Chalon UK Ltd, internationally renown designers and manufacturers of hand crafted kitchens, bathrooms and freestanding furniture, are proud to announce the launch of their latest new showroom right in the centre of St Albans, Hertfordshire.

As Chalon's fifth wholly owned and managed UK showroom, it provides a perfect showcase for some of the company's very latest kitchen designs. Conveniently located at 22 Holywell Hill, it is part of the central town shopping footprint and is already enjoying considerable footfall through the doors.

The cornerstone of the showroom is a large Chalon Original freestanding kitchen which occupies the prime, window location. This highly distinctive kitchen features each of the four main elements of a freestanding Chalon kitchen – a large Housekeeper's Cupboard, for food storage with integrated Miele fridge, freezer and microwave; the signature central Worktable, for food preparation; Buffet Bases providing further storage and housing a Miele washing machine; and a Sink Dresser Base which also disguises a Miele dishwasher (as well as a large Brass & Traditional double Farmhouse sink).

Size doesn't matter: Small kitchens mean big opportunities

This is the room where you need the most function, but if the house was built several decades ago, it probably doesn't take advantage of modern downsizing technology. The trick is to make modernizing changes within the confines of the space you have available. It can be done!

The problems inherent in construction from another era are many: The style of cabinetry doesn't take advantage of new concepts, so there is typically a lot of wasted room. The hot-water heater is in a cupboard that takes up valuable space. An old-fashioned ironing board housed in a shallow cupboard takes up valuable room that could be devoted to more useful cabinets. Doors and drawers to the cabinets are small and leave 5 to 6 inches of the face frame surrounding them in inaccessible areas.

If the budget allows, the best way to maximize a kitchen like this is to remove everything and begin again.

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