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

So, I now have a quote for Mornington from Units Online.
Price comparison so far as follows:
Mornington - 5.3k
Baystone - 9.5k
Helmsley - 6.5k
Norton - 4.5k
Out of the Norton and Mornington, I prefer the latter I think It’s closer in look to Devol because of the frame width. However, there’s not too much in it between Mornington and Helmsley which was my original love so........I’ll see what the visit brings. And I am going to see Mornington again tomorrow!

Btw - prices are units only. I’m narrowing down other options now. I’m going for some sort of crackle glaze metro tile for the splash back and hopefully white / grey fleck quartz. Rowen and Wren handles unless I can find something cheaper. Have to go for a cheapish sink and taps....

Ebay and Amazon are full of cup and mushroom handles for about a quid each, I've ordered a couple to see if they look ok. Wouldn't be surprised if they all come from the same factory in China and are sold in shops at ten times the price.

Thank you for sharing the price comparison, have you managed to compare like for like? Did you just give a list of cabinet,end panels and stuff to them and have them price it up?

The thing I don't like about Norton is that it had thicker shaker frame, the recess of the middle panel is 1cm or so I read online. But watching with interest to see how you get on at the showroom.

When do you have to make all the decisions by?

I went to DIY a couple of weeks ago and love The Hague Blue, these are a free random pics I took

@Janet25 I loved the Stanbury kitchen, gorgeous! Do you decide what to go for? If anyone has a while before they need the kitchen, last January they had 10% off of every kitchen. We ordered in Jan with a view to it being fitted about now, but our builder keeps delaying and we haven't even started the build yet 😭

What is The Hague Blue? And what is Stanbury

The Stanbury is the first picture that Janet shows, the island is F&B Hague Blue

We’re looking at ordering kitchen within the next month, shame I can’t wait until January! We really like the Stanbury and Hague Blue but depending on which light you look at it it’s either a fairly grey blue or bright blue. I’ve seen a worktop I prefer in Wickes though which I think would complement it really well.

I have ordered the Norton in lamp room grey - due for delivery at the end of this month.

I have got the handles from handles4u (cup handles and knobs), they have arrived and really impressed with the quality. Might be worth having a look.

www.handles4u.co.uk/products/Cabinet+Furniture/Cabinet+Knobs/Round+Cabinet+Knobs/Silver+Round+Cabinet+Knobs/Hafele+134.39.020+-+Henrietta+cabinet+knob+38mm+brushed+nickel/3523112843

www.handles4u.co.uk/products/Kitchen/Kitchen+Cupboard+Handles/Kitchen+Cupboard+Cup+Pulls/Silver+Kitchen+Cupboard+Cup+Pulls/Kitchen+Handle+Hafele+Henrietta+cup+pull+76mm+brushed+nickel/2114709856

aisteb - I had a design and quote from Magnet which I used to price up myself using the online DIY planner like for like. I also emailed it over to Bob at Units Online who did like for like quotes for the Baystone and Mornington.
Good idea about Ebay etc. If you find a gem, please let us know.

@Janet25 you can colour match to any paint colour, we're having Dulux Midnight Teal after a million sample pots (probably our 10% saving )

@Rosita we're also going Norton and handles from handles4u I much preferred the handle from there at a grand total of £1.96 each than the other sample I had at £9.98 each

Just to say I met the lovely Bob at Units Online on Tuesday and he is as nice in person! He is currently trying to sort our sink run as the bloody steel is in the most awkward place. He's a trooper for sure.
We are about 80% there. I'm still dithering over colours! Was originally going to grey and hague blue, then thought maybe white and hague blue. Now I"m thinking white and partridge grey. I hate being so indecisive!

Am here at DIY. The Stanbury in Hague Blue looks breathtakingly smart. Am smitten. But head still telling me to go paler.

How exciting, I wish I could visit the showroom.

We plan to go for one run of units in Little Greene Bassalt (most similar to Devol Pantry Blue I think), but really need to look into Hague Blue again with so many of you mentioning it.

As we are going for wood doors I plan to just repaint if the navy gets old or too dark after a while.

We had a structural engineer visit today, transpires we have to keep a bit more of one wall than we had planned to so need more awkward/not standard units making Units Online a more likely choice for us. I am going to order their door colour packs to see if they have a nice dark navy.

