The Yorkshire Kitchen Centre Ltd

Neil Roberts : Owner of YKC Abode

When it comes to design, I like to think I've got good taste.

I think my house is amazing and I want everyone else to be able to enjoy their homes as much as I do.

I started to love design at university where I had the pleasure of working closely with extremely taleted designers. That was it then, I was hooked and decided to make design my career.

Who is your favourite designer?
Nino Cerruti (the genius that tutored Georgio Armani). He exudes an understated, classic elegance that endures. Cerruti's designs are timeless.

What are the fashionable colours for 2012?
Subtle pastel colours are back. Look for putty's, greys, duski. Delicate colours with tons of depth. Think Farrow & Ball and you are there.

This doesn't feel like a typical kitchen & bathroom company, why is that?
That's because we don't sell boxes. We are design lead. Whatever your influence, turn-on, obsession, dream, we will turn it into a living space that makes you quivver with delight.

What's the most unusual thing you've been asked to do with a bathroom?
Side by side baths! The chap lived on his own too so our imaginations went into over-drive. However, we don't judge or ask questions - whatever, floats your boat; which may have been what the spare bath was actually for... his model battleship.

What's the biggest kitchen you've done?
An absolutley massive 12 metre by 10 metre kitchen installation that we codenamed the USS Enterprise. I was like building an aircraft carrier - fabulous result and the perfect place to congregate at a party.

OK, that's the biggest. What's the smallest kitchen you've designed and fitted?
There are lots of very small, period properties in Saltaire and we fitted a kicthen that was absolutley tiny. It was an amazing project to work on because we installed all the really intelligent space-saving and funky ideas that people don't always take because they don't need them. This kitchen was like James Bond's secret bunker; stunning and very, very clever.

Alan Kolin : Special Projects Supervisor at YKC Abode

One of the crucial elements in the world of design is taking the artwork and turnig it into something real. That's where I come in. Not only am I a project manager by trade but I also manage the logistics, timescales and, in many ways, am an installation artist.


My job is to ensure that our detailed plans and schematics perfectly reflect the final piece or "room set" if you like.  

Tim Ebbatson : Interior Concept Designer

One of the most interesting aspects of being a designer is exploring my customers' imaginations and then translating that into a sketch, then a schematic and then finally the real genuine article.


Ultimately, design is all about function; "What does this need to do?" The aesthetics are a wonderful bi product of a carefully structured way of practical and creative thinking. Think about it : If you are a massively keen cook, do you want all your amazing coppoer bottomed pans tucked away in a cupboard, or do you want them hung neatly on wall hooks so they can be the star of the show - a real crystalisation of your own passions for food. That's the depth to which we approach our customers projects.