An Overseas Guide by deVOL
10th April 2018
Things have really developed since our humble beginnings in 1989 and we are now known across seas and mountains. We’re so proud of this and we have worked so hard to get to this point and we do have to thank the power of social media, especially Instagram, for allowing us to spread our message to countries far and wide. It’s interesting to know that our Instagram followers from the US actually make up 34% of our total following, while 22% are from the UK. The rest of our lovely followers are mainly from Brazil, Australia, Canada and European countries.
This huge following means there is a demand for lots of our products all over the world but sadly not everything can be sent to your door. I thought it might be useful to have a clear guide that explains the logistics of shipping overseas. To try and keep it simple, this blog will focus on our kitchens and I’ll write another one for the other bits we do.
You can have a deVOL Kitchen wherever you are in the world. We do like to meet face-to-face for appointments when it is possible but we are more than happy and completely capable to design your kitchen with you over the phone and via email. We have done lots of projects this way and they have always been a success. In the past year we have designed 32 kitchens for countries outside of the UK, with the most being in France, Holland and the US and we’re sure there will be many more by Christmas.
It is worth noting that there are a couple of differences regarding the process of ordering a kitchen outside of mainland UK. Firstly, we recommend you organise your own team to fit it when it gets delivered to you and as long as you choose a trustworthy and experienced group of installers then this should be fine. We send over lots of information and guidance packs and we are only ever a phone call away if you or the fitters have any questions at all. Please remember that if you don’t feel comfortable with organising your own fitters and would really like the deVOL team to do it then we will always try our best to make this possible for you.
Secondly, we do not supply the worktops or the appliances for projects overseas. It just makes more sense to do this in the country you are ordering from. We can only supply appliances from the UK and these are not always electrically compatible in other countries. Also, worktops are fragile and huge and cost so much money to send, factors that can become stressful and we want to make this process as simple as possible for you. Our solution is to thoroughly discuss all of the different worktop options with you, recommend what we believe would suit your kitchen best and then give you the measurements and ask you to source the material from a local supplier.
Below is a step-by-step guide to give you a little taste of what the process would be like if you were a customer based outside of the UK and wanting a deVOL Kitchen:
- As a starting point, we will always ask you to go to the Design Service section of our website and send in all of the information we ask for to enquiries@devolkitchens.co.uk. This includes your address and contact details, time scale and budget, a dimensioned room plan of the space, information on any structural work that could be happening, e.g. if you have or need to apply for planning permission, and also the deVOL range you are interested in.
- We’ll then have a good look at everything that you have sent in and respond with an estimated cost for your kitchen, any initial ideas we may have and explain that we are not able to supply appliances, worktops and installation.
- If you are happy with the cost, one of our lovely designers will then draw up an initial annotated design for you, along with a fully itemised quotation.
- Once your time frame for the project is in line with our lead time, this tends to be 4-5 months, your assigned designer will get in touch to arrange a call to chat through any ideas and plans in much further detail. Following this conversation we will send over an updated plan and a corresponding quotation and this will continue until you and your designer have designed your dream kitchen!
- When you are totally happy with the design, we ask you to place the full furniture deposit which is either 50% of the total order or capped at a specific amount if the quote exceeds a certain price.
- Please note that you will have regular contact with your designer throughout the design process in whatever way best suits you, whether that is phone calls or via email. We want this kitchen to be perfectly suited to your needs and we encourage you to be as involved as possible.
- Although an estimated delivery cost is given earlier on in the process, the final full delivery quote is provided when the final design is done. We have to take into account the amount of furniture being sent, the distance it will be travelling and the method in which it will be delivered to you, e.g. via lorry, ship or plane.
- Your kitchen is delivered to your door! It will come wrapped up safely and with plenty of information for your chosen team of fitters to install for you.
You are probably thinking this sounds like a pretty huge job, and it is, but it’s totally possible and we absolutely love seeing deVOL Kitchens all over the world. We really pride ourselves on our wonderful team, from the designers working with you to create your dream space, to the carpenters making the furniture, right down to those making sure the information guides are as clear as possible. We are so proud of our craftsmanship and sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more for something that is so unique and special.
Click here to read part two of the Overseas Guide, it’s all about the smaller bits we can send overseas!
