DIY kitchens - Helmsley anyone?

[Lambrilittlelegs]

Hello
We think we have decided on a Helmsley kitchen from DIY kitchens. Has anyone else got this one and if so would you mind posting some pictures? It’s not available to view in the showroom so we are buying offline without seeing it (although I will order a sample door).

Going for a F&B painted finish.
Any advice/tips/pics most welcome! Thanks

Hi everyone, time for an update from my end. I was hoping to post pictures but still no back panel on my breakfast bar so will wait for that.
The good stuff is very good. I LOVE the look of my kitchen, and I love all the pull out mechanisms....I went for loads of these: Le Mans corners, spice racks, 300 larder and a tandem larder. All are beautiful and very handy. I am delighted with Helmsley as my choice as it gives that understated look I was after. Paired with the marble Carrara quartz, Ted Todd sugarcane floor and a brass tap and handles, I am really happy with the look of it. As everyone says, it feels and looks very well made and my builders agree.
DIY on the other hand have been thoroughly annoying to deal with. Several technical mistakes on their part, an item arrived damaged, lack of response to calls and support enquiries, unclear information and even it seems, lying about deliveries! All very odd and not what I had expected from a company that other people had been very pleased to say was professional and helpful. They still haven’t refunded money they promised to due to a mistake on their part. So, I’m pretty annoyed about that but that is balanced by my delight in my kitchen.....which will be even greater when this back panel FINALLY gets here.....

Oh dear hope they have reactified all their mistakes. We have had a similar situation with Topsco re our quartz worktops. Even their contracted fitter said you get what you pay for as they are one of the cheapest on the market. Promises, lies, delays. But got there in the end.

As a result of problems with worktops our kitchen is being finished only this week, I will post some photos when it is all done.

I love our kitchen. And units online have been very very good, they are friendly and helpful, they are making us a custom door to fit a custom kitchen cabinet that our fitter has made. It's a second rush order they are putting through for us and have been keeping us updated. I'm very glad we have had such a good service otherwise I would have felt bad about paying extra when compared to DIY kitchens.

Our kitchen is finally done! Very pleased with it.

The drawers are a bit stiff and need a final push, they do not close by themselves. But this will most likely improve with time. And I have found there is a lot less storage space with inframe kitchen, the drawers are so shallow because of the frame. The frame on the cabinets, the bottom part actually hangs lower than the shelf so does not obstruct anything but the sides and the top do. I had no other choice in the space but to use the cabinet widths that I have, given a different space I would only have a combination of 60cm and 80cm wide units with an inframe kitchen. We have only one set of drawers that is 80cm and they are much more usable.

We got an ikea pull out bin and some Ikea cupboard/drawer inserts (fit 80cm wide drawers only) thus saving quite a bit of money.

The wall of units was made by the kitchen fitter who used a combination of ready available cabinets, custom made doors (UO were very helpful and accomodating) and the open shelves plus one small door that the fitter made and we have painted to match.

I was so set on the butt hinges but now that they are fitted I'm not sure if the kithen looks almost too busy.

We will have one open shelf with some plants on it and a rail with hooks for mugs under it, other than that will have to try to keep the worktops clear of clutter.

Now we just need to unpack all the kitchen stuff in time for Christmas

Oh and the peninsula part is actually dark navy, looks black in the photos..

beautiful! perfect or christmas. the peninsula and hob are looking good.

It’s looking lovely @aisteb! Great colours and I like the layout.

You’ve inspired me to finally take some photos of mine while having breakfast and trying to make cured salmon so excuse the mess!

The middle one above is my utility room which also has Helmsley units.

I haven’t actually found the inframe to be an issue as regards storage but I think it’s becuse I only have 50 and 60 cupboards and many of the pull outs have what looks like an inframe door but really isn’t.

Oh, and there are supposed to be wood shelves in the far right corner next to the tall units but my builder has failed to source them as yet.....

Looks beautiful! Such a big kitchen and a great utility room.

Interesting re poll outs, Petworth actually has in frame pull outs so the space is also reduced. I would say I prefer the look to the fake in frame but the fake ones (integrated dishwasher and integrated washing machine doors) have such a deep cut-in that I cannot tell the difference at all. But just looking at your kitchen which looks to have a similar amount today cabinet, I can see that the width would make a difference in my kitchen.

Have a wonderful Christmas in your new home ;)

'Today cabinet' was meant to be 'of cabinets'. Weird autocorrect 🙈

You too @aisteb! Enjoy cooking in your new kitchen!

They both look beautiful @aisteb and @rosita Feeling very excited to get ours in, we have had delays on the extension so it won’t be til feb now, I haven’t even ordered the kitchen and keep changing my mind on colours. @rosita what colour is yours? I had decided on the light grey with railing island but now I’m doubting myself.

Aren't there always delays Must be very frustrating for you.

I have had doubts re the colour but we are very happy we went with a two tone kitchen. We plan to repaint if we ever get bored of it.

@Robinredface - mine is the standard DIY Light Grey and I really like it. It’s pale but warm if you know what I mean. Perhaps it’s the wood floor, but I was worried it would feel cold with the pure white walls, but actually it’s lovely and cosy.

@rosita I’m so pleased you said that as I’m going for the standard grey and I thought you were going to say it was a bespoke colour. It looks so lovely!

Ahh thank you! I’d been pouring over the F&B chart for months and obsessing over different shades of grey when a friend gave me a bit of a push and said they all looked so similar, there was no point paying extra. I don’t regret going for it at all.
I think the brass tap and handles plus the warm bulbs in the pendants and the wood all contribute to the feel of it. It could be quite different with chrome I think, still lovely but just a different look.

Hi hope you dont mind me asking.. @rosita is your kitchen the standard hemsley or did you pay to have the beading removed. It looks gorgeous x

I’ve PM’d you Katy.

@rosita I’d love to know about the cockbeading too having just read through this whole thread. I need to decide by the end of this week between the DIY Kitchens ‘Helmsley’ and the Kitchen Stori ‘Aldana’. Thank you 😊

Hi @mamakel
We just went with the standard doors with cockbeading. I’m very happy with them, love the design every day! It looks like a lot of much more expensive Neptune / HKC designs which have cockbeading. If it really, really bothers you, maybe it’s worth paying the extra to remove it. For me, even though Devol kitchens were my original desire, once I saw these doors in the flesh, I realized I would be just as happy with them.

@rosita thank you, good to know and it does look lovely in your photos.