Shaker or handleless?! Diy-kitchens or not?

[tinyeyes123]

We're having a kitchen extension done in the next couple of months and we're having trouble deciding on the style of kitchen. Originally I wanted a matt grey handleless kitchen with a light worktop. Then I thought shaker (same colour scheme) might be better as it's a Victorian house and we're having white wood french doors with sidelights, not bifolds.
The issue we have is that we can get shaker style pretty easily from the high street (Benchmarx is my fave) but the only affordable matt handleless design in grey is from diy-kitchens, which scares me a bit!
Do you think handleless will date horribly / look too stark in an older house? Plus the only colour I like from diy-kitchens is graphite, which looks very dark, particularly in artificial light. Anyone got any wise advice for me? Too many decisions!

I think both sound good, but as the current owner of a kitchen with no handles, be aware that you will spend your life wiping fingerprints off the cupboard doors and everyone puts their sticky hands all over them to open and close the doors.

My next kitchen will have handles!

Tiny, I have just been trying to decide between almost exactly the same options. Just a lighter colour cabinet. Found an independent fitter who can get pretty reasonably priced matt integrated handles, as well as a local firm but it was hard work.

A guy from Magnet told me I was an idiot for wanting matt integrated because of cleaning / durability. I have ignored him and gone for it. Time will tell. I am hoping with classic colour combination integrated handles are inoffensive enough not to date if that makes sense.

Hmm, don't really have any advice do I? Just wanted you to know you're not alone!

I had exactly the same dilemma too! Matt light grey handle less kitchen being started today!

Originally had my heart set on shaker (Victorian terrace so I thought I'd better not go modern) but saw the kitchen I'm having in a local granite showroom and completely changed my mind.

Mines by TKC and called moda in platinum. The company's fairly local to us but you can get it online from unitsonline I think.

I could have written this post! I was originally thinking of a Shaker as they are lovely and it seems everyone does a version. The fact that they were so ubitquitous started putting me off them. If you didn't go for a shaker the alternative seem to be a high gloss modern kitchen. I really like Harvey Jones' Linear range but unfortunately the budget doesn't stretch that far. So now my front runner is this matt handless kitchen... www.crown-imperial.co.uk/pinova/

Or this painted handleless www.erkitchens.co.uk/kitchens/fusion-painted

I think all kitchens will date, so just go with what you like. People probably bought pine country-style kitchens thinking they were 'classic' and would never go out of fashion.

We've recently had DIY-Kitchen's painted handlesss kitchen installed. It was the only place I could find that did painted handleless kitchens. I'm really happy with it. We went for a sage-grey-green colour (sorry, can't remember what it's called) and white quartz worktops. Because it's painted, rather than gloss, it doesn't get bad fingerprint marks on.

Been very happy with the quality and service from DIY kitchens.

Thanks all, still so torn! Two friends have recently had shaker styles fitted and they do look lovely, but I fear it might be a bit dull and unimaginative.
How did you find the ordering process from diy-kitchens? It scares me that there's no one to help do it and make sure we get all the right bits.

Snowgirl1 can I be really nosey and ask what size kitchen you have and how much it cost? A question I would never ask in real life! I'm off to look up DIY Kitchens....

Tinyeyes I spent a long time planning and their customer service line is really helpful - they told DH a couple of bits that we'd forgotten. Where they forgot to include a couple of hinges (because I hadn't responded to a question) they were very quick in sending them down to us.

Haha our kitchen is 3.3 by 2 metres something (sorry, can't remember exact dimensions). The units cost around ?4K, but you've then got to add to that any cost for worktops (we went for quartz for about ?2.5K); appliances (about ?4K for everything new); building work; fitting (?1.5K); flooring; plumbing; gas fitters. Total cost was ?18K.

Thanks Snowgirl1 - wow it soon adds up. We haven't yet sat down with any companies, that's the next step.

Haha the cost of ours did include knocking through between the dining room and kitchen, putting a reinforced steel joist in, and re - plastering the whole kitchen and dining room ceiling, plus putting up coving. So it could be done for a lot less if you don't need building work.

I think the matt grey will look lovely but my friends just had this installed and they keep saying the fingerprints are an absolute nightmare... and the paint has been chipping already. I think if you are happy to clean it constantly go ahead. I have a sort of hidden handle stainless steel fridge and I hate it as my family are completely incapable of opening it without putting buttery fingers all over it. Bane of my kitchen life! I am a clean freak though so everyone is different!

I've just installed a white shaker from DIY kitchens, I was on a tight budget as renovating a whole house, kitchen is small galley style, so not that complicated to plan. I missed off a couple of end panels which delayed things by a few days while they were sent, but it wasn't that complicated. I felt the price justified the effort! The doors are lovely and solid, it looks really nice. It's a Victorian house and I thought white shaker would be suitable. I have bamboo laminate worktop, grey tiles, spotty grey Cath Kidston floor tiles (!)and white walls. It's lovely, and including fitting and 2k on new good quality appliances (neff/bosch etc), flooring, tiles, it came to just under 7k