying for our customers. PWS’s UK operation includes cabinet production, paint finishing and in-house worktop fabrication.
For me, that’s important. And I think it’s something our customers will increasingly want to know too.
I want to know what’s behind the products I recommend, not simply what they look like in a brochure.
From a huge slab to your kitchen worktop
The worktop operation really brings that home.
You start with these enormous slabs of material. Then comes the cutting, shaping, finishing and checking required to turn one into a worktop or island made for a particular kitchen.
Some of the stone may have travelled a long way before it reaches Britain. But what happens next happens much closer to home.
Seeing those slabs in the factory, and the processes that turn them into finished kitchen worktops, gave me a new appreciation for something we usually only ever see once it’s installed.
So, is everything British-made? No — and that’s an important distinction. We source the best products and materials for each kitchen, wherever they come from.
Beautiful natural stone can originate overseas. Many of the best kitchen appliance manufacturers are international. Some specialist components and materials come from outside the UK too.
But a significant amount of the cabinetry, manufacturing, finishing and worktop fabrication behind the kitchens we supply takes place here in Britain.
That’s a story I think is worth telling.
Why British manufacturing matters
For me, Made in Britain isn’t about sticking a Union Jack on something. It’s about knowing what’s behind your kitchen.
It’s skilled people, specialist manufacturing, craftsmanship and investment in the UK. It’s understanding how something is made and having confidence in the businesses we’re trusting to make it. As an independent kitchen designer, that matters to me.
I don’t want to simply specify something because it looks good. I want it to be good.
Designed in Yorkshire. Made in Britain. Made for you.
Our customers across Halifax, Huddersfield and Yorkshire come to Palmer & Palmer because they want something personal — not a kitchen picked straight from a catalogue. That’s why the design starts with you.
We then bring together the cabinetry, worktops, appliances, finishes and details that will make that design work. And knowing that so much of the manufacturing behind it can take place here in Britain makes that finished kitchen feel rather more special.
My trip to PWS reminded me that there’s a lot more behind a Palmer & Palmer kitchen than you see when you walk into the finished room.
Beautifully Designed. Perfectly Made. For You.
And now you know a little more about the perfectly made bit.
Ewan Palmer
Qualified Interior Designer & Founder
Palmer & Palmer Bespoke Interiors
Beautifully Designed. Perfectly Made. For You.