At Daniel George Kitchens, we’re all about creating spaces that inspire and elevate your culinary experience. In this blog, we sat down with Co-Owner Jonny Orr and asked him a series of questions about Daniel George Kitchens and about his own career.
Tell us about the
company
The parent company Inspired Kitchens began in 2012 after realising a market for timber doors. Since its conception, the business has gone from strength to strength making bespoke in-frame kitchens from its manufacturing facility in the heart of Tyrone. It now supplies kitchens to trade customers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland as well as direct to consumer from its retail offering Daniel George Kitchens in Cookstown.
How did you come to be in your current position?
I joined the business when I was 18 but manufacturing is in my blood. My father and uncle worked together in the kitchen industry previously. My family emigrated to New Zealand when I was around eight and once, I left school my father and I started a business making kitchen furniture over there. Moving back to Northern Ireland I became a production manager in my uncle’s factory and we developed Inspired Kitchens after that.
How has the company evolved over the years?
We started off by supplying to trade customers across Ireland but then, with the help of Invest NI, we started going to shows in the UK and built up a portfolio of clients across the water. As the business has grown and diversified, we have stepped back from supplying to trade in Northern Ireland and opened up our retail offering, Daniel George Kitchens in Cookstown.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Being a director means you could be doing anything from being down on the factory floor working on the CNC machines or in the office liaising with our trade clients. Some days you’ll find me working with my uncle developing new products. As a bespoke manufacturer, there’s a lot of variety in what we make and we need to experiment with different processes to find the best way of creating each unique style. Alternatively, I could be working alongside my business partner Ronnie McCullough on the retail side of the business.
Who has been your biggest inspiration throughout your career?
My Dad; Alfie Daniel and my Uncle; Willie George. Their surnames are the inspiration behind Daniel George Kitchens. When we set up in New Zealand my Dad taught me all aspects of the trade from drawing designs, to sales, and kitchen fittings – it was a small business but it really helped to teach me all aspects of the trade.
What sort of skills does it take to be in the kitchen industry?
A good sound knowledge of kitchens for a start. You need to understand how things are made and have a good knowledge of the products that are out so that you’re always abreast of what is fresh and new.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
When starting out the most important thing is to master the design aspect of the business and make sure you have solid design software that will help you draw up plans in-house. There are some great packages out there now that draw and price at the same time.
The second thing is to have a good manufacturer behind you that can bring those designs to life. Having very reliable kitchen fitters is key too, and getting the right people around you because the number one thing that you need to succeed in the kitchen industry is word of mouth.
The biggest challenge at the moment is getting people. There’s a shortage of people across the board, from salespeople to joiners, so it’s important to recruit the right people.
What does the future hold for the company?
We are currently putting in fresh displays in the showrooms to showcase our new doors and finishes that are coming out later this year. In the factory, we have a new CNC machine arriving in April/May to give us greater opportunities for output as the year goes on.
We also have plans to visit EuroCucina in Milan in April to see what is up and coming and get some inspiration for styles from the European market. At the moment we’re seeing a lot of stained timbers and doors with texture to them but it is always exciting to see what is big in Europe as they’re a little bit ahead of us.
