DIY kitchens, please help us decide

[starbrightlight]

Hello lovely kitchen people. We've ordered a Stanbury kitchen in Light Grey from DIY kitchens but am having second thoughts about whether to go with Cornflower Blue doors instead of the light grey ones.

We have 48 hours where we can change our order. We have a sample of both the doors and like them both and just can't make up our minds. I first thought the Cornflower blue door looked a bit green so went for the grey instead. Now in the afternoon light it looks a lovely blue grey shade and I just can't decide! The grey in this light is now looking a bit flat to me.

Does anyone have either of these colour kitchens and want to help us choose? That's a ridiculous request I know and I'm sure they will both make a lovely kitchen, but if you know the colours and how they look in your kitchen it might help us decide. Thank you!

I haven't seen either in the flesh (heading up to the DIY kitchen showroom next week) bit personally I think a blue kitchen has a much more classic look than a grey one so would choose the blue.

*but

I would go for grey. I have just put in a grey kitchen and love it (although I know MN tends not to like grey kitchens).

This won’t help but we’ve just chosen grey even though everyone keeps telling me that grey is over and will become the new avocado bathroom suite etc! Just choose what you love best???

Ive just been looking at DIY kitchen too and decided on the cornflower blue.

I think the greys are very ‘now’ and will look dated in a few years time when trends have changed. It also depends on how long you’re planning the kitchen lasting.

Thanks everyone but Oh nooo! We just sort of settled on the grey. In the evening light the blue looked too strong and a bit mint green so if we had blue accessories they might not go so well. The grey looked lighter. I will try and upload a pic. I don't care about it dating (we don't plan to move again ever) but I do want to love it forever and not tire of it over time.

In our previous long term house a white Texas Homecare (closed years ago) kitchen with a pale grey thin border round it looked as good the day we sold as when it was brand new. It probably was dated but it looked great and I still loved it.

Notsoaccident - did you get a sample door? We did and the cornflower blue didn't look as blue as we remembered from the showroom, if it wasn't called 'blue' I might have called it green.

TallSlutnopanties - the showroom was great and well worth a visit. I still love the Cornflower Blue...

TBF the grey does have a nice blue tone to it so will look good with blue accessories like that painting. I can see what you mean about the cornflower blue looking a bit green.

I've just realised you've all seen the chaos we're living in... . Can't wait for our new kitchen!

Didn’t get any sample doors, just sample colour squares.

We wanted to get an idea of cost as we’re currently saving. I think we’ve saved about half what we need.

I just want to get on and do it, but we prefer to save and pay, rather than a loan or credit card etc.

Anyway it gives me loads of time to play with the kitchen planner

Hope you’re goes as planned

Yours

Thank you. Good luck with the kitchen planner. It drove me nuts, I nearly cried several times when it crashed and I thought I'd lost it all but it came back thank goodness. It was very buggy but I got there in the end. I do think DIY kitchens are very good though - we had one before, just a small galley kitchen in a stepping stone house and we were very happy with the quality. Also there was a lot more choice of cabinet widths which made the most of the space available.

Now to kitchen worktops... we like the Ikea laminate ones, quite slim and streamlined but they don't fit them (and do the corner joins) unless you are buying their kitchen. So if we choose them we will have to find a joiner because although we are very handy we aren't precision carpenters and the whole thing could be ruined by botched joins on the kitchen worktops.

Ultimately only you can decide which you will love. I would look in all lights at the mini door panels being in the various places the real doors will be in (particularly if it's a u shaped kitchen) as different light and being against different walls can make a huge difference to how things look

I think the blue (which looks like a light shade of duck egg blue on my phone) is nicest and will go fine with the painting near by. I think the grey is kind of washed out and almost dirty white rather than a rich grey (and I like grey kitchens!) But then it could just be my phone making it look that way.

Can I ask how much your units have cost?
I love that cornflower blue but I haven’t a clue how DIY kitchens works!

Worieddd, 21 units of varying shapes and sizes in a U shaped kitchen with small peninsula came to around £3,500 including £150 for 2 man delivery. Dimensions of kitchen are approx. 3220 x 3950.

That doesn't include worktops, taps, handles or appliances (apart from a cheap extractor fan we did include from DIY).

If you are planning on using DIY I recommend having a play around on their online planning tool to get familiar with the various options.
I will try and post a link. It was very buggy (it's in beta mode) and took me ages but is worth it. Then you have to go into their online website and add what you've chosen to your basket - unfortunately you can't buy direct from the planning tool.

planner.diy-kitchens.com

It seems most people here prefer the Cornflower Blue but do you not think it is more green than blue? Still umming and ahhing… only another 24 hours to change my mind!

For anyone interested best start here diy-kitchens.com/ for inspiration, and have a look at customer's completed kitchens to get ideas.

Thanks starbrightlight

I absolutely love the cornflower blue and agree it is quite ‘green’ but that is actually what I am after I love sagey kitchens etc.

I have wickes coming tomorrow to plan, thought I’d decided on what kitchen I was getting from there but I am so very tempted with the stanbury conlrnflower blue! We have been quoted around £5.5K for 20 units so DIY seems much better value!
I heard you mention a DIY kitchens showroom? How much did the sample doors cost you?

Sorry to bombard you with questions!

The DIY kitchens showroom is well worth a visit. We are from down south so had an overnight stay at Wortley Hall www.wortleyhall.org.uk/ which was cheap through booking.com and lovely so made it worth the trip.

The sample doors were around 10.00 each but you can return them and get a refund if you like. Carcass samples are free.

I like sagey green too but the bedroom wallpaper turned out more greeny grey (when I had envisioned it bluey grey) so I am veering away from green now as I am after a kitchen where the blue I put in (maybe Borrowed Light on the walls) doesn't make the cabinets look green, if you know what I mean!

Also it's worth remembering DIY kitchens come fully assembled (even have the doors on) and are good quality carcasses, 19mm thick I think.

Thanks!

I have checked and the showroom is actually only 1.5hours away from us, so I think we will make a visit.

All the best with your kitchen would love to see pics of the finished article

I'm not a fan of grey generally but I prefer the grey to the blue.

Which have you gone with in the end?

Probably the grey. We have another 24 hours to change our mind but I think the grey will be more adaptable. It is a lovely pale French grey / blue in certain lights, in other lights it is like Farrow and Ball Dimpse - on another thread someone colour matched it to Dimpse which is described as having subtle blue undertones which sounds about right.

I wish I didn't like them both though! It is only that the actual Cornflower Blue sample door is not like the pictures on their website, it's more of a peppermint green in some lights, and darker than the grey.

If anyone has photos of their kitchen in either the grey or the blue that would be a great help!

At the very last minute they've only gone and suggested that Dove Grey goes better with the light grey carcass. I didn't even know Dove Grey was an option, it's not listed as an option for the Stanbury on their website. They've put the order on hold until I receive the Dove Grey door sample and can make a final decision. I am turning grey myself planning this darned kitchen.

I have the grey but in Linwood. I love it, it has a really nice depth to it imo which pleasantly surprised me on the finished kitchen compared to the sample.