Anyone fancy a bit of a natter about beautiful kitchens?

[thenewaveragebear1983]

We’ve decided to pull some money out of our B2L equity to do our kitchen. It’s not much, we’re only doing a makeover, and we only have about 2-3k to do it. But I’m so excited!

I can’t be bothered with Pinterest boards, I want to chat with real people!

Currently it’s an 80’s monstrosity. I have visions of cream gloss doors, pendant lighting, pan drawers....

Anything you think I should consider? Or just fancy an idle muse about kitchen ideas? Any tried and tested suggestions?

I’m hoping to do my kitchen next year , im sticking with white units , already have pan drawers (it’ll probably end looking exactly the same ! )

Are you having tiles or those splash back thingies ?

Watching with excitement! Doug an extension with an open style living/kitchen and dining room over the next year ... no idea what I want!

I’m hoping to knock a wall down to open things up a bit but it will mean coming through the front door straight into the kitchen.

Depends on what you like. It all seems to be those gloss monstrosities in fashion ATM.

Why don't you book a designer to go through the choices with you within your budget?

I’d be very surprised if you could get new units with pan drawers for £2-3k. For that budget you’ll get new lights, flooring and a coat of paint on the existing units.

Oops sorry didn't see you fancied gloss.

Gamerchick I have a white gloss monstrosity at the moment !

I have no idea of exactly how much it will cost but have a figure of 12k in mind - kitchen is about 9x 12 feet.

commiserations man

I can't get on board with kitchens that need lots of polishing and not supposed to use products, just water. Doesn't make any sense to me. Too faffy.

Had you thought about respraying your current kitchen? Loads of lovely before and after pics on Instagram from a company I follow whose name has temporarily disappeared from my head... Hang on...

I just got a glossy white utility room from Benchmarx for £2300
&1500 for quartz worktop.
There were cheaper options

How much is the average kitchen these days? We need a new one, I want to stay with natural/wood country farmhouse look but just want easier to clean more streamlined look. I'm not keen on the high gloss cupboards, nightmare to clean as they need buffing and they scratch as I found out when I once tried to clean one with a scourer sponge.....

OK they're called onestop_refinishers on insta but they're on Facebook too if you look for kitchentransform. I think a respray is 1-2k but only takes a day, and then you could get a new worktop, sink, taps...

My DH put a brand new kitchen in our rental property within that budget - he got the carcasses and doors from wickes in the sale, extractor/sink/taps/stone worktop from eBay and fitted appliances really cheaply. He did the work himself and just had an electrician come in to install sockets and move some wiring.

This is a good sized galley style kitchen with lots of cupboard and worktop space so it’s definitely possible although pan drawers are much pricier than cupboards

I don’t have small children so it’s stayed nice and shined — plus I take my glasses off so can’t see the smears —

We're in the process of redoing our kitchen. It's only a small galley kitchen and we're just replacing doors/retiling walls/new worktops, sink and hob. I do want a new floor but dh isn't convinced. I've ordered the doors/sink/worktop and it's come to just over £600. I still need to order the tiles/door handles and hob. Oh and find a kitchen fitter! We've had some unexpected bills this month so had to put it on hold, maybe until after Christmas now. I'm so excited that we're actually doing it though as DH has been dithering for 4 years about it. My PIL even offered to contribute at one point and DH still didn't pull his finger out

We've gone for a cream gloss monstrosity (!) as it's a dark room and hopefully it will make it feel brighter.

We’re keeping the same worktop as it was replaced by the previous owner to sell (2 years ago), plus we’re keeping the unit carcasses, so literally just replacing 5 doors. Then one double unit coming out to replace with the deep pan drawers, replacing a small drawer unit and then there’s a real botch job of an old double oven housing which needs pulled out and replaced. We think our fridge might fit in the space anyway, if not we will get a larder cupboard. So 5x doors, 2 drawer units, and a larder cupboard. Hopefully that won’t be three grand!! Preliminary research suggests the doors will be £20-50 each depending on what we choose.

I want to take away all the high cupboards and replace with open shelving, but more for decorative bits than actual Storage.

We have a Belling range which we’re keeping, and a dishwasher, fridge etc so don’t need appliances. It really is just a cosmetic makeover.

We stayed in a holiday let in the summer with cream gloss and it was beautiful. Absolutely not monstrous!

They are beautiful to look at, just total pansies to care for properly. Kitchens should be tough.

They're probably better for child and animal free houses.

We currently have white metro tiles with grey grout all round, and again they will stay, although we might need to chip off the top tile all the way round as they’ve been cut round the high units (another botch job by our previous owners)

When we remove the extractor hood to replace we might need to tile higher up, in which case maybe a splashback panel?

Although I saw these tiles online and wondered if they could somehow be incorporated behind the cooker but keep the white tiles everywhere else? Or these bronzey ones?

Gamer dammit, we have both! Is it the gloss finish that is the problem? I am not averse to a bit of wiping and polishing. My current ones have that routered arch shape which is just a dirt catcher!

I mean you're not even supposed to use a magic sponge on them. What's that all about?! Magic sponges get scuffs off white gloss lovely as well. A tip I got was to use a tiny drop of fairy on a damp cloth for stuff like greasy splashbacks but it's all the washing and buffing you have to do. Wax on wax off jobby.

I'm assuming it reduces the life of the finish. There are sprays you can get though especially made for gloss finishes.

Don't let it put you off if it's really want you want though. They are a bit extra work but nice to look at and work in.

We are just in midst of extending and knocking through kitchen to make big kitchen diner snug
Our new kitchen, plus utility is costing 5k...inckudibg sink, tap, under counter fridge, tiles and worktops.
This does not include fitting or floor.
I have used DIY kitchens.. There is no salesman or planning service, you have to measure up yourself.
The same kitchen with very best Howden discount was 10k and magnet 13k

We are having a u shape with peninsula and Wall units in a 4.5m x 4m x 4.5 m size.
Plus a single run of floor to ceiling units 5m long in utility.

Bloody gorgeous they are too.

That price does not include new cooker or dishwasher as they are staying.
Builders charging 1200 to fit and the floor is going through whole of new bit plus kitchen and hallway, utility and downstairs loo.
Kitchen bit probably costing 250..
Floor is engineered wood.