Meet The Sales Designer – Q&A and 2018 Trends

Here at Leekes we know that any home improvement project is a serious investment. Which is why our stores are filled with experienced and knowledgeable designers so you can sit back and relax – after all our experts have been helping create beautiful homes for 120 years.

We caught up with Allan Franklin, Sales Designer, who has been part of the Leekes team for 10 years to discuss what products and trends he recommends.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen during your decade at Leekes?

The advancement and development in our product range, allowing a wider choice of designs. For example products like Timber Effect didn’t exist to the high quality that it does today, it was simply a timber ‘look’ rather than the detail, look and feel in the materials used now.

The quality of manufacturing and new materials has given such a wide range of options to customers too. Even uPVC looks a lot more attractive, slimmer and is available in thousands more designs and colours able to match and compliment any home. The last 5 – 10 years has probably seen more changes than the 40 or so years these products have been around.

What’s the most popular product at the moment?

Roof replacement of an existing conservatory to a LivinRoof or an UltraRoof380.

Ten to fifteen years ago the choice of roof was polycarbonate or glass for a conservatory, customers are now finding this isn’t good enough for the cold winters and hot summers and both these previous options now under perform in these extreme temperatures after all of these years of exposure too.

The new options are lightweight but heavily insulated, come with a vaulted plastered ceiling, inset lighting and optional sky lights, along with attractive outer finishes such as authentic tile effect or a solid finish. It truly does turn an older conservatory into a stunning new extension. Of course we can also provide the new window frames too if the budget allows, otherwise our roofs will generally fit straight onto older frames. The roofs are closely followed in popularity by the Loggia Conservatory.

What’s the most popular window colour and materiel at the moment?

Still standard white, followed by the coloured foils such as Light Oak, Rosewood and Anthracite Grey. The current trend is definitely a modern and clean one and customers are noticing Anthracite Grey can compliment a traditional home but also looks amazing on a modern property. In the Evolution Timber Effect range, I would say Agate Grey is the most popular colour.

Why would you choose Leekes as a customer?

Selected quality products, professional advice and service, and an experienced family company, we’ve recently changed supplier so all of our windows now have Yale locks with a lifetime guarantee, and a 10 year guarantee on the windows and handles too. For conservatories we take the time to visit the customers home and send a surveyor so we know what is possible and can give an accurate quote. This also means we can deliver exactly what the customer wants and expects.

Can customers book an appointment if they don’t even know where to start?

Of course, I would hope so, we are usually able to find a way to guide them through the choices and get them where they want to be. Customers shouldn’t be put off if there is no prior knowledge or idea of what they want as we have years of experience and can make the process enjoyable with the choices available.

If you’d like to know more or book a free quote, visit your local sales design expert or contact us today on 0800 015 7749 to book a free quote

Categories: Updates