Thoughts on gloss kitchens?

[BlackbirdSingsInTheDeadOfNight]

We are planning to turn our dining room into a kitchen because the dining room is a big unused space (15ft x 12ft) and the current kitchen is teeny in comparison. We don't have a large budget so will be going with B&Q or Wickes or somewhere like that.

What are people's thoughts on gloss doors to the units? And what's the difference between units described as gloss and those described as high gloss? The designs we particularly like are described as 'gloss slab'. However I've heard horror stories about sticky finger marks, unremovable scratches etc on high gloss units. We have two boys aged 8 and 10 and an 8 month old puppy and wouldn't want to spend our money on something that isn't hard wearing and durable. Our house is a traditional 1930s Edwardian type place, so a shaker style would look fine, but we prefer the look of gloss. Is the gloss style likely to date quickly? Or will the shaker style? All thoughts much appreciated!

We've just had a gloss cream Howdens kitchen put in and I love it, I actually find it easier to keep clean than the matt shaker style we had in the old house. A quick wipe over with a microfibre cloth seems to get rid of any marks or fingerprints. We have also gone for duck-egg blue on the walls and the kitchen has transformed into a light bright space. Good luck with the designing!

Fingerprints on gloss slab units are far more noticeable if the light comes from the side. All our units are either opposite or underneath a window, so you never really see the light bouncing off the marks and smudges!

Microfibre cloths and glass cleaner are excellent for cleaning.

A big positive is that it's super easy to clean down and looks beautiful.
Big negative is that you have to clean down most days as it shows marks.
I'm still in two minds about mine.

I've recently had a cream gloss kitchen installed and I LOVE it. I was originally dead against gloss for the same reasons as you, but then decided I should just go with what I like rather than worrying if it will go out of fashion quickly. And, the cream gloss doesn't show the fingerprints. I should imagine a darker one would.

FWIW I went for the cheaper B & Q kitchen - the designer told me the carcases are exactly the same as the more expensive, it was only the doors that were different. So pleased I went for the cheaper ones, they look fab, and I have had so many compliments. Was able to spend the rest of my budget on nice tiles/accessories etc which really bring the look together.

Good luck!!

Has anybody have the handleless v groove door in the kitchen with a dishwasher? Wonder if it's easy to open or should I go with handles? Really prefer handleless. Tried to open a dishwasher in a showroom but couldn't! But then another retailer said that it shouldn't be a problem if machine is fitted correctly. 😢

I have white gloss and it is about the only thing I do like about my hole of a kitchen. I have no issue with fingerprints and when I redo it next year, I plan to use white gloss again precisely because I find them so easy to clean because you have just one smooth surface (I just use furniture polish and a microfibre cloth). I do a fair bit of cooking, and the doors I've had in past houses, with lips or mouldings, have been way harder to clean (faffing around with cotton buds? No thanks).

I do think handleless doors on white gloss is probably not a good plan, though.