New kitchen - white gloss units a nightmare?

[Wigeon]

Thinking of Howdens white gloss units for our new kitchen as DH reckons the white matt units (our original choice) looked a bit cheap in the flesh.

Are we mad? Do they (a) show every mark because they are glossy and (b) show every mark because they are white?

Or does it make your kitchen look really light and big?

Will have 2 small children by the time the kitchen is fitted (DD will be 3 and there will be a new baby), and am not planning on spending all my time cleaning the kitchen units!

we have white gloss - the room looks much bigger and is quite calm. Its not at all hard to look after them either - quick wipe down with a damp cloth and they're all lovely. White units also don't show up every speck and spot like you think they will if you have the right worksurfaces and floors etc with it.

We chose for durability and the fact they won't date. Its a practical but stylish choice. We have jazzed with colour on the walls. In fact, we like it so much we have done the bathrooms the same - all white gloss units so I have somewhere to put things potions and stuff

Hmmmm completely barren matt white, I want completely barren and am happy to go with matt.....

I agree, white units with black granite might possibly date. Go for another worktop. I think my photos are still on my profile. We have walnut worktop and green tiles.

I'm planning a small splash back, painted walls and a clear glass or stainless steel thingy behind the hob, I think.

I have no idea what colour worktop to go for, will source floor tiles first

what about saponetta white, in the Howdens range (cos I am thinking of that one!) It's a matt white with a sort of rounded edge.

The gloss white doors are a bit squarer at the edges.

I am also extremely lazy & am wanting my kitchen to be easy to clean (no fiddly shaker bits) & bright.

I'm going for a pale colored grantie & probably karndean flooring in limestone (pale)

Cece - ah, I have spied on your kitchen before when you posted on another kitchen thread! That is very similar to the kind of look we are thinking of. Your kitchen looks great . In fact, I was drawing DH your pendant lights (3 in a row, long flexes, same shape) only yesterday - I must have forgotten where I got the idea! Are yours Howdens Glendavon?

Lovingthesun - we don't like the rounded edges of Saponetta - just depends if you like it or not.

OOh, shall watch this thread. We are hoping to have building work, inc a new kitchen in the next few months, and were also looking at the high gloss units. We were thinking walnut worktops and something colourful tile-wise.

Just peeked at your pics Cece; your kitchen is amazing. Will be showing dh that when he gets back from work!

Is yours from Howdens?

We have seen one in B&Q we like; the Cooke and Lewis range.

Cece kitchen is as big as our ground floor

I love our white gloss (IKEA) units, with beech top and bright, limey green painted wall and matching tiles around sink wall, with (IKEA) glass panel splash backs behind the hob and dark grey slate effect floor. I also think they are so much easier to keep clean than wooden doors with all those ridges. Creates a lovely bright, light room. Moving this year, and am already planning an exact replica in new house!

No ours are Benchmarx, which is the trade arm of Wickes.

This is really helpful as DD has just bought her first fkatvand it needs a new kitchen. She wanted white but I was worried it would be too hard to clean. She is on a tight budget as you would expect but of course still expects it to look v stylish

Do you really think white units and grey /black laminate worktops will date? I'm worried that light worktops will mark too easily. The plain laminate on display in ikea was all scratched but the " stone effect" ones looked a lot better and were the same price

Any other tips for stylish kitchens on a budget?

Hello ladies,
More than two years on, Wigeon, what kitchen did you go for in the end and do you love it or has it been a nightmare?
I'm about to get a new kitchen and we are considering Howdens Glendevon white gloss. Just wondered if you had update?!
Thanks very much.

Glad that clazza bumped the thread. Our kitchen is being installed today. We've gone for Ikea cream gloss fronts and the walnut laminate work surface.

I read that people felt black gloss showed up marks and scratches, but otherwise people seemed very happy with any other colours. Bit worried to read about the bubbling gloss front up thread though.

Vivacia, that is exactly the kitchen I am considering - can I bribe you to put photos up when it's done? I am now a bit worried that I'm dating my house by installing this kitchen.

We are going for Ikea cream gloss fronts to match our Smeg fridge (it was second hand and very cheap, don't judge me) but I'm still dithering about getting rid of the fridge and going for white with the green accent doors (or putting the green doors in the cream kitchen?) or Adel white (which I put in in the last house and loved) or the new grey Ikea kitchen. Or Varde, so I don't have to make a final decision.

At least it's easy in the utility room, Ikea Udden all the way. Preferably second hand (you see Udden on Gumtree a lot).

I'm not too worried about the kitchen getting dated, as we'll probably be here for a while. Saying that, I'd also considered with an Ikea kitchen being able to swap the fronts (of course, FAKTUM is being phased out, so may be not now).

I haven't tried uploading any photos to MN, but if I can, I will.

I have had my white gloss units from Magnet for about four years. No problems at all. I also had similar units in my old house. I do not think they are going to date, they have been around for years. I would however, go with completely flat units, mine aren't and the panel gets dusty.

Flat door units*

I love my white gloss. Bet putty colours date faster.

My in laws had a ludicrously expensive german kitchen put in, which looks exactly the same, and it hasn't dated. I'm being too influenced by MNet obviously

I had white gloss in my previous house and the kitchen still looked A1 after 19 yrs when we left.

We've just installed a cream gloss kitchen. I love gloss it's easy to look after and always looks modern and light. Not good if your preference is wood I guess, but mine isnt.

I don't find it needs polishing all the time. I have discovered something called Vuplex which is brilliant at making it gleam. Not cheap but it does last a long time.

The kitchen we removed was solid wood fronts with as many ridges as you could possibly manage. Even the trims and edge of the work surface had about 3. And don't get me started on the shelves with little rails. It was hideously attractive to dust and dirt.

Also, it's a small room with low ceilings. The orange wood fronts weren't doing it any favours. I have hated it ever since we moved in.

I think I'm actually fantasising about cleaning the new kitchen, really looking forward to it. I wonder how long that will last. (Off to google Vulpex).

Also important to only use very soft microfibre cloths to polish gloss kitchens.