I have a few questions about high gloss handleless kitchens, if you don't mind

[blardyfeck]

I love the look of them but I'm concerned that the doors will require constant wiping but also, because of the lack of handles, the doors might get discoloured quickly by grubby little hands.

Plus (and possibly more importantly) are they so ubiquitous now that they're actually quite, dare I say it, naff? And may look dated soon?

I know I would like something contemporary but I'm struggling to decide with the vast choice on offer.

Btw we've looked at Alno, In Toto (which I think are the same company) and Schuller.

Can anyone dispel these concerns or will I regret going glossy & handleless?

Thanks

We are close to the stage where we have to order our units and almost certain that we will go with handless gloss. Like you I have the same doubts and as I often am 'last to the party' they probably are becoming naff! But... I like the light reflective look and the clean lines. I'm going to have matt darkish worktop in wait for it - laminate to go with it although It does (in my opinion!) look fab.

Not much help really am I but I can't see gloss being any harder to wipe clean than any other type of door.

Am dithering on this one .I want a kitchen that is really easy to clean-no panels and grooves .And I don't have young children .But I also want a high end kitchen that will last and they don't seem to do this sort in solid wood?

I think matt handleless looks better personally, although I actually have painted shaker and love it.

I was tho long about it for ours, but two of my friends who had the handle less said that kept knocking their knuckles on the counter top when opening the cupboards, and yes they get sticky and fingerprinty.

I went for white gloss bit with handles.

It's what we've got. I think when we replace it in 2-3 years, we'll go with matt handleless, but they aren't difficult to keep clean
The 'groove' is quite deep, so you just need to give it a quick wipe with a cloth or wet wipe once a week

If you get the right layout and good quality carcasses, you can always change the doors in a few years time if you hate gloss ones! It won't cost a huge amount to do so

We have Schuller matt handless in white. Units easy to keep clean and looks fab. Schuller are surprisingly reasonably priced too - would recommend.

Thanks all, and hope I didn't offend when I asked if they were naff

I'm also keen on the "extraordinarily easy to clean" type of kitchen so a quick wipe once a week sounds ideal.

sparechange for what reason would you go matt instead of gloss for your next kitchen? Just aesthetics?

I think I'm erring towards matt handleless. I absolutely loved the glass-fronted cupboards in Alno but they are ££££.

I like the idea of 2 different colours of doors (one white and one blue or grey) and the woman in the showroom suggested we could have the cupboards on the floor glass-fronted and the wall cupboards in the other colour lacquered. Would save a few quid.

What do you all think of having 2 diff door types? Would it look a bit weird?

I think I'd do it the other way-glass above

I clean mine with a squeegie and window cleaner, takes seconds!

Yes good point Postchildren, I think you're right. So the "better" ones are in your eyeline.

Were you after a solid wood kitchen that was handleless? Contemporary style?

Thanks StatisticallyChallenged, I think I was worrying about nothing. It sounds like they're v easy to keep clean.

So much choice, it's overwhelming frankly

I have had 2 gloss kitchens and never found them difficult to keep clean. No different to any other types really. And they don't show up fingerprints etc as much as people think. The first kitchen had handles and was easy to use. That was 10 years ago. Second had the doors you push to open/close and was a nightmare. I don't think it will date quickly but that's just my opinion.

Just asthetics. Some veh veh rich friends have had a matt kitchen put in recently and it is divine. The doors are a sort of stone-y material and God only knows how much it costs but it has a loft-y look, and looks very high end
Don't know if I could recreate the same look without the price tag though!

Yes I was blardy But haven't done much research yet

We've had ours for 6 years. So possibly they are naff by now ;)

They are white and were from Homebase. So not posh. I don't know, I'm not very house proud so ours have finger prints, tea stains and dust in the handles (the bit you pull) but I think they look ok. We have chipped the odd one with plates etc but I don't think that's too bad after 6 years.

On the upside they're easy to clean because the door is one piece. I hate those doors where dirt gets caught in the crevices. Also the lack of handles helps the kitchen feel more spacious I think (small kitchen).

We've had ours (high-end B&Q so positively gutter-level for Mumsnet) for 6 years and they are great. I am a cleaning slattern but they are dead easy to look after. I do avoid opening them with my fingers though, I tend to use the back of my hand. I had the same doubts as you but I would choose them again in an instant.