Maddisons, Outgang Lane

On the Osbaldwick trading estate, up the road from Smith Brothers (see right), Maddisons is a small showroom but there is still plenty to see with bathroom products on two floors including Shades furniture, Grohe and Bristan brassware and Aqualisa showers.
Ideal Standard and RAK sanitaryware is grouped in nicely presented room set displays. I received a cheerful greeting from Matt, sat at his desk by the door, who explained that Maddisons offer a free design service and full installation if required "When you're ready, give us a call and we'll pop out and measure up for you."

Score: 6/10
A good array of product and very cheerful staff

K&H Kitchen Design, Heworth Village

Situated in the attractive Heworth Village area of York, K& H Kitchen Design has a corner location on a busy crossroads.
A cappuccino gloss display looked good at the front of the shop and I was opening and closing drawers and cupboards when Elizabeth joined me. "We're taking the plunge into rigid kitchens," she explained and showed me a rigid carcass to demonstrate the quality. "The kitchens you see here are flatpack but once we move over to rigid we will be able to offer you a more bespoke product."

Score: 6/10
A pleasant showroom in a pretty location

Lynden Design Studio, Northfield Lane

Lynden Design Studio is an impressive showroom featuring Rational kitchens and locally made Daval bedrooms.
The first display I saw was designed to leave a strong impression with black gloss lacquer and black glass fronted cabinets mixed with a wood topped island unit. Christine explained that while she runs the showroom it's her husband Colin who deals with the design side. "Once Colin has visited your home he will create drawings and make suggestions, but this is only a starting point. We can discuss everything and you can make changes. You may find it a slow process but our aim is to get your kitchen exactly right for you."
I was impressed by the layout of this two-tier showroom and by the seating area where customers can relax.

Score: 8/10
Bold, confident kitchen displays and Christine is an exceptional saleswoman

Smith Brothers, Osbaldwick Link Road

Smith Brothers occupies a large premises on a trading estate with bathroom displays downstairs, kitchens and bedrooms upstairs and plenty of free parking outside.
A variety of flooring has been used in the showroom to break up the large floor space, leading the visitor from contemporary Beckermann and Sheraton to more traditional Charles Yorke kitchens, Duravit to Ideal Standard bathrooms. I was told by Myra that Smiths charges a £50 fee for its design service if they do a home visit, this is reduced to £30 if I bring in my own plans. The fee is deducted from the final cost of the kitchen or bathroom. "Our design department produce CAD images for you," she said. "These are just a starting point, you can chop and change as much as you like."

Score: 6/10
A good sized showroom with a businesslike approach

Scammell Interiors, Acomb Road

Sharon and Stephen Scammell have been creating kitchens for 23 years, yet none of their enthusiasm for what they do seems to have waned. 
Sharon was bright and friendly and when I commented on how stylish the showroom looked both outside and in she said, "Work used to take me into North London quite a bit and I brought some of what I saw there with me to York."
I admired a grey gloss kitchen with black splashback but voiced concerns over choosing a fashion colour. "If you are concerned I would advise choosing a light neutral, you can always be adventurous with the accessories," said Sharon and steered me towards a white kitchen with a glass splashback and stainless steel worktop. Sharon asked my name and introduced me to her husband Stephen who explained that they could undertake small building work in-house, "If you need anything major we have a builder we can recommend and we have our own fitters."
I noticed a couple of ring binders bursting with letters from satisfied customers. "We are very approachable," said Sharon. "We are not one of those companies who dictate what you should have, and we can create something special to suit any budget from £15,000 to £57,000."

Score: 9/10
Lovely showroom with friendly, enthusiastic team. I'd buy my kitchen here

In-toto, Auster Road

Although the sign on the door read 'closed', I had phoned ahead to check the showroom was open on Wednesdays, so I tried the handle and walked in.
The first display I came to was cluttered with a delivery of appliances so I wandered further in and found Georgia at the back. She soon made up for my bad first impression with her enthusiastic presentation. She walked me round the displays and when my attention was grabbed by a particular red gloss kitchen she showed me samples of the other colours.
Georgia mentioned that there were special offers available and demonstrated the storage solutions. "It's really Bill you need to speak to," she explained. "He's away, but if you give him a call he will be able to handle the whole project
for you."

Score: 7/10
Good use of a small space and bubbly service

Bathrooms By Design, Fulford Road

Despite being tucked away on a retail park next to Iceland this showroom was easy to spot thanks to its bold blue sign.
A distinctive egg shaped Victoria and Albert bath was the first thing I noticed on entering the shop, part of a display that also included twin wall hung basins and floor standing bath filler, all set against iridescent Bisazza tiles. The tiling in all the displays was beautifully done with some unusual colours to really fire the imagination.
Lucy joined me from her office at the back of the showroom and, when I commented on the tiles, walked me through to a wall of coloured samples at the back.  Lucy was very friendly and helpful extolling the benefits of underfloor heating, pulling up on screen an example of the CAD images she could produce for me and reassuring me about the installation of a wet room by showing me a cut section of floor. She suggested visiting my home to measure up and put together a plan.
As well as the aspirational window display there were some smaller groupings allowing customers to see what they can fit into the average bathroom.

Score: 8/10
A well presented showroom. Lucy was both friendly and helpful

Winner's profile
Scammell Interiors

23 years ago, Sharon and Stephen Scammell had a showroom area in their warehouse. They progressed to a small separate shop and then, two years ago, bought an end of terrace property which the building inspector described as 'semi derelict'. After a period of hard graft the couple now have a showroom to be proud of with attractive displays of Hacker kitchens. Sharon says, "We have tried to strike a balance between presenting a contemporary image without being too edgy - this is York."
The showroom is only part of the Scammell package - customer service is paramount. "It really is all about people," explains Sharon. "We treat our customers the way we like to be treated ourselves. It is important to us that we are friends with them at the beginning and end of the process."