help with new kitchen - we don't know what to do!

[Middleageddebauchery]

hello

first post on mumsnet for a very very long time - but having looked at this topic a few times there seems to be loads of good advice so I'm hoping some can come my way!

DH and I are getting a new kitchen - for me its the first one I've ever planned and bought myself and I am a very keen cook so its a really big deal. We have quite a big kitchen / living room which is the main room in our house so we really want to get it right.

Budget is about 10-15k. We're looking at an L-shaped kitchen plus an island.

We went to Howdens and got a quote for the Tewkesbury range which was £9500. I think that's a lot, but more importantly I wasn't really sure that I particularly liked it. It just looked a bit meh.

We want a painted kitchen but not in the usual cream / pebble options - DH and I are looking for something darker or possibly quite vibrant. (He wants some doors to be orange...)

Obviously with our budget we can't afford full on bespoke painted stuff - but I've found a few sites online that seem to be almost unbelievably cheap. has anybody used Handmadekitchens direct or the shaker kitchen company? Are they any good?

We are in Scotland so nowhere near any of the showrooms... sigh...

All the options that there seem to be up here in terms of showrooms (howdens/ magnet / benchmarx) all seem to have pretty much the same styles, none of which are quite right.

With our budget am I just kidding myself?

Have you looked at the DIY kitchens range? People seem to rate them!

I have used DIY Kitchens and very recently unitsonline. I have spent an inordinate amount of time on kitchen websites and in showrooms and couldn't be happier with my current kitchen. Would recommend both companies.

For what it's worth, I thought the painted kitchens in the likes of Howdens / Wickes / the big sheds looked cheap. I had a quote from Handmade kitchens and was surprised at how expensive it was (although not a sale price so not sure if you could get it cheaper) and was slightly reluctant to buy without seeing the kitchen in situ.

The 2 online companies that I mention have showrooms but stock various brands on kitchen do you can potentially see the kitchen you want in another showroom closer to home - just Google the brand of kitchen and the name of the style.

Howdens is very overpriced I found. I would ask friends & family for independent joiners & cabinet makers who will be able to custom build something. I would look into ranges that have a good option of door frontages that can fit the skeleton of the units. So you can change doors & drawer fronts. I went with a basic kitchen from ikea & invested in the worktop & appliances.

Thanks so much for the replies.

I'll have a look at DIYkitchens.

I'm glad it's not just me being fussy about Howdens. I feel bad because the staff were so lovely and helpful, but then maybe they are just trying to make a sale!

DH saying he wants flat fronted solid wood doors. I can't find them anywhere!

Why does he want solid wood? What about the wood is it? That's where the expense is as the quality of wood is quite high but then it's painted so it kind of seems a waste unless it's to see the actually grain.

Another vote for DIY kitchens here. You can order door samples from them too which is very handy.

You can't get flat front solid wood doors as 1. they would need to be sliced from an absolutely enormous tree and 2. they would warp all over the place and 3. they would be very heavy.

That's why traditional cupboard doors have square frame of four inch wide strips and a thinner centre panel of either jointed strips or a veneered board. For a flat timber-grain door, best is a MDF or particleboard core with good quality veneer and edgings I would think.