Expensive or budget kitchen units?

[Falcon1]

Please help, I need to make a decision this weekend about kitchen units as our builder is due to start very soon.

I have fallen for the 1909 in frame slab door kitchen. Units online have quoted us for this at £10k. Much cheaper than it would be through a kitchen shop but still much more expensive than we had planned to spend. I'd like this kitchen with a quartz worktop, which again would be really expensive!

DH wants us to get the DIY Kitchens Carrera bespoke painted in F&B Downpipe - this would be around £3k. He reckons we can make it look expensive with 1909 handles. He also thinks we should get a wooden worktop as it's so much cheaper. All in, this would be a considerably cheaper way to go.

Our house was expensive and is in an expensive area. I'm worried that a cheap (er) kitchen will look out of place. Plus, this is our forever home - we need to be happy with the kitchen.

However, the option I want would mean no money left over to do anything else to the house for quite a while. And DH is of the opinion that the extra expensive is unnecessary. I'm really unsure as to whether he's right.

What to do?! Can a cheaper kitchen be dressed up? Would I not notice the units anyway once in? I'm usually the one that hates spending money but just love the look of the 1909 kitchen.

Thanks 4yearsnosleep - I've had a look through Instagram (great idea, thank you). Unfortunately, I couldn't see any Carrera's that I thought looked nice...couldn't see the one you mentioned.

Really do not like the cheaper kitchen, sorry but it does look cheap to me and completely different to the 1909 which is gorgeous (seen it in the real world) I know you said it would mean you could not do anything else in the house but if it were me I would much rather have a dream kitchen and the rest of the house can wait until funds allow.

I would go for the cheaper kitchen, with quality appliances, taps, worktop and handles. Our original kitchen was from mfi in oak. We had a joiner make oak fill ins where required etc rather than use the laminate carcass stuff. Everybody that saw it thought it was high end. That way you’ll have money left over for other things.

I think the answer is cheaper cupboards with quartz worktop, but maybe the Carrera is not the right one.

The bow fronted type Carrera units look nice, I think, and really lift the look. The end panels are a good thought, and remember you can halve them, you don't need them to go full depth.

QuietlyQuaffing - forgive my ignorance but what do you mean? Very interested to hear if there is a way of making the carerra look nicer!

Bow fronted? The shaping under the hob here:
www.diy-kitchens.com/kitchens/carrera-painted-vanilla/details/

See also in the curved and s-shaped units section

End panels as 4years described

Following my theory of it needing a "thing", maybe some curved units can be the "thing". Didn't work for us as we didn't have space for a deeper unit or many corners.

Thanks QuietlyQuaffing- we don't have any corners so not an option to have curved units unfortunately

Sorry, I wish I could find it. It was in a home magazine too, a matt navy kitchen.

There's a Carerra Carbon kitchen on the DIY kitchens real kitchens reel. It's a good example of it being done to a higher spec. They've used and end panel on the bottom of the wall units instead of a pelmet. What you could do is use those panels in between each unit to frame each door?

Wickes also do an inframe slab kitchen, but it's only available in pale grey. Could that be an option? The same kitchen is available at Benchmarx too. Magnet also have one available in a few colours. All possibly cheaper than the 1909?

Thanks 4yearsnosleep. Unfortunately we are a bit tied to the colour of the units due to it needing to match the adjoining room colour scheme (we're knocking through). So that rules out the cheaper inframes I think.

Will speak to DH tonight and go through the budget again...

I would go for the 1909, it's a big investment either way and at least you know you'll love it if you go for what you really want. The 1909 is a really beautiful design.

I have had DIY kitchens before and their units are very good quality, I would say as good as you get until the bespoke brands. Also I had a Carrera door sample and it is a lovely velvety Matt finish , it felt expensive to me.

OTOH the in frame slab is a very particular look and is a real statement done well. You have to ask yourself is that important enough to you to spend the money on or does it mean compromises elsewhere e.g. appliances. Looks like that might be the case.

