A Mum’s Kitchen: “It’s Much More Family Friendly”

03 Oct 2025

“Yes, Mum, I’m eating properly.” Stella narrowly avoided an oncoming car. “Err, listen… I’ve gotta go.”

Hanging up, the young woman indicated into a leafy suburb where she pulled her pink K.A. onto the drive of the Millers’ family home. As Sigma 3 Kitchens’ new videographer, it was her job to understand the company’s customers. And while she contemplated her mother’s concern, she saw an insight into a recent Sigma 3 customer’s life and priorities.

According to her notes, Carly Miller – a real client who recently visited Sigma 3 Kitchens Colchester Avenue in Cardiff –  was a dedicated mother with a love for interior design. As such, she needed an ideal mum’s kitchen that prioritised safety, practicality and storage. Still, it had to look good. Stella wondered, Could Sigma 3’s designers do it all?

“Hi, I’m Stella,” the videographer said at the door. “You’re Carly, right?”

A cheerful woman in a lavender top and blue jeans, Carly welcomed Stella indoors and made her a latte, having expected the visit. Inside, Stella recognised Sigma 3’s Padstow kitchen range with Inkwell doors. Setting her camera at the island, she requested Carly perch nearby for their interview.

“Tell me about yourself,” she began eventually, blowing steam off her coffee.

Carly’s Lisvane Kitchen Renovation

“Hi, I’m Carly. I live in Lisvane in Cardiff, and we’ve lived here two and a half years,” the homeowner began.

“Awesome. Any interests?” Stella asked, focusing her camera so Carly’s navy Shaker kitchen blurred in an aesthetically pleasing way into the background.

“I’m a little bit obsessed with home and interior,” Carly admitted. “And we’ve done a project previously, but it wasn’t our forever home.” She beamed at the room, hinting that maybe Sigma 3 had finally delivered her forever kitchen.

“When we moved house, I just was adamant I only wanted to use Sigma 3,” she continued. “I did shop around – because my husband’s an accountant and, unless I shop around and check we’re getting the best deal, he wouldn’t have been happy – and I basically identified that Sigma 3 was really reasonable.”

At that, Stella smiled. The folks at Sigma 3 prided themselves on the quality of their products and service. What they offered looked like bespoke, six-figure affairs. The truth, though, was that they were actually reasonably priced kitchens – and Sigma 3’s finance options made them even more accessible.

“That’s good to know,” she said. “I’ll tell the guys at the office.”

Getting a Kitchen Design Consultation in Cardiff

“Now,” Stella sipped her coffee. “Let’s start at the beginning. What was your goal and did the Sigma 3 team help you achieve it? It was our Cardiff Colchester Avenue showroom you visited, wasn’t it?”

Carly nodded. “One of my main aims for the kitchen was to have as little items on show as possible.”

“Ah, a minimalist family kitchen. That isn’t easy, particularly with a traditional kitchen style. Anything else?”

“I wanted an island that has no join in it whatsoever, and Tabitha [a Sigma 3 kitchen design consultant] was brilliant. She ensured; she rang the supplier and made sure that they definitely had one piece of quartz.”

Carly paused, her mind apparently wandering to storage: “I decided to go for the bi-fold cabinet in my base unit. It gave access to the cupboards more so, I feel, rather than the standard cupboard door.”

The Benefits of a Kitchen Designer

“So, you found Tabitha useful, then?” Stella stroked her chin in thought, contemplating the free design consultation Sigma 3 Kitchens used as a starting point for all client meetings. Despite being free, it’s worth £500. “The whole team are excellent, to be fair.”

“They thought of everything,” Carly agreed. “The design; the opening of the cupboards; nothing knocks one another.” She demonstrated, opening her bi-fold door and dishwasher to show how they passed by smoothly without colliding.

“Tabitha advised me that a smaller VelaBin wouldn’t suit a large family,” Carly continued. “I was so pleased she convinced me to do that because I have enough cupboard space, and the bin is just and absolute godsend.”

“The large VelaBins are great!” Stella greed. “They’re my favourite feature in the room.”

Indicating for her to reconsider, Carly held up a finger: “My favourite part of my new kitchen, in all honesty, is my secret pantry-slash-utility. The secret cupboard ensures that I can have the likes of the toaster and the coffee machine and everything out there, not on show.”

Sliding from her chair, the homeowner opened a set of double pantry doors. Immediately, Stella gasped. Behind their grand façade wasn’t a pantry; it was a whole, walk-in utility room.

“Wow,” said the videographer.

“Yeah, it’s great,” Carly confirmed, revealing a bright space with extra worktop space, storage units, a sink, toaster and a coffee machine. “I’m so pleased with it.”

Carly’s Family Kitchen Reality

“It’s all so smooth,” Stella mused. “Same with all these appliances. Were they your idea?”

Carly grinned, pleased. “I knew I wanted Neff. I wanted a Neff oven because I wanted a slide-and-hide [oven door].” She demonstrated the futuristic door on her Neff slide and hide oven and Stella watched it vanish underneath the oven – one of the many high-end appliances Sigma 3 provided.

“The fact that the kids could be running back and forth in this room – and they do run back and forth in this room – having an oven door down obviously is a hazard,” Carly explained, momentarily sliding a pot into a new LineaPlus extra-deep pan drawer. “So, the slide-and-hide was a huge feature for me.”

“I can definitely see the benefit,” said Stella. “Less chance of the kids hitting their heads. Plus, it’s all so much easier to wipe clean – same with the hob.”

“Yes!” said Carly. “The induction hob has been absolutely brilliant. The microwave oven is absolutely brilliant, and it just looks really good as well, so, I’m really pleased with it.”

“And what about the service?” Stella asked. “Everything good there?”

“The installation manager was absolutely wonderful!” Carly answered. “I was very, very nervous about how this was going to work, but David was brilliant and, if there were any queries I had, he would come back to me straight away.”

Is Sigma 3 Kitchens Worth It?

“Since having the kitchen done, it has been such a life-changing thing for us because, as a mum, children would be in one room, I would be in the kitchen, and we just really wouldn’t see each other that often,” Carly admitted. Briefly, Stella saw a glint of motherly guilt in her eye – but she brightened.

“Now I can have my son up on the island, doing his homework, while I’m cooking, and my daughter can be in here playing, and it’s much more family friendly.”

“That’s wonderful,” Stella said, struggling to hide her smile. “It’s surprising what a difference a family-friendly kitchen design can make to parents’ lives, isn’t it? You can actually be more present.”

As if to emphases how much she loved her kitchen, Carly added, “We don’t really use much of the other rooms.”

Stella chuckled. “We’ll have to get you to write that down for our Trustpilot. 2,300 five-star reviews is good but we can always do with one more. Would you recommend us?”

At that, Carly nodded. “I would definitely recommend Sigma 3 to friends and family. As a matter of fact, I have just recommended Sigma 3 to one of my friends who’s in the process of having an extension done, and then Sigma 3 will be in to install the kitchen. So, yes, I would.”

Want a Kitchen Like Carly’s

Need designing a kitchen like the Millers’ that’s practical but also beautiful? Request our Sigma 3 Kitchens brochures. Available as digital downloads or luxury coffee table catalogues, they cover all our latest innovations. Also, why not find your nearest showroom and meet with a seasoned expert?

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