freestanding kitchens with fixed island in the middle - becoming dated?

[razumov]

I was looking through the usual brochures and got the impression that the wardrobe look is in with a general move back towards fitted. Your thoughts?

Not sure what you mean by wardrobe look?

I have never liked freestanding kitchens (if you mean those ones that are all higgledy piggledy) as they look so messy all the time.

I was never keen on fitted kitchens even when I'd never heard of the idea of freestanding. They are cheap, chipboardy, hide dirty corners and mouseholes for years, and they usually have way too many wall cupboards which make the room look small and dingy. I can't imagine I'll go back now (especially now I realise how much cheaper freestanding is than fitted, like-for-like).

But I'd say for most people freestanding kitchens never really came "in" in the first place. The guy who did our kitchen (as in tiling, electrics, plumbing etc) was rather confused about the lack of a "fitting" stage.

Having said that, the idea that one of the benefits of freestanding is being able to "change the layout" is total nonsense, unless you have a Buckingham Palace sized kitchen. By the time you've plumbed in and set up the gas there's usually only one layout in most kitchens.

yes, I suppose there is a compromise - I have noticed that freestanding does not have to be chunky and knotty - there are some fairly sleek -even clinical - island units available, though obv come in a lot more expensive than bog standard Howdens