Where do I start looking for a new kitchen?

[BieneMaja]

I've never done anything like this before, so I am really quite clueless. We need a new kitchen. Its not a large kitchen, but it needs re-fitting and probably new appliances as well.

I want it to look good and be reasonably sturdy, but it doesn't really need to be "fashionable" or state of the art. Sort of mid-range price perhaps?

Are there shops that do these things and fit them? Or do I have to buy the kitchen somewhere and get someone to fit it?

I really have no idea at all :(

I'm in Brighton if anyone knows of anyone who does this stuff...

Have you looked at Wickes. Last one I had from there still looked good when we moved and was 18 yrs old

Now we've moved we've just ordered another one from there although it's not fitted yet.

Have a look at Scavolini. Italian kitchen suppliers. They supplied mine and I`m thrilled with it. Dont be put off by the website. It looks very exspensive but they do a few ranges that will undercut the likes of Howdens and Magnet because they dont add 50% on to have a sale. I know the Scavolini dealer on the Isle of Wight does regular trips to the mainland. They can do supply only or they can arrange the full installation.

I'm in this process at the moment. My strategy has been to:

• read through loads of old threads on this topic board to get ideas (for example, we're going for a couple of wall units which go down to the base unit (IYSWIM) which we'll put sockets at the back of & keep things like the Magimix in so we just have to pull them out to use them but they're otherwise hidden which I hadn't thought of until I read about it on here)
• get some magazines. A friend subscribed to Ideal Home for a present for me a few years ago & I'd kept them so went through those for ideas. I also bought a couple of copies of a magazines called "Beautiful Kitchen" or "Ultimate Kitchen" which I really liked
• wrote down everything which I currently had in my kitchen, decided if it needed to be there or somewhere else and, if in the kitchen, how ideally wanted it to be stored. For example, I'm happy to have cereal in a cupboard in a base unit as I'll open the door, decide if I want weetabix or muesli & pull out the relevant box. For smaller things, I want them in a drawer so I can pull it out & see the options & things won't get lost at the back.
• think about your appliances & how you use them. We currently have a 60/40 fridge freezer but need more fridge space so we're going for a larder fridge with ice box which will be in the triangle and will keep the peas, frozen herbs etc in and then a separate under counter freezer will be where we'd otherwise have a random base unit and that will have the stuff like ice cream, bargain meat etc in which I don't need to grab in a rush

Once I'd done all of that, I went to various kitchen showrooms to see if they did a range I liked. Magnet, Wickes, Howdens, B&Q and two independents all did so I booked appointments with them to come to the house, measure up & do some plans for me. One independent I realised was going to charge for the plans so I cancelled them. The others have produced a range of plans some of which are 3D & some of which are drawings. I've pulled together bits of all of these to turn it into my master plan. Some of the companies can do this; some can't as they don't offer the size of units that I want in the particular range. I then asked them to price up that design. The prices vary by several thousand pounds so I'm now re-visiting the showrooms to try & determine whether the extra cost is worth it and am also looking at whether I can save money by getting appliances, work tops etc independently. And how much I can shave off the fit costs by getting my own fitter.

By the way, I am on mat leave at the moment so can dedicate a lot of time to this project! Luckily, DS seems to enjoy a trip to a kitchen showroom.

Thanks. That's great advice. I think I'll start with wickes as that is literally across the road. Then see what they come up with

If you like Wickes ( but nottheir prices) check out Benchmarx. They supply Wickes so the kitchens are the same, but they are trade only so much cheaper. Fully assembled units.

It is probably worth checking IKEA too, as their kitchens are pretty nice and sturdy, and good value too.