2018 at Davonport | Celebrating 25 years

As the end of the year draws closer, we’re in a rather reflective mood looking back at the achievements of the past 12 months. 2018 is a particularly special year for us as it marks 25 years since Richard Davonport, founded the company. We’ve grown from humble roots and never lost sight of how it all began, which you can find out more about here. This year has seen some of our biggest and most beautiful projects to date. It’s also seen a record-breaking amount of award nominations for us and some fabulous coverage across leading interior titles, both online and in print. So why not take a trip down memory lane with us and enjoy a brief summary of 2018 at Davonport…

We kicked off the year with some fantastic coverage of one of our all-time favourite projects; Joanne and Stuart’s ‘Vision in Green’ kitchen. Joanne and Stuart’s kitchen was a particularly special one for us because we’d actually worked on Joanne’s parents’ kitchen over a decade ago. Ever since, Joanne had her sights set upon a Davonport kitchen for her own home and at the end of 2017 this was completed. Joanne’s nature inspired kitchen received a well-deserved 7 pages of coverage in Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom magazine as well as lots of positive feedback and lovely comments from our social media followers!

One of the biggest achievements of the year was the launch of our updated website. We gave our logo a freshen up, made the website feel a bit more ‘Davonport’ and re-designed much of the site so it’s easier for you to navigate and enjoy. Since doing this we’ve received some fantastic feedback. We’ve been commended by industry professionals – we were shortlisted for Best Website at the Hafele Awards and have been selected by a leading industry magazine as having one of the best websites of 2018. But most importantly we’ve received such great feedback from you, our clients and followers – thank you!

The summer saw more coverage for us in the interiors press. Our Belgravia inspired ‘Bespoke Opulence’ project was the cover star for Utopia’s June issue, with the full project story told within. This project features a floating island which was a first for us – but we always like a challenge!

We also received a full case study in Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom magazine all about Ali and Joe’s industrial kitchen in their Victorian family home. After reconfiguring the entire ground floor to create their ideal kitchen space, this really was their dream kitchen, and it’s easy to see why!

As we moved into the autumn we entered awards season, and this year we were shortlisted for 7 awards – a Davonport record. These included Best Showroom, Best Bespoke Kitchen Maker, British Design & Manufacturing and Best Kitchen Brand, amongst others! It’s always rewarding to receive recognition for attention to detail that goes into each and every kitchen we make, as well as the 25 years of hard work that’s brought Davonport to this point .

The last 2 months of 2018 have seen further magazine coverage for us. Gaby and Simon’s Mayland inspired kitchen is actually their second Davonport kitchen – part of their dream home they’ve built in the Buckinghamshire countryside. With 5 children between them it must be functional, but Gaby was keen to retain the chic aesthetic that runs through the rest of the house.

The end of the year has also seen the completion of the Spiral Cellar in our Colchester showroom. Now fully stocked and on display, our spiral wine cellar has become the focal point of the whole showroom – and top of most of our Christmas lists! The cellar is actually part of the extension of our Colchester showroom, including a brand-new kitchen; the Shoreditch style. But you’ll have to wait for the official launch in 2019 to find out more about that…