Jia International Ltd designs stylish, sustainable kitchens

More goes into planning a kitchen than figuring out where to put the stove and the sink.

aking the company into new territory, Managing Director and Project Director Almon Au Yeung and her able assistant, Project Manager Dora Chow, are continuing the development of their in-house brand called “WOW” which has had a simple mission for their clients since 1999: “A dream kitchen with heart”.

Both Almon & Dora feel that the kitchen is the heart of every home, and even the company name “Jia” means “family” in Chinese. The WOW factor is enfolded in every custom design. W for “wish”, O for “original” and W for “wonder” encapsulate the feelings they wish their clients to have as they appreciate their new kitchens.

Not only do Jia kitchens fit into each unique kitchen space, using the best materials, trendsetting designs, latest technology and innovations, they are also built to reflect each customer’s character and style of cooking, either Western or Chinese or a combination of the two cultures. Every little detail counts.

Dora said, “We ask our customers about their cooking habits, if they work with a wok or oven more, are they electrical or gas oriented. We recommend a stove hood from Unico, a professional Chinese kitchen supplier, who offers modern water system ventilation, so that water condenses, the grease or oil drops down behind and doesn’t build up. It provides a safer, cleaner environment for Chinese-oriented cooking”.

Jia’s WOW brand has been in development over 11 years and has always focused on choosing different eco- riendly products and materials. The environment of the kitchen affects the entire home so Jia’s experts recommend that the cabinetry and furniture is of the E1 standard from the European standard, which originated from Brussels, the highest and most stringent rating possible. It rates furniture according to the amount of chemicals used in the manufacturing process and the degree to which it releases dangerous fumes, such as formaldehyde and other toxic particles.

Paint, too, can contain harmful ingredients so Jia only uses sustainable, water soluable paints and coatings. The company is also aware of electrical efficiency and uses LED lighting and other energy-saving devices to create kitchens friendly to the living environment as well as having a stunning design and functionality. Almon said, “We are also concentrating on better lighting, a new type of LED kit for shelves and under cabinets, to create thematic moods inside a kitchen.

“Being green is part of our DNA as kitchen designers. We take great care in choosing eco-friendly products and materials for designing WOW kitchen systems”, says Almon. “Although using sustainable products may add to the cost of some products, we endeavour to strike a balance by offering well-designed, functional and stylish furniture that has a minimum negative impact on the environment.

“We have been able to concentrate more on growth and product evaluations lately,” she added. “We have doubled the size of our showroom, we are adding staff, and we have been working out ways to improve our designs, installations and service plus sourcing new accessories. We always feature the top range of products available”. 

Now Jia is doing research and due diligence on “smart” kitchens with more computer control over menu planning and ingredient shopping. More microchips mean greater savings on electricity, water and gas usage in the future. 

Jia International has a great reputation for home kitchen design and is gaining momentum with interior designers, architects and property developers to assist with the plan for show flats and large residential developments. By bringing in works from a German brand, Alno, the second largest furniture manufacturer in the world, Jia is winning the approval of end users and developers in Hong Kong, China and Macau because of the range of products it represents. It has recently been supplying the design and products for large blocks of flats.

Jia is a niche company, fitting in between the most expensive, all-European sourced kitchen appliances and furniture, and the all-Chinese made goods. It works almost exclusively by referrals, so the Jia brand name awareness is growing every year. “Whether an individual or a property developer, we want to give them the best of both worlds, the highest quality yet price conscious designs”, Dora said.

Bedroom, Office, Bathroom (BOB)
Moving out of the kitchen, Jia International is also beginning to design bedrooms, offices and bathroom systems, some on commercial properties as well as in residences. BOB systems, designed by Jia’s talented artists, offer composite wardrobe systems, bathroom cabinets and office cabinets that can be free-standing or built in.

The office modules can be fit in like building blocks and re-arranged according to the varying needs of any business. The BOB system allows all the cabinetry and door panels to match and can be tailor-made for each customer according to plan, fitting in with different modules in unique finishes and colours to suit the client’s taste.Jia works with Chinese factories for the  custom-made pieces to ensure quick delivery. 

Because quite a bit of manufacturing of the bigger brands is done in China, Almon can use OEM products, which are excellent value and better quality for her customers. 

Sourcing in China reduces the lead time and helps with customer’s budgets, but she also insists on using German, Austrian or Italian parts and accessories for the main structures. “We can source cabinet doors, handles, special panels, and other items from China, but they must be of the same high quality as products from Europe,” she explained.

Dora added, “Each customer works with our design consultant so he/she understands the storage requirements for his/her individual needs. Whatever the customer’s usual pattern is and how he or she would like to store things is at the heart of a well-designed bedroom, bathroom, or office. Our technical officer then draws up a layout plan before the actual designing begins. We care for details, such as handle-less or recessed drawers, which can be automatic or semiautomatic, opening at the lightest touch”.

New product updates: The BOB systems will be on display in the Hysan Avenue showroom in Causeway Bay after Chinese New Year 2011.