If you had £40,000 to spend on a kitchen ?

[sosew]

Where would you go ?

Excluding appliances, floor and any building work. It's not a huge room (3.3M by 5m) basically a large galley so no room for an island. I was thinking we would look at a local firm (we're in London) as we'd like deeper than normal cabinets so we can add in a larder area and make the most of the wide space, but I'm nervous that this will blow the budget.

If you want Plain English / Martin Moore standard but infinitely more personal and unique, try Andrew Lord Furniture. Website is terrible because they don’t spend money on advertising - all business comes by word of mouth. Just ask for references from recent clients. Incredible quality and all designed, drawn, built and installed made by 3 guys in South Oxfordshire (but they do plenty of London work).

£40k on a 16m2 kitchen. Is there a decimal point missing somewhere?

@steakhousesally

I'd say sod the kitchen and travel for a few months.

What right now 😂

Have you seen the news recently? Where exactly should OP travel to 😂

Boffi, Poggenpohl,Poliform,Scavolini,Snaidero,Kesseler,Aran Cucine,,Arclinea

People aren't grasping the difference between a wood kitchen and MDF. It's a whole different world and price!

Those suggesting howdens, we have one and while the doors are lovely, the cabinets are awful.

Try herringbone kitchens. They have an insta feed. They're a nice midrange option that should come in your price range.

Obviously not now

Thanks so much for all the recommendations- that's exactly what I needed - I was a bit terrified after looking at some of the local companies whose entry level prices were at or above our budget.

To answer some of the other questions:

• yes I do know the price of a pint of milk
• no I do not want an Ikea kitchen (though one option is to use their carcasses and build around that).
• no I don't want to travel (have jobs/young DC/have travelled a lot)
• yes things are incredibly bloody expensive in the SE/ London. My relatives don't live in the SE, they love to tell me how much more expensive things are.
• it's a room that DH and I will probably spend 20 hours plus in a week so cost is proportionate for us.
• yes I get that others have less money both now particularly and in general, the only way I can change that is to contribute positively to our economy, and I am pretty sure that buying a kitchen is one of the ways to do that

Thanks !

If I had that kind of budget, I’d look for a bespoke solid wood kitchen, designed to be future proof to see me through my old age.

I’d want pull out drawers on the lower levels so that I’d never be on my knees peering into the back of a cupboard. I’d raise all the appliances to save my knees and my back later. I’d put cupboards all the way to the ceiling to eliminate that grimy gap at the top, but I’d have either pull-down or rotating shelves so that I’d never have to climb up to them.

I’d choose rather unfashionable unpainted solid wood as it self repairs and will still look good in 20 or 30 years.

I hate having people working in my house so I’d want to just do it once and for all.

Helllo . We are in SW london and just gone for a Hacker kitchen (German). It's lovely and very sturdy. Ours has larder cupboards which hold loads, big pan drawers with hidden cutlery sections (v useful).

Got ours from the kitchen Shoppe in east Sheen. Very lovely helpful people, I can recommend.

I would think about things that annoyed me in the kitchens I have had over the years (for me lots - as in I move a lot collecting kitchens in not a hobby)

I am not the cook that is DH but I do bake, so maybe start of with what annoys each person in the household and work with that.

I am short so can't rwch things up high DH is tall and hates beding down

I want all my baking things easy to access, DH wants the pots and pans organized.

I want a tall well organized pantry so DH and I can both access what we need.

I want tea and coffee near the kettle and the stove/oven has to have a bench next to it to put hot stuff on

I want an oven mid height for both DH and I a stove top I can clean - DH does the cooking I do the dishes.

We rent so if we did have a kitchen to put in I would spend less on the look of the inside the cupboards and more on the hinges and drawers runners and although I want a standard size oven not a posh fancy massive one I want one that has even heat so will pay for that

Tom Howley for sure.

