How to decide on a kitchen?

[BobbinsBoo1]

Planning our new kitchen and had decided on an ikea kitchen purely because it would be fairly cheep for a nice looking kitchen and was easy to plan ourselves.
Chatting to some friends and they mentioned how once we've done the kitchen it will be there for the next 10 years. Which I obviously knew but hadn't really thought about. This is now making me re-think picking a kitchen based on it being the cheaper option. So we are now looking at companies like diy kitchens.

Had anyone chosen to put a cheaper kitchen in just to get it done asap and then regretted it and wished you had gone for something more expensive? Or the other way and put the cheaper, easier kitchen rather than re-plan and re-design and been happy with that choice?

Bit worried we'll go with the kitchen we have planned from ikea and then regret it.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for other kitchen companies to try? Thanks

[IAmAPaleontologist]

We've gone to an independent place suggested by our builder and the price for a custom made very nice kitchen has been comparable to our last kitchen which was a cheap budget howdens job so ask around locally for recommendations.