ABOUT DARREN TAYLOR
OWNER OF 
SEARLE & TAYLOR KITCHENS

Having left school aged 15 in 1988 to do an apprenticeship in wood turning, Darren Taylor started working at Farmhouse Furniture in Market Street, Alton, Hampshire. It was firstly a Saturday job and then full-time. In 1991, the owner retired and 18-year-old Darren took on the lease of the retail shop with £150 of savings, joining forces with his co-worker, Jeff Searle, who became his business partner. This oil painting of the original shop was painted in 2024 by Darren’s father, Bob Taylor. 

Darren Taylor is featured in an article in the Alton Herald, which helps publicise his new venture. More orders for kitchens and furniture from Farmhouse Furniture were taken and the business began to thrive.

In 1992, Darren took on the lease of this cabinet workshop in the village of East Worldham in Hampshire to fulfil growing furniture orders, from the retail shop. The business began to focus on making bespoke kitchens for clients using timber that had been reclaimed from the Great Storm of 1987.

As the business grew, kitchens became a staple for the company. The fashion for reclaimed pine with granite worktops was at its height, together with the advent of in frame Shaker kitchen styles

Reclaimed pine furniture with elaborate patterns and mouldings were increasingly on-trend. Searle & Taylor was building a reputation for kitchen design in addition to skilled craftsmanship. 

In 1998, Searle & Taylor expanded its operation, opening its factory showroom in Winnall, Hampshire. At this time, Searle & Taylor was supplying 25 independent kitchen studios with bespoke furniture, making five kitchens per week. 

At the turn of the 21^st Century, Searle & Taylor was both manufacturing and outsourcing its designs. It started to introduce new technologies such as spray painting.

On 1^st February 2003, Searle & Taylor hired Gavin Alexander, a former chef, as their new designer, later becoming showroom manager, now design manager.

By 2005, Searle & Taylor had become a well-established independent kitchen design company in Hampshire under its own brand name. In addition, the business was designing premium country kitchens and manufacturing kitchens for other brands. 

The trend for handpainted Shaker kitchens added to the success of the Searle & Taylor brand. Darren and his business partner also wanted to capitalise on the trend for contemporary handleless kitchens too, which would mean finding larger premises. 

In 2007, Darren and his business partner bought the freehold of a former car showroom in Ropley, Hampshire. The capacious ground floor space was the Searle & Taylor kitchen showroom and the upstairs was a separate bathroom showroom. They sold their manufacturing arm and became agents for two contemporary Austrian kitchen furniture brands, Intuo and EWE. 

As sales agents for Intuo and EWE, Darren Taylor and his business partner developed a network of kitchen dealers in the UK. They also exhibited at Grand Designs Live, with Kevin Mc Cloud performing a cooking demonstration of newly fashionable  induction hobs in their display kitchen. 

In 2013, Darren Taylor purchased the company outright, retaining the established business name. He also took the lease on a second premises opposite the Hotel du Vin on Southgate Street, Winchester. It was initially opened to sell a mix of traditional bespoke kitchens together with furniture by Poggenpohl. 

Having opened in Winchester, Searle & Taylor rebranded with a new logo and website to showcase the premium nature of its business and to appeal to a more high-end target audience. 

Paul New was recruited as the new showroom manager for the Searle & Taylor Winchester showroom. 

Searle & Taylor’s kitchens started to appear in editorial articles in glossy magazines. Articles appeared about the showroom, the business and its designs. Darren Taylor started writing editorials for trade press about being both a manufacturer and a retailer. To this day, Searle & Taylor kitchens are regularly featured in interiors titles and on online interiors platforms. 

In 2018, Darren appeared on BBC’s Watchdog being interviewed by Nikki Fox as a kitchens industry expert, comparing the warranties that independent kitchen companies offer against those of major high street retailers. 

In 2019, Searle & Taylor moved in entirety to its current Winchester City Centre location in Southgate Street. The Ropley premises were sold to a local business.This oil painting was painted by Darren’s father, Bob Taylor in 2024.

During the pandemic, Darren Taylor continued working in his showroom on his own every day. Whilst unable to meet with potential purchasers at the showroom, he had a valuable opportunity to install an entire new display, which is still at the entrance of the Searle & Taylor showroom. During this time, he designed and sold a number of kitchens, presenting them on Zoom.

In 2021, Searle & Taylor celebrated its 30^th anniversary in business. It is now the longest-established independent kitchen company in Winchester. In November that year, Darren purchased the freehold of the building in which his showroom is located.

With more than 60 five-star Google Reviews at the time, Searle & Taylor entered the Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022 in the category of Service Excellence. In June 2022, the team attended the awards ceremony at Winchester University where they were the winners. Darren is pictured here with design manager, Gavin Alexander holding their awards.

Darren Taylor successfully applied for a rear extension to the Winchester property on Southgate Street.Works to build a new showroom space leading out to the garden started in April 2023.

In December 2023, Searle & Taylor received its 100^th five-star Google review. The kitchen design studio is the only company in Winchester to have achieved so many five-star reviews