Back to Blog
Follow us
Two decades ago, a passion was ignited. Tom Howley opened the doors to its first showroom with a vision to create beautiful, functional kitchens. This endeavour was more than just selling cabinetry; it was about crafting the heart of the home, a space that reflected the lives and personalities of its inhabitants.
Fast forward to today, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, Tom Howley Kitchens has grown into a national presence, reflecting our unwavering commitment to quality and bespoke design. However, our story is more than just numbers and showrooms. It is about collaboration and fostering a community of passionate designers, skilled craftspeople, and, most importantly, satisfied clients.
What started as a single showroom in Altrincham has expanded into a nationwide network of 20 showrooms across the UK. Located in beautiful buildings with unique architectural features, our showrooms stretch from Edinburgh in the north to Winchester in the south. Each thoughtfully curated showroom provides abundant inspiration and demonstrates how a complete Tom Howley kitchen can effortlessly blend into your home and lifestyle.
In recent years, we’ve also introduced ‘bolt-on’ spaces into some of our showrooms, including boot rooms, striking walk-in pantries, captivating media walls, bespoke bar areas, and elegant office spaces. Each serves as a distinct source of interior design inspiration. Our Altrincham showroom, especially, has transformed significantly over the years, adapting to mirror modern lifestyles, interior trends, technological advances, and innovations in Tom Howley’s designs.
Each of the displays in our Altrincham showroom complements each other, and serves for different design inspiration as you walk through the space. The launch of our new Bedroom display, in particular, is an exciting moment for us at Tom Howley.
Creative Design Director, Tom Howley.
At Tom Howley, our foundation rests on core principles that define our approach: unwavering commitment to exceptional quality, meticulous craftsmanship, and the pursuit of kitchens that endure. We have invested substantially in our team to uphold these standards, selecting only the most skilled designers and craftspeople who share our dedication to detail and functionality. We harness cutting-edge technology to complement these traditional methods, ensuring a personalised service that consistently surpasses expectations. This dedication allows us to create a world-class product that is as unique as each of our clients.
From their origins as purely functional spaces tucked away, kitchens have transformed into central, multifunctional hubs within homes. The notion of the kitchen as the “heart of the home” became solidified in the 1990s and 2000s, with designs expanding to include social areas such as islands, breakfast bars, and cosy seating nooks. Today’s kitchens are intelligent and flexible sanctuaries, accommodating a variety of tasks while also reflecting the personality of the homeowner.
Every kitchen collection developed over the years pays homage to tradition while seamlessly integrating with 21st-century lifestyles and contemporary interior schemes. Achieving a classic shaker silhouette, our cabinetry is in-frame rather than a lay-on style. One of our earliest and enduring collections, the Hartford, features a beaded frame for a classic appearance, while newer collections like the Butler showcase simple square frames for a modern aesthetic.
The bottom line, with all our furniture, is that the kitchen needs to feel right in the space. It needs to look how it should look. The Tom Howley design process is a fusion of mathematics and creative intuition. This is something that all of our regional designers work to.
Creative Design Director, Tom Howley.
While the core elements of our shaker-style kitchen cabinetry and iconic design features remain unchanged, Tom Howley’s design will continue to evolve through innovations in colour palettes, materials, and technological advancements.
Throughout our journey, we have nurtured meaningful partnerships with suppliers and contractors, carefully selecting them for their shared values and expertise. Additionally, we’ve had the honour of collaborating with remarkable clients who have graciously allowed us to showcase their exquisite Tom Howley kitchens. These relationships are priceless to us, and we take great pride in fostering them.
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are incredibly grateful to our clients, partners, and team members who have been a part of this journey. We look forward to continuing to innovate and inspire, creating beautiful, functional spaces that our clients love.
Thank you for being a part of the Tom Howley story. Here’s to the next 20 years of exceptional kitchen design!
Visit one of our nationwide showrooms to experience exclusive Tom Howley design details, witness the meticulous craftsmanship inherent in every kitchen, and engage with our designers, whose expertise is sure to inspire. Locate your nearest showroom here.