The Sociable Kitchen® by Kvik

Hoy nos tomamos un breve descanso de nuestra serie sobre diseño danés para contar otro tipo de historia. Somos un concepto de franquicia y contamos con más de 185 tiendas en 12 países que venden cocinas de diseño danés.

Queremos crecer a lo grande. Eso significa que buscamos constantemente nuevos franquiciados, tanto para nuevas ubicaciones como para que se hagan cargo de las tiendas ya existentes. En este sentido, hemos hablado con algunos de nuestros socios franquiciados para que nos cuenten su historia. Presentaremos estas historias de vez en cuando en el feed de The Sociable Kitchen®. 

Hemos hablado con Ralph y Mai Nissen, que abrieron nuestra primera tienda en Alemania en julio de 2021: Kvik Hamburg Altstadt. Se trata de una pareja danesa que lleva muchos años viviendo en Alemania, pero que casualmente se crió no muy lejos de donde se fundó Kvik en Dinamarca. 

Ambos habían trabajando en el comercio minorista, pero no tenían experiencia en el sector de las cocinas, así que les preguntamos cómo se enteraron de la oportunidad...

Y solo un apunte: esto se grabó en su tienda en el corazón de Hamburgo, por lo que es posible que oigas trenes pasar y el ruido de una gran embarcación que estaba excavando en el canal justo al lado de la ventana donde grabamos. Te pedimos disculpas por ello. 

Este podcast se ha regrabado desde su versión original en inglés, intentando mantener la fidelidad del texto original.

This episode of The Sociable Kitchen® features an interview with Thijs and Lex Kaptein, brothers who opened the Kvik Heerhugowaard store in the Netherlands in 2018 and Kvik Hoorn in 2023. Despite their diverse backgrounds, with Thijs working as an agent for wedding and evening wear dresses and Lex as a carpenter, they have achieved remarkable success, being named Store of the Year in 2022.

The episode explores their journey to owning a Kvik franchise, emphasising that a background in the kitchen industry is not necessary. They highlight their customer-oriented approach, using a tool called "Maze" to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. The success of their stores is attributed to hard work, a clear vision, and exceptional service, ensuring customers feel cared for and valued.Moreover, the episode discusses the training and support provided by Kvik to its franchisees, including various training programs, network building, and comprehensive business support, from location selection to daily business operations.

We’re looking for more franchisees in locations all over Europe. Check our website to see if there’s an opportunity near you:

DK: https://www.kvik.dk/karriere/rekruttering-af-franchisetagere
BENL:  https://www.kvik.be/nl-be/loopbaan/rekrutering-franchisenemers
BEFR:  https://www.kvik.be/fr-be/carriere/recrutement-en-franchise
NL:  https://www.kvik.nl/carriere/werving-voor-franchisenemers
UK: https://www.kvik.co.uk/career/franchise-recruitment
FI:  https://www.kvik.fi/ura/franchising-rekrytointi
DE:  https://www.kvik.de/beruf-und-karriere/franchise-partnerschaften
NO:  https://www.kvik.no/karriere/rekruttering-av-franchisetakere
ES:  https://www.kvik.es/carrera-profesional/contratacion-de-franquicias
SE:  https://www.kvik.se/karriaer/vi-soeker-franchisetagare

In this final episode of The Sociable Kitchen® podcast's first series on Danish design, host Julie Broberg explores the evolving landscape of Danish design, from its mid-20th century roots to its modern-day ethos. Central to this evolution is the Danish design process of "tænke, tegne, teste" (think, draw, test), a cycle emphasising continuous iteration and improvement.

The Confederation of Danish Industry proposes a new design policy, moving beyond the traditional focus on objects like chairs and lamps to a broader view of design as a collaborative process. This approach involves not just designers but a diverse team of experts, addressing complex challenges with robust, sustainable solutions.

Designer Lærke Ryom, a recent graduate, exemplifies this new direction. She discusses her hands-on approach to repurposing materials, such as transforming discarded jeans into upholstery for chairs and using offcuts from production processes for new creations. This reimagining of materials is part of a larger shift towards sustainability in Danish design, acknowledging the significant environmental impact of design decisions.

The podcast also delves into how Danish design culture, characterised by flat organisational structures and a collaborative ethos, is uniquely suited to tackle modern challenges. This culture encourages a multidisciplinary approach, where everyone from CEOs to interns contributes ideas and expertise.

In conclusion, as Danish design moves forward, it embraces a holistic, user-centric approach, integrating aesthetics, functionality, and environmental responsibility. 