I way prefer the inframe look to the standard shaker, but I do think there's less noticeable difference when the units are dark. I'd go for it if you are smitten

I know what you mean about the Stanbury in Hague Blue the display is amazing and was all set but then I looked at the colour at reception and it looked completely different lol. However, I think we’re going to take the plunge and go with it!!

So exciting friskybivalves! Tell us more!

I have a bit more to report. I've now seen a whole showroom with the Mornington shaker (available from units online). I do like it, although the frame was a little bit thicker than I thought it was going to be at 90mm wide. I didn't love it however but could be because they had horrid handles on. The wood grain is very visible and it is nice. But the one I kept gravitating towards was a 1909 kitchen very similar to Helmsley but with butt hinges. It looked beautiful in a pale grey. It is out of my budget though.
aisteb - you've probably thought of this but if you find a local PWS /Second Nature / Burbidge supplier near to you, you can see the doors in the flesh as they are the one's Units Online use. I think it makes a huge difference when you see them in the flesh.

I've also just had a meeting with my builder and excitingly, they told me that because DIY supply units fully assembled, they can lower the fitting costs considerably! Which means more for me to spend on units or something else.

So far, for kitchens that I've seen in the flesh in order of preference......Devol or 1909 (love but can't afford), Petworth (bit too expensive as I want quartz and didn't lose my heart to it), Mornington (didn't fall in love with it but would do).....

Here's hoping I don't mind the cockbeading on Helmsley and can just go with that as I'm exhausted now.

aisteb - sorry forgot to answer your question.

We have to order soon.....by 12th October to get it delivered in time. Problem is we can't get in the house we're buying at the moment to measure as the vendor's husband is very ill. We get keys on the 12th so will probably have to do it very last minute.

I thought Units Online didn't do 1909 anymore as they don't have the prices on their website? Is it a pricier range that Petworth and Baystone? I have asked them about the button hinges and they don't do proper butt ones just an imitation butt hinge wich gets attached to the door. I didn't know imitation ones existed. They said once it is fitted visually you can't tell it's just an imitation so something to consider if that's the look you like. Probably can fit them to Helmsley too.

I have drawn the plans today, was considering using a kitchen designer but actually managed to do it fine myself as I know how I am going to use the space and what would be best where.

We have been I our house for 3mths now and if you can afford the time it is definitely worth living in the space before you make your decision. The layout we are going for is completely different from what we initially thought and has changed a few times as I kept on discovering new options for the space.

One of £1 handles of eBay have arrived, o have realised that UO sell the same. Looks nice and sturdy but too shiny in real life for my liking.
www.unitsonline.co.uk/Store/browse/type/Multiwood-Handles/product-details/Style-16-Cup-Handle,-64mm-Centres-Brshd-Nickel-HA16

I think I will have to place the order next week, as soon as the colours arrive

Oh and no one stocks those multiwood or burbridge kitchens nowhere near us

Sorry about typos, 'butt' not 'button' hinges..

Ok. So having come up here pretty much set on Helmsley I felt in real life it was a bit finicky. The beading felt like a bit of a dust trap waiting to happen and I'm not the houseproud sort who would usually even think about that On the upside there is none of that 3mm gap you get between units in a frameless kitchen. On the downside, thé Helmsley just didn't feel as smart as the Stanbury/Norton (the norton being identical but in wood rather than MDF). My only doubt now is whether the norton looks as smart in pale colours. Gahhhhh.

The showroom was lovely. People were lovely. Every type of door and insert and drawer and colour on display. I got picked up from the station in a top of the range Merc by their lovely driver and taken back again. Amazing free service. Lots of free tea,coffee, cakes and whatnot. No sense of being hassled. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed what DH calls my kitchen mini-break!

Re The Hague blue, it has to be a bespoke finish so you're paying a bit extra. They also do Stiffkey blue which is v nice. Or any other F&B you care to ask for. The overall cost isn't much more for bespoke - because it's only charged on the bits you can actually see rather than carcass etc.

But god The Hague looked smart with the white worktop. I was quite overcome!

@friskybivalves they can do any colour you can think of in bespoke, not just the F&B colours listed:) pick a paint colour or even a swatch and they'll colour match for you