BLOG

Darren Taylor with the Gaggenau Expressive Series of Ovens and Warming Drawers on display at the Searle & Taylor Winchester showroom Set in the heart of the historic cathedral city of Winchester in Hampshire, here at Searle & Taylor we love being right in the centre of all things innovative and exciting when it comes […]

Top 5 Interior Trends at the WOW!house 2026 The annual June WOW!house event at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour is an exhibition with a difference. Aimed at residential and commercial interior designers, together with prime and super-prime residential homeowners seeking inspiration for their next interior refurbishment, the WOW!house is comprised of 22 adjoining room sets, […]

For many years, London’s Wigmore Street, just behind Oxford Street, W1, has been lovingly known as ‘Kitchen Alley.’ The plethora of premium national and international kitchen furniture showrooms, and, latterly, experience centres for premium appliance brands, all located next door to each other, has resulted in Wigmore Street becoming a key destination that showcases the […]

At an event held at the Salisbury Arts Centre in Wiltshire on Tuesday 28th January 2025, our managing director, Darren Taylor was presented with a Salisbury Civic Society Conservation Award 2024. Alongside multi award-winning architect, John Comparelli, Searle & Taylor was one of a group of contractors that were recognised for their work on an […]

What is a pocket door?  Unlike a standard cabinetry door that opens and closes on hinges, a pocket door features an additional runner system at the base and the top of the door so that it can open outwards and then slide into a side recess (the pocket) leaving the interior on show and making […]

Every so often I take myself out of my comfort zone in beautiful Winchester to seek inspiration and attend new launches taking place in London. September and October are packed with interior design festivals and I try to attend at least one of them to see what’s new and different. This time my day out […]

As an independent kitchen design studio, we are always on the lookout for products from partner brands that we believe will meet and exceed the expectations of our clients, and will look fantastic in our kitchens.  I have always been impressed by the functionality of the appliances by French brand, De Dietrich. It has recently […]

At Searle & Taylor, we design and sell complete kitchens. This means that we design kitchens that feature appliances, worktops, sinks and taps and accessories, like handles and glass splashbacks. The prices for these products are all included in our quotations. We sell complete kitchens for your convenience and peace of mind. By doing so […]

Darren Taylor, managing director, and Gavin Alexander, design manager with the Winchester Service Excellence Award 2022 At a gala event, held at Winchester University on Thursday 9th June, we were delighted to win the Service Excellence Award 2022 at the Winchester Business Excellence Awards. The annual event is organised by partners, Winchester Business Improvement District, […]

For over 20 years, the statement kitchen island has been a major feature in most of the kitchens we have designed and there is very little chance that this trend will ever disappear. Most kitchen islands are designed to be multifunctional, the hub of the kitchen and an area for relaxed socialising.

At Searle & Taylor, one of our specialisms is handmade curved and circular furniture and we
are one of very few kitchen companies in Hampshire that offer this bespoke service. When
you visit our showroom, you will see a perfectly circular kitchen island on display at the
entrance and we also have other curved pieces inside.

Darren next to a stunning handle display at Turnstyle Designs Every year, I take a day out to attend Chelsea Design Week at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. It is a cornucopia of high-end interior design inspiration with beautiful showrooms dedicated to every aspect of the home including furniture, wallpaper, fabric, swags and tails, lighting, […]

A couple of years ago, I designed a Signature Bespoke kitchen for a client in Winchester who was a pleasure to work for. When we were discussing the appliances for her kitchen, she had done a lot of research and was set on having an Everhot 110i cooker installed in Dove Grey to perfectly match the paint colours for her kitchen and dining room.

Do you have a favourite fizzy water? I do. It comes out of a tap. In fact, it comes out of the same tap that I get my hot, cold and 100° boiling water. This is what you can have if you have a Quooker Cube in your kitchen and why it’s called ‘the tap that does it all’. 

We are currently offering a complimentary Miele G5260 SCVi Active Plus Dishwasher with a retail value of £999 as a gift with purchase when you order a new kitchen over £25,000 for a limited time only during our SALE. Here are the reasons why we recommend Miele integrated dishwashers:

Recent statistics from the ONS highlight that in October 2020 nearly a quarter of the UK workforce was permanently working from home, a figure up by 21% on the previous year. Since the start of the health emergency many of those who have to regularly WFH are now seeking to have a permanent home office, either comprising part of a new kitchen design or in a separate study area. [...]

