Case Study: Nita Designs

Juanita Hubinger is a freelance designer who set up Nita Designs in 2020 and has thrived in creating stunning kitchen designs for clients across the world from her base in South Africa. With bold and bright designs, Nita Designs often stands out on social media and won the Compusoft Design Competition in December 2020.

How did you get into kitchen design?

I dreamed of becoming an architect when I was younger and always had a love for design. I started off in a small business with my family in design and then in 2014 I was offered a job with a kitchen manufacturer as a designer and it all started from there.

Working with a manufacturer gave me a really high appreciation of how cabinets were all put together, which has had a huge influence on my design process. I always try to visualise how the cabinets will work in the space and be put together, which helps when creating a design for a client.

When did you start Nita Designs?

After working for others, I finally decided to go out alone and start up as a freelancer. This was in March 2020 and we all know what happened soon after! It was initially a tough start to the business but I kept designing and showing what I could do. I posted on social media, such as Instagram and LinkedIn and really started to build up my portfolio from there.

This has really helped me to get my name out there and I have had all of my work come from social media. Since May I’ve had orders coming in steadily, including work with developers as well, which helps to keep the work constant. One of them is with a New York developer and I’m based in South Africa, so having that reach online has really helped me to open up new opportunities.

How long have you used Winner?

I’ve been using Winner from the start and I’ve really enjoyed using it. The pricing and ordering is useful when working with bigger manufacturer brands, such as Nobilia and Leicht but for me the best feature are the renders! The realism that they provide brings the design to life for customers, who are able to take a step inside the design to really get a good understanding of how it will look in reality. This is the biggest thing, as it helps to close sales and remove any doubts that a customer may be feeling, especially when it is often a huge investment for that person.

I have used another system in the past but the realism of the renders wasn’t there and the picture sells the kitchen. I was happy to move back to Winner and now I’m a freelancer I’m not using the catalogues but find that it is flexible enough for me to create any design I want and allow me to express myself in my designs.

What was the brief for the design that won the competition?

This was a really good client to work with. They are a young family and really wanted to have something fun and bright and weren’t afraid of bold colours. This is a great thing for a designer and being able to use bold colours well is really exciting. Getting the balance right is the challenge but when used well it can really make the design pop.

I keep a file of ideas that I’m always adding to and for a while I had these Banksy graffiti pictures and the Charlie Brown and Snoopy pictures just really worked for this design and it was great to be able to use them. The client loved them and really went for this design.

Tell us more about your design process

The first step is always getting to know the client really well. Understanding what they like; what they do as a job; what their other rooms look like etc. really gives you the best idea of what kind of design would work for them. Sometimes people say they like colour but when you see the rest of the house it can be quite understated, so seeing this gives you more of an idea of how to use that in the design. Often you have to look behind their words to really get what they want and I often use images to get to that understanding and narrow down what style works best for them.

Once I have that understanding, I then begin on the design and I use a file that I keep updated with ideas to dip into for inspiration. I’m always looking at Pinterest, Instagram and other designer’s work to get new ideas and build up this idea file for the future. Keeping on top of trends is really important and looking at how to improve my designs and even those of others, helps me improve.

What tips do you have for other designers?

Understanding the customer is the most important part of a design and that’s why I talked about the steps I go through to get to what they really want. Also understanding and appreciating their preferences and what they like. Sometimes what a client likes is not what I like at all but I have to work with what they are looking for and forget my own preferences. They are after all going to have to use the kitchen every day!

Also understanding budgets and using lower ones as a challenge can be good. I like it when I’m able to deliver a design that looks as though it should be four times as much, as it means the customer is happy and I’ve delivered on the promise. Treating all customers the same, no matter their budget, is important to me. I’ve sometimes had better referrals and more business from those with lower budgets, who have been delighted with what I’ve done than those with higher budgets.

When it comes to rendering I would say keep trying different looks and render again and again. To see what it would look like and try different styles it’s important to keep testing and that’s how I get the right look and the best pictures. Lighting is key and getting that right is the most important aspect to the render, which is why it’s important to keep testing.

Why would you recommend Winner?

Winner is really user-friendly, affordable and offers you the opportunity to design and showcase your designs to customers in the best way. Pictures sell the kitchen and the quality of the renders are the best I’ve seen and really bring the designs to life for customers, who can take a virtual step into their new kitchen. The link with instant quoting is also brilliant, as it allows customers to see the impact of certain changes to a design when they are considering their budget.

For more information Nita Designs, follow @nita_designs_ on Instagram.