Read more at kvik.com/podcast. 

Ralph and Mai Nissen opened Kvik Hamburg Altstadt  in July 2021. In this episode, we talk to them about how they dared to be the first store on the German market and how they made the transition from selling clothing and shoes to selling kitchens.

If you're interested in becoming a Kvik franchisee, check the opportunities on our website:

DK: https://www.kvik.dk/karriere/rekruttering-af-franchisetagere
BENL:  https://www.kvik.be/nl-be/loopbaan/rekrutering-franchisenemers
BEFR:  https://www.kvik.be/fr-be/carriere/recrutement-en-franchise
NL:  https://www.kvik.nl/carriere/werving-voor-franchisenemers
UK: https://www.kvik.co.uk/career/franchise-recruitment
FI:  https://www.kvik.fi/ura/franchising-rekrytointi
DE:  https://www.kvik.de/beruf-und-karriere/franchise-partnerschaften
NO:  https://www.kvik.no/karriere/rekruttering-av-franchisetakere
ES:  https://www.kvik.es/carrera-profesional/contratacion-de-franquicias
SE:  https://www.kvik.se/karriaer/vi-soeker-franchisetagare

In this episode, we speak with award-winning  furniture designer Lærke Ryom about the Danish design expo stand she created for the Confederation of Danish Industry at Habitare Pro in Helsinki, as well as Ukurant, a  platform for young designers that she co-founded.   We also speak with Nikolaj Duve from SaysWho about the co-creation process that resulted in our best-selling Ombra kitchen design. 

To see photos of all the things we talk about in this episode, please visit our website: https://kvik.co.uk/podcast

Thank you for coming with us on this journey through Danish design. One of the things that came up again and again in my conversations was the notion of co-creation. And what is co-creation, you ask? In a way it's a collaboration - you invite a diverse group of people with different knowledge and talents into a room and everyone contributes to solving the task at hand. Everyone’s unique perspective is taken into account and the solution is thereby co-created. 

In this episode, we speak to textile designer Astrid Skibsted about two projects she recently co-created, Lise Thomsen from the Confederation of Danish Industry about Bang & Olufsen's design process, as well as Sune Kjems from the Danish Design Council about his own culinary journey towards co-creating in the kitchen. 

Visit our website for pictures and a transcript: https://www.kvik.co.uk/podcast

Other links to things mentioned in the episode: 
LEGO Ideas: https://ideas.lego.com/
Bang & Olufsen: https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en
Data Mirror at Trapholt Museum: https://trapholt.dk/en/data-mirror/
Rocks of Greenland at Design Museum Denmark: https://designmuseum.dk/en/exhibition/rocks-of-greenland/

We've explored the Danish design DNA and now it's time to explore the possibilities of what Danish design can do. We spoke to designer Nikolaj Duve from SaysWho. We learned about a surprising project where Danish design helped solve problems in the toughest prison in Denmark from designer Sune Kjems. And we also spoke to designer Lars Thøgersen and Claus Johnsen, our own Head of Design. 

To see pictures or read a transcript, visit our website: https://www.kvik.co.uk/podcast

In our last episode, we learned about the origins of the Danish Design DNA, if you haven’t heard it, you should go back and listen now. In this episode, we dig a bit deeper into the ten strands of the DNA.

In 2017, the Danish Design Council saw a need to redefine Danish design for the 21st century. If American design is business and German design is science and Italian design is art, then what is Danish design? In the 20th century, it was arguably craftsmanship and that’s still a key element today. 

But design can play a key role in solving the challenges we face in the world today - things like climate change, using our resources wisely - the ten strands of the Danish design DNA reflect that. It contains not only the heritage of Danish design, but the future as well. The ten strands can be boiled down to ten simple values - social, human, holistic, quality, user-driven, transformative, craft, durable, factual and simple.  

To see the designs we talk about in this episode, visit https://www.kvik.dk/podcast/episodes/closer-look-at-danish-design-dna

Back in 2016, the Danish Design Council teamed up with the Danish Design Centre, the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation and Design Museum Denmark and decided to take a close look at Danish design and really get to the essence of it. The result was a mapping of the Danish design DNA which was presented in 2017 when Aarhus was the European Cultural Capital. 

In this episode, we learn how the Danish Design DNA came to be and how it can be used.

To see the designs we talk about in this episode, visit https://www.kvik.dk/podcast/episodes/intro-to-danish-design-dna