Kitchen companies (deVOL, Higham etc) or local joiner to make plain english/shaker style in-frame kitchen?

[VioletElizabethBott]

I wonder if anyone here could help me make a decision?

I'm in the market (hallelujah!) for a new kitchen and have a really clear idea of what I want (Plain English style (without the price tag) in-frame kitchen - dark blue shaker units, white marble (type!) surfaces, a single wall cabinet (rest shelves) down to virtually every detail. But in essence it is this kitchen by deVOL in their Shoreditch showroom: www.remodelista.com/posts/devols-new-kitchen-showroom-in-london

Now, Higham look amazing (have heard great things from friends who have used them too) but lead time is MAY next year (!) which is really too long for me. deVOL are very pricey for what you get I think (ie same prices as fully bespoke but the units are just butted up against eachother (looks a bit ugly to me now I'm being super picky!) and most are standard, not bespoke) and I've discounted another kitchen company despite liking the owner personally because the company has got some really confidence denting online reviews (I should ask him about them really but had already suspected the build quality is not what I want anyway).

But I could get a good local joiner to make me these units for pretty much the same as the companies are asking for, fully bespoke. I guess where he loses out on economies of scale, he wins on the zero advertising/design service front.

Has anyone used a joiner in preference to a kitchen company? It feels a bit riskier but I guess if I produce really detailed to-scale drawings myself of EXACTLY what I want then we're well covered? Have you any tips if you've done it this way?

Or has anyone got a great kitchen company they'd heartily recommend in this price range (which is approx £15,000 for just the units (no surface) for a island, a long run of base cabinets, a short double set of units and one solitary wall unit.

Many thanks for your help if so!

Pelly8 maybe try and colour match it? Basalt is the closest but it has more colour to it.

I have just used them for my new kitchen. The customer service is the worst I've ever received- I've been trying to get my kitchen ordered and then completed since June but the fitters walked off the job and I have been told they won't come back until January. I couldn't be more unhappy. The whole process from start to finish was a disaster. My recommendation: don't touch with a barge pole! I have used Plain English previously and they were wonderful- worth every penny

Has anyone used Yew Tree in Haywards Heath or Tunbridge Wells?
Like their kitchens but would like to know of anyone's experiences

I painted some of our furniture in F&B Stiffkey Blue. In theory I loved it but having lived with it for a while I think it's too blue! I wished (and might change it) that we'd chosen something inkier. I love Basalt and I love Railings too - railings might be a bit too dark though.

We had our kitchen made/fitted a year or so ago by a company called Simon Benjamin Kitchens. Having looked at all of the big names we just really liked them and were very happy with the result. We had that painted by them in Little Greene French Grey, it's lovely - goes with everything.

How hard was it to have them painted please? We have the chance to have a really hand made kitchen through a friend (he's a master craftsman so knows his stuff) but has to be painted onsite. Could you give me a rough idea of how long it took and how much it was - if you don't mind!

Mine gets repainted every few years as I get bored and fancy a change of colours - it's the price of the paint and 2 to 3 days labour - here in Dorset that's less than £500 all in usually !

Violetelizabeth - how did your kitchen go - are you happy with it? Any pics? I'm just going through the same process now - agonising!

I've put a limestone floor with Pantry Blue. It looks ace. Must get round to posting some photos of the finished kitchen!

Pelly8 - Railings is too black. Not a match at all (Devol told me it was similar - it isn't). I think possibly Basalt from Little Green is a good alternative.

Looking very dark and we sadly have a low ceiling but here are some snaps.

Love it!

Sorry for coming to the thread late, but I also love DeVol kitchens, but not the price!
Are you happy with your island from handmade kitchens or do you wish you'd paid the extra and had the whole kitchen from DeVol?
Also, what colour did you paint the island in and did it match the pantry blue or does it look different?

I'm also very interested in an update as to how you got on VioletElizabethBott ... as your kitchen is EXACTLY what I would like! It looks really lovely in your photos... how do the Devol cabinets stack up against the HMKC island... worth the extra money? Thank you

Love your kitchen Violet - what worksurface do you have?

Can I ask a question a couple of years down the line? With the 'white oak' drawers, did you finish them with anything or leave them totally natural? I just love how they look and any finishing changes that powdery look that I love. Someone scared me my saying they would be impossible to clean if I got oily fingerprints on them.
Just wondering how thy have aged