There is quite a difference between a Howdens/Wren type kitchen and what you are looking for OP.
We did what you are doing now 10 yrs ago had the same budget as you and even then that was not even getting near real high end. It did allow us good quality and design which still looks good now.
Two things I'd recommend; spend a day going into all the kitchen shops in and around Wigmore Street as it is very useful for ideas and some of those shops will be within you price range.
Secondly be prepared to haggle (and be ripped off). One company gave us a quote of £72k which when I said was more than we were prepared to spend promptly dropped £20k off the quote. Needless to say I wasn't doing business with a company who were prepared to treat me with such contempt.
Good luck OP

As some of the sensible people have commented there’s a vast difference between a wren or howdens kitchen than a bespoke hand kitchen. All depends on what you want OP. I had my Kitchen done about 4 years ago and spent about 40k on it, but it’s a massive room with an island and a table that seats 8. I went to a company in Wiltshire, they made all the cabinetry by hand to specific requirements. Dovetail joints and soft close doors. Beware, some of the names mentioned on here are not hand made but are made to look hand made.

Hubbie has just installed a handmade kitchen in Primrose Hill for ...... wait for it ........ £180,000!!!!!!

I nearly fell off my chair. (He was working as a subcontractor cabin maker, on very normal London day rate - he didn't bill make that much on the kitchen obviously!) ....

£180,000 - that really is madness in my opinion.

Hacker or Poggenpohl for me. We had a hacker kitchen installed two years ago after having a kitchen from 1987 in the house, made such a difference and still makes me happy to walk in to my kitchen now.

The whole process (we used Urban Myth in Chingford) was so vastly different to a Howdens or Wren that we'd had in other properties.

I think @seayork2020 gives really sound advice whatever the budget.

Kitchens are very much 'doing' space as opposed to other rooms which tend to be 'being' space.

* Bloody hell! My flat cost £35k, last year!*

Flat?
Did you make a typo there?
My garage has been valued at £32k!

OP we did a bespoke kitchen in a larger space than yours in prime london inc new whitegoods, oak cabinets etc for c£40k with trade discount (so guessing £50k retail)? We used cheverell and I highly recommend them.

People! We all know the reality on here is there are folk who have more money than us and they spend more on holidays and everything else. I don't have a 40k budget fir a kitchen but I'm genuinely interested. And pleased for someone that they can spend that amount.
Be nice not snide!
And we're allowed to answer hypothetically.
So I will.
I love the look at Naked Kitchens. I think they're based in Norfolk. And I'd have the bestest fridge, all plumbed in for ice, and integrated everything! Oh and I'd treat myself to new dinner service and cutlery and the bestest pans while I was at it.
OP let us know what you settle on

I'm in South London and redid the entire downstairs of my flat last year with solid wood floors and a new kitchen with wood countertops and had all the walls plastered etc- that all cost about 15-20k I think? If we'd had more budget I would spend it on getting it really nicely painted by a professional (we did it ourselves which obviously cut costs a bit) and maybe some "gadgets" like those magic shelves that come out of corner cupboards.

OP, I spent almost double your budget on my kitchen and it was the best money ever spent. It’s as old as my child and yet it looks as new as on the first day. Spend what you want on it, and hopefully you will get the same lasting result!!

This is the savings goal for our new kitchen/diner. I have ideas of solid wood worktops except for kitchen island which will be polished concrete (or similar).

We have a similar space for kitchen but are taking a wall down to give a more open plan feel.

I’m tempted to get a boat designer in to look at using the space efficiently (luckily dad knows someone who could help).

People aren't grasping the difference between a wood kitchen and MDF. It's a whole different world and price!
You do not want a solid wood kitchen. Nobody does. In an environment with a lot of moisture, solid wood will warp and age poorly. You want engineered wood with veneers or hand painted, which are far superior to solid wood. Brands to look at are DeVol, Smallbone or Life Kitchens. Or Vipp if you want contemporary.