I have fallen in love with this kitchen

[middleagedspread]

www.tomhowley.co.uk/kitchens/contemporary-shaker-kitchen/

I suspect it might be beyond my budget though.
Any comments?

Gosh that is beautiful . It's a teeny bit like the one we're going to have next month only ours isn't nearly as amazing looking.

Reastie where's yours from? I'm lusting after the style & the work tops. Probably not the open shelving though, far too much cleaning.

Very nice op

picks up loudhailer

Step AWAY from the kitchen with your hands off the keyboard and well away from your credit card!

It is a lovely kitchen BUT.....

I am fitting a kitchen at the moment and have spoken to a few people about the difference between high end and low end kitchens and the truth is the carcasses in all kitchens are made by only 3 manufacturers and the doors made by another 3 manufacturers. I was told that by the fitter who is fitting my kitchen who has his own business as well as fits for other retailers. It is so easy to get sucked in by the kitchen catalogues and showroom sales patter.

I have a friend who does up very expensive properties in Kensington & Chelsea and always fits IKEA kitchen carcases with decent doors he buys in from a wholesale supplier. He does not spend huge amounts on a kitchen - even in houses worth millions .

If you already have a kitchen in the property - just refit it and do not replace. Put money in to the new doors and appliances and especially lighting - not the carcass and fitting. One last thing, dont buy stuff like drawer inserts and wizzy wire pullouts - they are hugley over priced. Drawer inserts at IKEA cost £8 - 10 but for the same thing I have seen prices at £72 from a kitchen catalogue. It is so easy to just end up spending a fortune where you dont need to

I bought a Wickes kicthen in gloss white with a granite surface. I intend to refit doors in a few years time. The fitter told me the carcasses are good for 20 years and have somewhat unusually larger cupboards than most other brands.

I spent almost the same amount of money on appliances and lighting and bespoke coloured glass splash backs as I did on the actual kitchen units. No matter how expensive a kitchen you fit it will always need a refurb with new appliances in 15 years time anyway.

middle ours is being made as we speak but a local independent firm who do bespoke kitchens all made to order locally. It's not nearly as much as we were expecting (we got quotes from a german kitchen manufacturer, magnet, and homebase and decided to go with a kitchen which was designed to fit our space - it's actually cheaper than the high range magnet kitchen and has the advantage of wall units up to the ceiling and lots of extras they can do because they make it to order rather than choosing from a list of dimensions in a catalogue IYKWIM).

MoreBeta Reastie, thank you. I know that I can't have a Tom Howley kitchen for a start I live a 500 m from the showroombut I do fancy a copy.
I shall try my local independents (who do seem to be very expensive) & work down.
It's a new extension so no existing units, but quite a big space to plenty of room for options.
I do agree that fancy work tops are a much better use of the budget that a high end carcass.

Can you repost the link it won't work me. And I have to see this kitchen!!

www.tomhowley.co.uk/kitchens/contemporary-shaker-kitchen/

does this work?

www.tomhowley.co.uk/kitchens/contemporary-shaker-kitchen/

That should work.... We are also choosing a kitchen for extension at mo hence my nosiness!

I'm also glad others like that sort of style - we are probably going for something similar (but like you without open shelves!), poss from John Lewis (I think it is called Windsor or that sort of style), maybe in a light green, sage-y colour...

Morebeta - any chance you could pm the name of your friend please? I am looking to have my kitchen done and your mate sounds fab. I am in C London.

And Reastie if you're in the SW I love to know the name of your firm.

MoreBeta posting some very good advice there.

sh77 - my friend in London only buys and does up houses and uses a variety of contractors to do the actual fitting. He is not a kitchen fitter himself.

What I think he does is uses the IKEA kitchen design service and then he uses their delivery and fitters which are guaranteed.

Honestly, I was astonished when he told me and he is quite adamant about the quality. The houses he does are very high end and the people who buy them have very high expectations with deep pockets. One house he bought he just had the doors on a red Poggenpohl kitchen resprayed white and then put back on - good as new. Saved himself £50k.

I dont live anywhere near London so unfortunately the fitter for my kitchen does not work in London but he is a Wickes acredited fitter and he was very thorough and I was impressed.

My kitchen was fitted by Wickes 6 months ago. Delighted with it. The fitter was excellent.

middle sorry, I'm in SE England

I am having something VERY similar fitted this week, so excited. We are having an 'adaptation' of a Fired Earth kitchen made by a contact of our builder in Poland. Same colour and I've also chosen the same handles (although not shiney as ours has a slightly more rustic finish).

We're paying £5k for the units and our kitchen is about 15sqm? So not a small space. We're then paying £2k for worktop (gone for a white one on DH's insistance) and £1400 for fitting.

I will aim to put some pics in my profile once it's in.

Whilst my builder has been fabulous in every way, the kitchen has been delayed by 6 weeks. I don't believe it's his fault, but the kitchen man is clearly swamped and our little job clearly got bumped down the pile. So whilst I need to see it before recommending, this would make me slightly nervous. He's been ace otherwise (she says, still not having the final bill through )

It sounds stunning, I know the FE one, is it called Bastide or similar? When I asked my builder he just advised Sydenhams or Wren. Nothing wrong with those of course but after reading too many homes magazines I've got my heart set on a bespoke kitchen.

My sister has just had that kitchen from Tom Howley fitted. Its beautiful, and I mean just gorgeous. People from the company were there when we were there, finishing it off, they've been brilliant apparently. Not jealous in the slightest

I would recommend you look at www.handmadekitchens-direct.co.uk/

I looked at masses of alternatives and they will make to ANY size you require, you have a choice of plinth styles, posts etc, you can have fiddly moulding to drawer edges or just plain as you like. All the drawers are dovetail solid wood with Grass soft close runners and the inside of my units are oak veneer. I have solid wood internal pull out drawers. My units came to £3500 inc VAT . They were also brilliant when one unit arrived with a slight mistake to an interior fitting and had it re-delivered within 3 days. Only downsides - no fancy waste bin systems and you have to paint it yourself, which I have spent 2 days doing, but it looks amazing!. I did spend on quartz worktops and beautiful copper/bronze door handles.

Also, lots of those Tom Howley kitchen seem to have a top level drawer with a cupboard below. In my experience this leave you with a very low cupboard that is hard to get to the back of. Much better to have a bank of drawers and then units with doors that run all the way to the top which gives you more space to access the shelves inside without having to bend down and poke around on your knees!

We have just had a kitchen fitted using DIY kitchens had milton sage in frame design. It looks fantastic. You need to order everything yourself but if you know what you want and can find a good kitchen fitter. We saved thousand off our original magnet quote. Would def recommend.

I had considered a fairly expensive German kitchen from a local very upmarket shop near where I live but when I told the manager on the phone I had changed my mind and gone for a cheaper option he immediately said - we can match the price Magnet do!

I wasn't using Magnet anyway and didnt change my mind but I was pretty surprised that a supposedly upmarket and very well established multi shop outlet was prepared to drop its prices over the phone that much and that quickly.

It made me think that there must be a heck of a lot of profit margin in fitted kitchens.