{"id":58298,"date":"2025-10-03T01:15:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T01:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/58298\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T01:15:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T01:15:09","slug":"george-clarke-if-retailers-want-to-charge-for-design-do-it-as-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/58298\/","title":{"rendered":"George Clarke: ‘If retailers want to charge for design, do it as one’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>George Clarke speaking as part of this year\u2019s KBSA conference<\/p>\n

Architect and TV presenter George Clarke has called on the KBB industry to unite on charging for design services, warning that independents risk being undermined if customers can walk away with their work for nothing.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the annual KBSA Conference at The Belfry, Clarke argued that retailers should not undervalue the time, skill and creativity involved in producing a kitchen or bathroom design.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an architect I charge for everything,\u201d he told delegates. \u201cI can see why it\u2019s tricky for kitchen and bathroom designers, because you\u2019re providing a product and the design is part of that. But it\u2019s not right that people walk off with your work and then go to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

He suggested a refundable fee system as a practical approach. \u201cMaybe you charge for the design but refund it if they buy the kitchen from you,\u201d Clarke explained. \u201cThat way the customer knows there\u2019s value in what you\u2019ve done \u2013 and if they want to take that design somewhere else, fine, you\u2019ve at least been paid for your time.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he cautioned that such a model could only succeed if independents acted collectively. \u201cIf one showroom charges and another gives it away for free, the customer will just go there instead,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve all got to do it together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarke also weighed in on the long-running industry debate about who can call themselves an \u201cinterior architect\u201d. While some qualified professionals feel the title should be protected, Clarke took a more relaxed view.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get precious about it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnybody can design a house or a kitchen if they\u2019ve got the skills. The architectural profession spent a fortune trying to protect the title, but it doesn\u2019t stop great design from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sustainability was another central theme in Clarke\u2019s talk. He said consumers were increasingly expecting designers and retailers to offer greener solutions, whether in materials, supply chains or product longevity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI meet people every day in this industry who are passionate about being more sustainable,\u201d he said. \u201cIt might be about sourcing more responsibly, cutting carbon in transport, or simply making products that last longer. Consumers are looking for it \u2013 and we as designers should just be doing it as standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that he would not criticise businesses that still needed to source from overseas but stressed that supply chains must continue to evolve. \u201cWe are a globalised world \u2013 that\u2019s a fact. But the question is how can we move product more sustainably? That\u2019s the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarke also praised independent retailers for the personal service and community focus they bring to the market. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more brilliant than a family-run business,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you care, if you\u2019re honest and you build trust, people will come back \u2013 and they\u2019ll recommend you. That\u2019s how independents thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s tough out there,\u201d he said, \u201cbut if you enjoy what you do and put customers first, this industry will always have a bright future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"George Clarke speaking as part of this year\u2019s KBSA conference Architect and TV presenter George Clarke has called…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58299,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[40823,307,304,305,306,40824,308,93,40825,61,60,40826,40827],"class_list":{"0":"post-58298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architect","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-artsdesign","13":"tag-charging-for-design","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-george-clarke","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-ireland","19":"tag-kbsa","20":"tag-kbsa-conference"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}