To think a free standing kitchen is a good idea?

[Telaviv]

We are considering ordering a new fitted kitchen but I'm struggling to find a style that really excites me where I feel like the quality and aftercare service live up to the price. I am toying with the idea of just ripping out the existing kitchen, replastering the walls and installing a freestanding/unfitted kitchen. I love the idea of a very French-farmhouse aesthetic with a big wooden table, butcher's block and a gorgeous rustic dresser. It would mean spending more on nice-looking appliances but would still save £ overall.

DH less convinced. Thinks it will get dirty, be difficult to clean etc. Not as "slick" looking.

Has anyone here created something similar by choice rather than inheriting it with their house? Are they easy to live with? Is there anything you wish you'd done differently?

I haven’t done this but would also be keen to hear if others have.
I love the style. I find a lot of fitted kitchens seem ‘cold’ and clinical. I’ve wanted a free standing kitchen for years!!

If you’ve got a big enough kitchen then go for it. I think fitted kitchens are more practical for smaller kitchens and can better make the most of the space.

I worry about crumbs in the gaps! I have no idea whether this would actually be a problem, I'd be interested to know...

The only practial snag migh be floor cleaning if furniture has legs, but the look can be lovely and you can move stuff around, I much prefer a table to an island. The room needs to be big enough so it doent look shrunk or cluttered. Sound slike your OH likes a more steam lined look?

I’ve got a long fairly narrow kitchen and prefer not having any crevices where food and stuff can get stuck.

I always really like that look when I see it on Houzz/Pinterest or wherever.

I think you’d have to research it really carefully and plan it out with someone who’s really good and design and spatial arrangement.

You’d be missing out on the convenient modern kitchen stuff like, I dunno, those shelves that swing out for hard to reach stuff. But that might not be a deal breaker.

I’ll follow this with interest.

I had an Ikea one and I loved it. I may do something similar when we redo the kitchen here.

I had one, looks lovely and you can swap things around.

You do need to be a very committed cleaner though.

My friend has a free standing kitchen, I think from habitat. It's all matching though and looks almost like a fitted one. I think your idea sounds lovely.

Mmm, I don’t know.

I’ve certainly seen examples of this that look fabulous. However you’d have to have a real eye for it to pull it off.

With my aptitude for interior design I suspect it would look like a junk yard. Others would do a better job though!

I had one in my old house - Welsh dresser and butchers block and table and chairs etc. Spiders in September get between everything and cobwebs etc. I don’t love cleaning but my fitted kitchen in the new house is much easier to stay on top of. The rustic look was nice but mince fell between units and I was always worried about mice.

I had one and loved it . The freedom to move things around is wonderful . Unfortunately our was all antique furniture and my dogs kept eating it !!!! We now have a mixture of fitted and freestanding new units still nice but not as lovely

I have one run of fitted units base units and drawers. the rest of the kitchen is freestanding, or is a mixture of a plate rack, triple cupboard, old school cupboard that houses the glass ware and crockery, an IKEA tall cupboard in cream in an alcove that has mugs, glasses, cafetieres etc, and a free standing unit in the middle also from IKEA.

It works for me, means I can take my stuff when I move (the cupboards have been abroad and back again twice), and my fridge freezer is freestanding too. We had fully fitted kitchen in our rentals abroad, and they weren't set out how I would have done it.

The French style ‘open’ kitchens take ages to clean though as crumbs get everywhere and if you have very narrow gaps they often can’t be cleaned at all leading to perfect hiding spots for spiders and mice.

They are the norm in Germany - when you move out you take the units with you. Might be worth researching for modern alternatives to the rustic higgledypiggledy arrangement?

I love the idea - I bet it will look fabulous. - let me know when you have cleaned it for a few months.

I loved my over head hanging thing in a previous house from which I had pans , copper pans , various implements - until I had to clean it - Ha ha - maybe I am just getting old.

I would go for a mix of fitted cupboards and some free standing stuff to give the loo - but yes - minimise mouse and spider houses.

We have one installed by a previous owner. As others have said, crumbs and dust can be an issue. We have had a couple of pipe leaks over the years and needed to renew the flooring. This has lead to having to move all the freestanding kitchen out to replace the floor, it is heavy and difficult to find space to store - the same applies needing to move it for redecoration. I would not get another one if I could chose

look not loo !

I'm too lazy to faff about cleaning in all the gaps, so I wouldn't have one.

I'm currently trying to work out how we can fit integral appliances when we next have the kitchen done, which hopefully will be in the next 12 months or so. I can't bear the crud that manages to find its way down the side of the under-counter fridge and freezer.

We have a very annoying 16' x 10' kitchen. Two walls have doors in them and the third has windows almost the full length, so we only have one 10' wall that can take wall or full height cupboards.

I so want to move.

Yes I would love that. I bought a lovely freestanding cooker in my last house. It would look so much more individual, though maybe hard to get enough cupboard space?

I have one that I put in myself. Furniture is all mismatched but some is painted the same colour - I love it. It cost less than £2,000, quite a bit came from Ebay. I had my house on the market a couple of years ago - changed my mind about selling, but lots of viewings and they all loved the kitchen. You do get more crumbs and don't even mention the pine surround for the belfast sink (mouldy). I love the look of wood but it is a bugger to keep nice if it gets wet.

No. Not keen on the ones I've seen. And even if you moved chances are the units wouldn't fit that well in the new house.

www.unfitted.co.uk/

I used this company about 10 years ago - good quality units. Things like sink units do need to be fitted. I had a large pine cupboard which i used as a larder and a pine dresser and an island unit. Weve moved now but i would consider using them again but will probably have to live with the kitchen weve got now unfortunately!

It works for me, means I can take my stuff when I move

See that would put me off buying a house, if the lovely kitchen was being taken out with the previous owners. I would not like to move in and find there is no kitchen!

I think it can look good if you have a lot of space. I saw one kitchen like this in a house where the owner wanted to keep the original 17th century kitchen in situ - it was totally bizarre but I guess it would be different in your kitchen!