Lifestyle Inspiration
Retail Partner Spotlight - Herbert William
Retailer Spotlight - Herbert William
About The Business
Could you tell us a bit about your showroom and where you're based?
Our showroom is based in West Wellow, Romsey. We're tucked away up a gravel track on a farm. Many years ago the showroom building was actually a former pig shed, which is hard to believe now that it is full of beautiful kitchen displays and an extensive collection of sample doors, worktops, handles and more.
Our NOVUS handleless display is a working kitchen, with a full complement of live Miele appliances allowing us to demonstrate using the space, which helps clients envision it in their home. Plus, fresh cookies or bread in the showroom is always nice!
Inspiration
How long have you been in business, and what inspired you to start?
We are now in our 20th year of trading, having navigated a recession and a pandemic, which is no small feat! Sarah founded Herbert William in 2007, after working for a local independent kitchen company for many years. Aged 30, she took an adventurous backpacking year out of her career; it was during this year that she aspired to start her very own kitchen design business on her return to the UK.
The name Herbert William was derived from Sarah McCrossan (founder) and her sister, Katie Luker's (account and logistics manager) late grandads, Herbert Slater and William McCrossan. The success is something today Sarah and her sister Katie insist they would be proud of.
The business has achieved year-on-year growth purely through word of mouth. We are so proud of our consistent Five Star Google Reviews, and winning the New Forest Brilliance in Business award in 2023 for our Outstanding Customer Care means so much to all of us.
Showroom & Projects
Could you tell us about a recent project you're especially proud of?
A standout kitchen for us is one we designed back in 2023 for our lovely clients in Milford on Sea. Surprisingly, it was also one of the simplest neutral palettes. We paired the Signature door painted in Arctic with a marbled quartz worktop, brass hardware and touches of oak. The space is now timeless, uplifting and definitely one of our favourites.
What do you enjoy most about helping customers design their kitchens?
From the initial moment someone walks into the showroom, all the way through until the final handover of the kitchen, clients will be working with one designer. We really enjoy offering this personal service and getting to know so many lovely people while creating spaces for them to enjoy for years to come. We pride ourselves on making the process enjoyable and stress-free so having one point of contact is important to us, rather than a client being passed from department to department. This naturally means we build strong relationships with our clients, really getting to know them and their families, what they like, what they dislike, how they wish to use the space.
We also offer a complete turnkey service, with a fantastic team of trades who we have worked with for many years. This means we can offer structural work, electrics, plumbing, flooring etc., so clients can rest assured knowing their renovation journey is in one pair of safe hands from start to finish. This also creates some incredible Before & Afters!
Partnership with Omega Kitchens
How long have you been working with Omega?
Sarah sold Sheraton in the late '90s and therefore Omega were the natural choice when Herbert William was born in 2007.
What do you value most about your partnership with Omega?
The partnership is one of mutual respect and support. The services are reliable and the quality of the products at a range of different price points enable us to find a way to work to clients' budgets.
Do you have a favourite Omega range, door style, or finish?
It is hard to pick! There is no "one size fits all" in design. We enjoy a challenge and take pride in creating thoughtful, practical spaces that truly reflect individual styles and how people live. Omega's vast range of door styles and price points allow us to do just that. We are excited by the new paint colours and particularly love Sienna and Glade.
How does Omega support your business and your customers?
With its consistency, Omega always deliver what we order. In over 20 years of ordering, if it is acknowledged 9999 times out of 10,000 it arrives and for that one anomaly that is missing, customer service will call us to let us know. Outstanding achievement for a kitchen manufacturer.
Looking Ahead
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead for your business?
We have a very exciting year ahead! Over the last few years, we have been quietly growing the team, training and perfecting our processes. We now have exciting expansion plans and a strategic marketing approach ahead - having worked through word of mouth for 20 years, we're now ready to tell more people what we do and how well we do it!
Any exciting projects or plans you'd like to share with our readers?
We are partnering with Lymington-based interior shop Blubambu and displaying a working kitchen within their studio. Having another base to meet clients and to show them the quality of the product will be fantastic and their in-house interior designer can add the finishing touches to elevate our clients' spaces. This is a company which shares our ethos so it just felt like the perfect match!
