The basic ingredients with which Yulia Zhukova, Kitchen Manager in our store Artikalia in Benidorm, are: a personalized attention together with a creative and functional approach. To make each kitchen a unique space, tailored to each client.
With an extensive experience in the decoration and interior design sector, Yulia, tells us the secrets of a good Kitchen Manager to offer exceptional results. From the approach and development of each project, through the current trends and the evolution of the client’s tastes and demands.
What is the first thing to think about when designing a kitchen?
Reflecting the personality and taste of each client is the most wonderful moment of my work. Getting to know people, their way of life, their needs… The more they let me know about them, the better the final result will be.
What are the differences between a kitchen for a summer house and a kitchen for a first home?
There may be millions of differences or none at all. It depends a lot on the needs of each family nucleus when it comes to being on vacation. Each client is a world and with each kitchen I learn from its future owners, looking for the best solution between necessity, aesthetics and possibilities.
“A kitchen will last you a lifetime when you fall in love with it and to fall in love you need to share your life, habits and preferences with your kitchen specialist.”
Yulia Zhukova, Kitchen Manager.
Are you in favor of the open kitchen trend?
Totally in favor! I think that kitchens open to the living room give a lot of life to the house and comfort in use. Almost all new construction projects opt for this type of kitchens and those who do renovations ask for it. The open kitchen is definitely here to stay!
What are the main advantages of custom-made furniture?
Very easy. You dream, we make it happen!
How do you manage the balance between new trends and a kitchen that will last 25 years?
A kitchen will last you a lifetime when you fall in love with it and to fall in love you need to share your life, habits and preferences with your kitchen specialist. That’s the secret formula that will dictate whether a kitchen will last a lifetime or in a year you’ll get tired of it.
What materials are being used now?
The client’s personality is what will never go out of style.
The eternal doubt… porcelain or silestone countertop? What do they ask the most of you and why? Which one do you recommend?
Porcelain tile, definitely. It is a surface that in recent years has evolved a lot in their finishes and the price is beginning to be much more competitive considering its many advantages. Apart from being a resistant surface that withstands extreme temperature changes, acids, chemicals … It can also be combined with other surfaces in the house such as a wall or floor. Incredible, magazine-quality results are achieved.
Have you noticed the rise of home improvement shows on TV when it comes to talking to your new clients?
Of course, television and social media have greatly influenced life in general. I love it when they come with a photo, article or video of what they want because it means they are going to be involved in the design process and it will make the result as personalized as possible.
What are the most difficult decisions to make when designing custom kitchens? Do you have identified a pattern in your customers? I mean, do you think you can group customer types with kitchen typologies? Thus In general!
Almost all customers come with a predetermined idea of how they see their kitchen. This idea changes as the project develops, since many factors must be taken into account, especially functionality. It is therefore essential that the person in charge of the design and implementation provides the client with all the information. In my case, I am fortunate to work in a tourist area that has many regular residents as well. So allows me to develop projects of kitchens both for new apartments of first or second residence and to change an old kitchen. My experience has led me to establish a classification of four groups depending on whether the type of property is new or undergoing renovation and whether it is a first or second home. In the end, dealing with different styles of kitchens with clients with very different personalities and needs, I feel very privileged to be able to create unique kitchens.
In the current situation, to what extent is it important to have energy-efficient appliances?
To the extent possible and if it meets the customer’s requirements, I recommend it. We must take care of the planet, we only have one.
“I love to make different and original projects, with different textures and colors. Those types of projects are the ones that make all my imagination and creativity fly, offering unique results.”
Yulia Zhukova, Kitchen Manager.
In Spain we traditionally have the washing machine in the kitchen, does that surprise the foreign customer very much? Are more and more Spaniards asking for it in a separate room or in the bathroom?
Each culture has its particular customs and based on them have created their expectations, but there are certain aspects, such as the washing machine, which will depend on the possibilities offered by the space to be furnished. If we do not take these aspects into account, the vast majority, regardless of the country of origin, will want it in a separate room for everything related to cleanliness.
Are you in favor of paneling appliances such as the washing machine and dishwasher or leaving them in plain view?
Aesthetically it looks great and the kitchen has a more unified look. It must be taken into account that the features offered by a panel-mounted appliance will vary from those of free installation and we return to the usual point: customer needs and possibilities of the space to be furnished.
What would your ideal kitchen look like?
For me an ideal kitchen would be open to the living room, with an island where I would place the induction cooktop to be able to be present at all times in the day to day life of my wonderful family. I appreciate very much the relationships between people, and even more if we are talking about the people closest to me, the more time I can enjoy their company, the better.
Not bad, but… get wet! Are you more adventurous, combining colors and finishes? Or more conservative… do you stick with whites and woods? Give us a couple of winning combinations.
I love to make different and original projects, with different textures and colors. These types of projects are the ones that make my imagination and creativity run wild, offering unique results. Here’s the recipe for a kitchen that will take your breath away: you select predominant colors in kitchen doors, add different textures such as a glass cabinet or a wall with wallpaper or a countertop that stands out, add matching accessories such as handles, faucet, sink, spice racks, etc. and… BOOOOOM! Your dream kitchen is ready!
But just as I am a risk-taker in that sense, the customer has to be too, in order to enjoy your cuisine for many years to come. What experience has shown me is that they will always prefer matte or gloss white in combination with some type of wood finish. For example, right now, all varieties of oak are in fashion.
Summarize in 3 points what we have to think about before designing a kitchen.