In 2021, we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Having always been based in Hampshire, Searle & Taylor is now the longest-established kitchen independent company in Winchester. With 30-years of trading we have the experience to design and deliver the very best fitted kitchen furniture in Hampshire. We completely understand our clients and their aspirations, […]

Choosing the work surface for your new kitchen is one of the most important considerations, both in terms of its look and its functionality. At Searle & Taylor we have an array of different surface options to suit you, including quartz, granite and some of the most beautiful and unusual natural stones. We have teamed […]

I made excellent use of my time alone in the showroom during lockdown, because the phones weren’t ringing as they normally do with enquiries for new kitchens. Knowing that these would eventually return one day, I spent time working on kitchens already sold and making sure everything was ready when we were back to normality […]

Last year, I was seeking lighting and accessories for my new first floor showroom so I paid a visit to the impressive Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour in London and it turned out to be a very successful mission. This year, I decided to return to visit Focus 2020, the annual trade show for interior […]

Darren Taylor demonstrating the Novy Panorama PRO in the Winchester showroom Because Searle & Taylor is an independent kitchen design company, we only partner with and recommend kitchen appliance brands that we regard as the best within their price range. A couple of years ago when Novy, the luxury Belgian induction and extraction brand became […]

I have actually been busier than ever since getting over the initial shock of having to close my showroom due to the Covid19 health emergency. We closed the doors on Monday 23rd March after the announcement that evening by our PM, Boris and since then I have abided by the Government’s sensible approach of staying […]

As part of our January SALE promotion, we are offering a free 60cm integrated dishwasher from Neff when you purchase four or more appliances from any of the appliance brands we partner with for your complete kitchen. Searle & Taylor is a Neff Master Partner and we sell the full range of Neff appliances and […]

Because Searle & Taylor is an independent kitchen design business, we are not tied to one or two specific appliance companies where we have to promote their entire ranges every time we sell a kitchen. This allows us the opportunity to research the best premium appliances for your circumstances and to recommend options that will […]

In 2015, UK Permitted Development rights were relaxed, allowing many homeowners to extend their properties without requiring full planning permission. This situation was due to end in May this year but the law has been given a long-term continuation. Because of this, the open plan kitchen and living space has become a very fashionable option […]

In what will be a series of blogs, we are focusing on the premium brands that we partner with to give you more of an understanding as to why we are proud to suggest them for your kitchen. The first is for Gaggenau appliances, which we display in our Winchester showroom. The history: Founded in […]

My visit to the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre was an opportunity to seek out some lighting and accessories for my Winchester showroom and get some design inspiration too. On a rainy and, dare I say, quite cold morning in June, I made my first ever visit to the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre. I had heard […]

Searle & Taylor was editorially featured in the recent Bespoke Britain supplement in consumer interiors publication, Essential Kitchen Bathroom and Bedroom Magazine. This supplement was dedicated to highlighting the best and most important bespoke kitchen companies across the whole of the UK. 1. What is a bespoke kitchen?A bespoke kitchen is one that is custom-designed […]

What to expect at our expanded Winchester showroom from nine stunning room sets During May, our Searle & Taylor Winchester showroom will be expanding and will be situated over two floors showcasing the very best in traditional and contemporary kitchen design. All the kitchens on display are based on my personal values of the very […]

At Searle & Taylor we have partnered with Quooker for many years. A Quooker Boiling Water tap is one of our most requested appliances and one that we love to demonstrate. At our Winchester showroom we feature the recently launched Quooker Flex which we believe is a gamechanger in the kitchen because of its truly […]

In March last year, I was delighted to be invited to a private view of the launch of the new Gaggenau Vario 400 cooling series; a modular range of refrigerators, freezers, fridge-freezers and wine climate cabinets which can be configured to meet an array of individual needs. I am pleased to have our selection of […]

At Searle & Taylor, one of the most exciting aspects of working in the kitchen design business is sourcing fantastic complementary appliances and products for our showroom displays that we believe people will love and want in their own kitchens. We seek out exciting niche brands to bring them to your attention, and one that […]

Searle & Taylor is one of Hampshire’s few premium kitchen companies that make fully bespoke kitchens. There are even fewer that can create curved and circular furniture, as it is a very complicated process,  but we always love to keep ahead of the curve… Having trained as a cabinetmaker, I have always loved working with […]

Many of the kitchens we design are part of open plan living spaces that are multifunctional rooms. Because of this, the kitchen furniture needs to blend with the rest of the living area and appliances need to be as unobtrusive as possible. However, part of our design process is to consider ‘the working kitchen’ for […]

In May, I was contacted by the BBC as they wanted to interview an independent kitchen expert about the subject of guarantees for kitchens. The focus was on the 25 year guarantee that IKEA offers, as the programme had received certain complaints about the retailer. I have worked in kitchen design as both a manufacturer […]

In the world of kitchens, there are some words that are sometimes misrepresented or overused, and one of them is the word ‘Hand-painted’ and another is ‘Bespoke’, but I will draw attention to the latter another time. There are a number of businesses that sell Hand-painted kitchens, but the kitchens aren’t actually painted by hand […]

The Pantone® Colour of the Year tends to inspire trends in fashion and interior design and of course, colours in the kitchen; working its way through to clients’ homes a season or so following its launch. But, maybe not quite this year, because for 2018 year the Pantone® Colour of the Year is ultra violet; […]

As a client, you want to be confident that your kitchen designer is up to date with the latest trends and can translate those ideas into your own beautiful new kitchen. At Searle & Taylor we regularly visit trade shows and design exhibitions, we avidly read our sophisticated trade press publications (I actually write for […]