Picture this: you have decided that your community hub could do with a new kitchen. You have reached out to your staff and community members for their opinions, started to research suppliers, and have a kitchen wish-list as long as your arm.

It’s an exciting time, but you might be wondering how you will make it all happen.

If you are at that stage, you will benefit from having the support of a Steelplan kitchen design consultant.

Whether you want support from initial design to installation, or simply need the right units, cabinets and worktops for your trusted contractor to install, your project becomes much easier when you have a Steelplan kitchen design consultant on your team. Read on to see why.

What is a semi-commercial kitchen design consultant?

In a community centre or church kitchen installation project with Steelplan, your kitchen design consultant is your main point of contact.

Not only do they help transform your ideas into a working semi-commercial kitchen with the help of our in-house design team, but if you choose Steelplan to install your kitchen as well, they look after every aspect of the project you may not have the time to manage alone when running a busy community hub.

You can meet a kitchen design consultant by reading Martin’s story here .

These aspects alone offer exceptional added value, but it’s worth exploring them deeper to see how their support can make your kitchen installation project significantly more successful.

What is the added value of a Steelplan design consultant for your project?

They have unmatched experience of community centre/church kitchen design projects.

If you are changing your community centre/church kitchen, it’s likely to be the very first time you have embarked on a semi-commercial kitchen installation.

The task ahead shouldn’t be daunting, but there are a lot of considerations that will be unique to your kitchen and its users. Even the most detail-oriented members of your staff might miss things that come naturally to a kitchen design consultant.

In a semi-commercial environment, these can range from designing kitchens in a ‘kitchen triangle’ format to minimise cross-contamination, to helping you find the best colours for your kitchen for visually impaired users.

Top tip: these cost far more to fix after installation than it does to plan them in the first place.

These details make the difference, and with hundreds of projects in community centres and churches under their belts, they understand exactly what your kitchen will need to best serve your community.

They keep your project on track (and your budget in check)

As you will already know, designing and installing a semi-commercial kitchen comes with a few more steps to navigate than a domestic kitchen installation. These can involve:

• Finding and co-ordinating local installers
• Supporting you through the process of procurement (e.g. with a local authority)
• Meeting any hygiene, safety and accessibility requirements for your users
• Potentially registering as a food business

They aren’t difficult processes, but without proper planning, they can easily extend your project and stretch your budget.

With their experience, our design consultants can develop a transparent timeline for your project – whether that’s a complete installation with Steelplan, or a seamless handover to a contractor your trust – and take the management burden off your shoulders.

That support lets you focus on your day-to-day, community-focused priorities.

So, if you know that you can benefit from the support of a design consultant  – why choose Steelplan in the first place?

Why choose Steelplan for your community kitchen project?

Support of a highly-experienced design consultant is included with every Steelplan Kitchen – but it’s the kitchen itself that makes the difference.

Made of a resilient, polyester powder-coated mild steel carcass (frame); combined with hard-wearing laminate or stainless-steel worktops; and infinitely customisable in components and colours, Steelplan’s semi-commercial kitchens are exactly the right fit for village halls and community centres.

We could tell you, but why not see these kitchens for yourself and see if their stories are like yours?

• This church convent needed an accessible, functional yet colourful kitchen for its elderly users.
• This community centre in London wanted to attract more visitors and provide a better venue hire service – a new kitchen helped make it happen.
• This community hub near Birmingham received funding to transform its kitchen and provide community cooking classes: Steelplan helped them deliver their ambitious plans.

Last of all, it isn’t just a design consultant’s support that you can benefit from. You can start your kitchen transformation journey right now with our free design and consultation service, which lets you see a free, 3D visualisation of your kitchen in your community centre.

It’s a service that no other kitchen partner offers for free, and it will help you make the right decision about the kitchen that’s best for your community centre without paying a penny.

If you are curious about what a Steelplan semi-commercial kitchen would look like in your community or church hub, the easiest way to see is to reach out to us online or call 020 8254 0090.