A plain slab door is a blank canvas, a with good interior design you could have a stunning kitchen with the styling of the in frame one. Also I have to say having lived with an in frame kitchen you have so many compromises on storage, built in appliances etc, also it is a bit of a current fad the in frame slab and may date where in frame shaker is more classic.

We put a cheaper kitchen in this house and various things like drawer bottoms dropping, carousels dropping a bit and by the time we got around to replacihshelving with top cupboardsbthey had stopped making them. We took a year to decide this time and in December we had a bespoke kitchen from a small local firm. It is absolutely beautiful. Every morning I sit and look at it while I have my breakfast. Although more expensive I am glad we spent the extra. The worktop we bought from a local firm it is worth shopping around. It is really unusual grey green.
Our neighbour is a builder and recommends Benchmarx. Your builder should be able to get a discount. We went for a shaker style which was hand painted four times. Last in situ. This will be our last kitchen. I think if it is your forever home you want to go with what you want. Who is going to be in the kitchen more?

I think there are a few other cheaper companies now doing in frame slab. For example Benchmarx Chelsea design (but only one colour, dove grey). I will have a hunt and see if I can find the others I came across.

Sorry just saw 4yearsnosleep already mentioned the Benchmarx one!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/3132045-In-frame-slab-kitchen?pg=1

This thread says DIY can actually do an in frame slab style if you ask!

Classic Kitchens Direct (who are up the road from DIY) also do it, called “Modern Classic”

classic-kitchens-direct.com/product-choices-style-choices

DIY kitchens unit quality is really good definelty as good as 1909 - we went against inframe as teh frame blocks space and we re clumsy!
The benchmarx one is nice - but i think the diy are better and you can choose your colour- the diy paint service is fab...

we ended up with stanbury painted in a F&B (drawing room blue and also white) as it is smooth finish rather than wood finish... after ordering a few of the doors..and actually looking at them.
We were going to get quartz tops but decided to save that money so picked a lightish laminate and its really good ! cheap and puts up with our slovenly ways..
(i really didnt want laminate but didnt want to have to match worktop with wood floor)

I would suggest you get door samples... I wouldnt go really expensive for units unless for real wood/joiner made units

Minipie- I did ask DIY Kitchens if they could do me an In frame slab kitchen and they said no! Bizarrely they seemed incredulous that anyone would want that style...it was a very odd conversation!

DIY kitchens did do a plain in-frame front. It is a discontinued range and it was called Carnaby - it's in their showroom.

Hmm that’s annoying Falcon! I guess maybe they were more flexible a couple of years ago before they got so busy (thanks to MN...)!

I had quotes from local kitchen companies just for the units (excluding fitting, worktops, handles, flooring, building works etc) for an inframe kitchen for between £33 and £36k. We ended up going for the DIY Kitchens Helmsley for £12k but we did go very high end with the quartz worktops, Jim Lawrence handles / sockets / switches/ light fittings, perrin & rowe taps, miele applicances etc. I also paid for an independent designer ( Karen at One Plan). I certainly don't regret saving that £24k on the units. It looks stunning, feels like a high end kitchen and really works well for us. If the difference had been a couple of grand, I'd have gone for a local company, but it was a massive difference. DIY were very easy to deal with but it was a bit scary that the measurements, final design changes from the original design and order was all my responsibility. I did change my mind at the last minute a few times and they were very accommodating.

£24k saving - wow. That's immense! Great to hear how good DIY seem to be.

For those people saying being responsible for the measuring etc is scary, go to B&Q. Pretend you are interested in one of their kitchens. Use their free design and measuring service... then take the plans and measurements to DIY kitchens.

Hi op. We are in exactly the same position as yourself and in hunt for an inframe slab door kitchen. We had a quote for magnet Newbury but was much higher than we wanted. We haven't ruled it out but looking into other options to see if we can get cheaper.

Recommended on another mumsnet post was a kitchen broker (kitchenfindr.co.uk). We sent a request last night and he has already recommended a shop to go look at. He has advised they can do bespoke but at wren prices. I haven't made an appointment yet as they are closed but I'm feeling hopeful.

I am also going to speak with my builder about purchasing from magnet trade - not sure how much cheaper they will be but would hope to save something