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Creating your dream kitchen is a deeply personal experience. It’s not just about the layout, cabinetry, or the latest appliances; it’s about designing a space that reflects your personality, caters to your lifestyle, and becomes the heart of your home.
In this blog, we follow client Louise Foxton and her family’s inspiring kitchen journey, told through her reflections and complemented by insights from Tom Howley designer, Jack. Together, their perspectives offer a look behind the scenes at the creative and collaborative process that brings each bespoke kitchen to life.
“As designers, we’re here to guide, inspire, and collaborate,” Jack explains. “Our role is to listen deeply, understand your vision, and translate that into a kitchen that fits your lifestyle perfectly.”
Jack wasn’t the designer behind Louise’s kitchen, but his experience designing for similar family homes gives valuable insight into the design process. “We never begin with assumptions. Our first conversations, often in our showrooms, are about understanding how people live. It’s relaxed, open, and always collaborative.”
Whether part of a larger renovation or a kitchen refresh, a Tom Howley kitchen is designed to transform the way you live in your home. That was certainly true for Louise. With a complete redesign and extension underway, she wanted a kitchen that felt like the heart of the home, open plan, multifunctional, and welcoming.
Jack explains, “Often, the kitchen design starts before the walls are even up. It’s a unique challenge, but also an opportunity. When we are brought in early, we can help clients visualise how their kitchen can shape the whole space.”
For Jack, showrooms are one of the most important tools in the Tom Howley experience. “Our showrooms are more than places to browse; they’re full of inspiration. Clients come in and suddenly understand what’s possible. You can explore layouts, materials, and finishes and talk to experts face-to-face.”
“From full-size kitchens and other room scenarios, to hands-on samples, finishes, and real-life appliance setups, every detail is curated to spark creativity and help you truly visualise your future space.”
The client design process begins with a thorough initial consultation in a showroom. “We explore their tastes and requirements while considering how they use their space day-to-day,” Jack says. “From the size of the island to how storage is configured, everything is tailored to how they want to live.”
For Louise, this step was pivotal. “We went on a bit of a road trip to explore different kitchen brands,” she says, “but the Tom Howley Harrogate showroom set the bar. Everyone was so welcoming. We sat down with pastries and coffee and just chatted about the vision. It never felt like a hard sell, just a genuine interest in our project.”
This tactile and immersive environment, paired with interactive design tools like 3D walkthroughs, helps clients refine their preferences and make confident decisions. “Most clients are visual thinkers,” Jack adds. “Guiding them around the showroom and showing them their space in 3D helps them truly connect with the design.”
This blend of atmosphere and expertise sets the tone for the Tom Howley design experience. “Clients often arrive with a rough idea of what they want,” Jack says, “but by the time they’ve walked through the showroom and seen their ideas brought to life in 3D, they leave with real clarity and excitement. It becomes their design, not just a kitchen.”
Louise first discovered Tom Howley on Instagram. “I instantly loved the look and feel of the kitchens. When we visited the Harrogate showroom, it just clicked. The team took the time to really get to know us and how we live.” That visit set a new standard. “We’d looked at a few other places, but everything kept getting compared back to Tom Howley. The quality, design, attention to detail, and the way they truly listened all felt different.”
Their showroom experience became a highlight of the journey. “We loved our visits to the showroom. We were excited about getting the kitchen, and every time we stepped into the showroom, the team there shared that excitement. We always felt welcome and never felt rushed.”
One of the most memorable moments in the early design phase came when Louise’s Tom Howley designer suggested a change to the architectural plans. “We had a window marked on the drawings, but when we saw how the kitchen would lay out best, they recommended moving it. It seemed like a small adjustment, but it changed everything. It showed us they weren’t just designing a kitchen, but thinking about how we’d actually live in the space.”
That early collaboration proved invaluable. “We hadn’t even started building the extension,” Louise explains, “but through the 3D walkthroughs and detailed drawings, we could really visualise what the kitchen would look like in the finished space. Seeing the layout, the finishes, and the room we had designed, I was just so excited. It made everything feel real. That was probably the biggest highlight of the whole journey.”
With a young family and a full home renovation in progress, Louise appreciated how smoothly the kitchen installation ran. “The fitters were brilliant, so respectful, fast, and kept us in the loop. We’d pop in during the process, and it always felt calm and under control.”
But what truly stood out was the aftercare. “Years later, we had an issue with our flooring, which was not part of the kitchen, but the Tom Howley team still came out, carefully removed sections of cabinetry so we could replace the floor, and then put everything back together perfectly. They even dropped off lightbulbs for us. That level of care is incredibly rare.”
Today, Louise’s kitchen is still the heart of her home. “We’ve ended up with a kitchen and a home that we love to be in, and people love being in it with us, which really is what we were hoping to achieve at the outset.”
Whether you’re at the very beginning of your renovation journey or in the final planning stages, the Tom Howley design process is built to adapt. It’s grounded in listening, shaped by expertise, and driven by a shared goal to create a kitchen that transforms how you live in your home.
As designer Jack explains, “Our job is to ask the right questions, push creative boundaries, and bring your ideas to life in a way that feels completely personal.”
Step into one of our nationwide showrooms or book a design consultation to begin your collaborative design journey. Our expert designers are here to listen, inspire, and bring your vision to life.
