'In the kitchen showroom, it's about a consumer expense that can't just be taken for granted'

Does small but fine apply to the showroom we discuss in this column? It just might. Because, small can also be big. This is proven by chef Danny Jansen who just decorated his own showroom. "I'm not a designer or an architect. Yet, I thought of everything myself and largely - with help from my handy father - built it. I am proud of that because I have achieved what I wanted to achieve with this showroom: warmth and personality."

We are in Waspik where the chef also known from 24Kitchen is giving his own entrepreneurship new boosts. "I have an online store that runs well and I had and have the opportunity to be able to host my customers in the DTC at Dekker Zevenhuizen. But I also wanted my own space. By chance I ran into this property. I bought it - after some hesitation - and got started."

"Of course I had an idea of how I wanted to furnish the first floor. I think I set the bar high for myself in doing that, because if I'm completely honest: I'm never really that enthusiastic about many other kitchen showrooms. I started from my own inspiration. A showroom for kitchen appliances, which I included, should be a place where there is no watching the clock. The customer should not be a number - at least not with me! - and when designing and setting up, you absolutely have to realize that this is an expense that consumers really don't take for granted."

"I placed two stoves side by side - across the left wall - creating a kind of cooking peninsula. But at the same time it is an eye-catcher. I also thought about the floor: it's a herringbone that I had deliberately laid lengthwise to optically play with the feeling of space. No, indeed: fifty square meters is not much and therefore I didn't want to overcrowd the space. Still, I did want to create some nooks and crannies. That way I could keep playing with the space."

Danny explains that he definitely does not want to present many brands in his showroom. "The handmade Steel Cucine induction stoves I personally selected, the extractor design by Falmec and the kitchen lighting by NOVY-light are brands I have a personal connection to. I want to link my personal passion to that."

An inspired entrepreneur, Danny does not rule out the possibility that he will one day also use the upper floor of the building for further decoration or expansion of the showroom. "But I do everything one step at a time. The most important thing is that everything I do has to be good."

The response Danny gets is overwhelming. "I really think that with this small but cozy and personal showroom I give a good first impression to the people who visit me. And I have to: because you often have a customer only once - at most twice - in your store. So it has to be good. It's as simple as that."

When asked how long a showroom - and thus THE showroom - can last in time, Danny has to laugh. "That answer is hard to give. Yes, of course I look at trends. Wood will remain an important part of the materialization but of course you never know how that will develop in the future. I do think that the foundation has been laid well and that I can continue with this for a while. I want to grow: this showroom is the tool. For me and the customer it is the basis: it is a place where we should feel comfortable!"