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.

@sosew what style are you looking for? If it’s shaker I recommend you speak to St Cross of Winchester - I’m not sure if they cover your area but they might. They hand make fully bespoke kitchens and we had a quote from them, but even then the cabinetry for our quite large (3.5m x 4.5m plus island) kitchen was £21k including fitting, painting, plus VAT. FWIW, I wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t be spending £40k on your kitchen, just that I don’t think you need to, and you can still get a top quality bespoke finish.

So not a judgement on my part, but a caution to be wary of the profit margins on high end kitchens. I would find a smallish cabinet maker and go directly to them.

If it’s a skandi/modern style you want then I’d probably look at German companies, but tbh if you’re going for the sleek modern style I’d probably just pick a reputable (not necessarily high street) company and go from there. But as soon as you get into pre-made kitchens there isn’t all that much difference between the top and bottom of the market in terms of materials - most are standard carcass materials, even if the cabinets are made to order. The only plus side there is that you can get things made to fit exactly (which can be a bonus, can be another headache).

In the end we went for DIY because they have an amazing product at an amazing price point. I was very swayed by the hand built kitchen but this is a massive refurb job (£100k+ so far) and cost decisions need to be made somewhere.

Couple of other points OP; ours was German brand Hacker and it is v good quality.
Depending on the look you want I'd steer clear of wooden work surfaces as they do tend to mark and just need more TLC.
With regard to the gadgets, the more built in/plumbed in things you get the can go wrong and the more servicing they need. One of our ovens is a steam oven and to be honest I hardly ever use the steam function but it is useful having an extra oven. Didn't opt for a built in coffee machine as again if it goes wrong it is just hassle - also I worked out we could get 2 coffees per day for 5 years from our local starbucks for the same price! Do love my boiling water tap though!

Have a look for a local independent kitchen showroom that sells omega kitchens. Beautiful painted wood kitchens, guaranteed for 25 years. The quote for just cabinets for my kitchen was about £12k.

I would just say, get your layout, storage and ergonomics right, with a designer who understands how to make a working kitchen. Then it's style, finish and quality. You could spend the same on two kitchens but one will be awkward and messy because it doesn't have good storage or work flow and another will be a daily pleasure to use. Ive seem some terrible expensive kitchens, even some designed by architects. The room isn't big enough to waste space and you're spending too much to waste on fads that will date. A good designer will blend the structure, appliances and other elements together and get you a stunning and functional space. I snipped this picture from the TV the other day because I was so impressed by the kitchen in the background with the brick wall and display, even though I don't normally like boxing in cookers.

5 years ago we had a new kitchen extension 3.5 x 5m - layout attached. We have a gorgeous big island in ours but then it is just a kitchen, not a kitchen diner. I went to Tom Howley and spent just under £40k (not including appliances), although we're NW so not London prices. I love my kitchen but wouldn't use TH again as they were a nightmare to work with. There design was good so it might be worth getting a design from somewhere like them (have to pay for this) and then getting an independent carpenter to build the design for you?

I'm not that fond of my kitchen... I'm not capable of appreciating the difference between low & high quality.

However, my dad is fond of kitchens and especially huge fan of granite countertops. So I guess I'd start there. Design the rest of the kitchen around a few key features. Enjoy your project.

www.higham.co.uk/

These people are amazing. Bespoke and they have brilliant ideas for your own individual needs.

Sadly when we did our kitchen we couldn’t stretch to them. But prior to that they gave us lots of advice and their service was excellent

I'd have a plywood kitchen. Wood and wire or plykea. They're the bees knees!

2 little ducks do beautiful kitchens. They're freestanding as well so should you ever have to move you can just take it with you.

Tom Howley kitchens are outstanding
You should have a look!

I think the point of getting a quote for something like Howdens (not Wren, v poor ratings in Which) is that it gives you a 'low point' on your comparison chart and helps you see what exactly the difference is, so what you are getting for your additional spending. That can help focus your thoughts on what differences really matter to you and what don't.

Otherwise it can be possible to feel you're spending a premium for a nice brand 'just because', without really knowing what added value you're getting.

Or you may feel more confident and knowledgeable than I do, so ready to decide about higher end brands.

Also because, while you'd hope the top end firms would employ excellent designers, there may not be a direct correlation between price and innovative design. You might pick up some great ideas, or find someone you like working with, at a firm that mightn't have been your first choice on paper.

Depending on the look you're going for, I'd look at Naked Kitchens, Plykea and Sustainable Kitchens.

I'd also try to get One Plan (usually on Houzz) to go over your layout.

Friends of mine are getting a Handmade Kitchen installed and are very happy so far. I think the fitter is really important with that kind of kitchen though so I'd look around for local recommendations.

Howdens Load of old shit and only comes 'highly recommended by builders' because your builders get commission on the money you spend, I thought that was fairly well-known?

We are in thy middle of getting ours finalised. We are taking down a wall to put in a large window (instead of bifolds as I hate the flies)
We have gone for a local company. We are getting navy blue doors, oak laminate tops, oak flooring and all appliances (new oven, induction job and dishwasher). It’s coming to £9000 including the window.
We are in the north east but our kitchen is 4x4m.
We were quoted £35k to extend to double the footprint and redo the kitchen but decided we didn’t want it too big for heating and things and obviously lose part of our garden

Again it is entirely up to you to spend less. But your answer isn’t helpful.

Op has a much larger budget. That’s okay and entirely her choice.

I have a Howdens kitchen but fitted by a skilled joiner - designed it myself. Skilled joiner could fit anything wherever I wanted it. A 40,000 kitchen is for life. But your life changes, DCs leave home, you retire etc.

Even if I had £40k to spend on a kitchen I would still not spend £40k on a kitchen.

@sosew regardless of price point the layout is the most important thing, whether you’re spending £4K or £40k it needs to function best for the space. Take a look at the MN ‘lessons learned kitchen thread’ like 16 pages of good advice on what makes a good kitchen design, whichever company you use.

20 hours a week in a room 16m2 doesn’t sound like fun even if it cost £40k!

@mayihavesomecakeplease

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.

@mayihavesomecakeplease

You either scored a truly phenomenal deal
Or... you have different tastes and / or budget to the OP

£15-£20k for entire downstairs rework inc new kitchen, flooring etc and in London - is baffling to many.

It's not baffling at all, give over 😂

* We have gone for a local company. We are getting navy blue doors, oak laminate tops, oak flooring and all appliances (new oven, induction job and dishwasher). It’s coming to £9000 including the window. *

The Miele oven alone that I’d like is £1999! Again - different budgets and / or tastes.

Almost irrelevant for people to state what they paid (nor did the OP even ask when I think about it!)

It is baffling that someone could get an entire downstairs redone including new kitchen and oak flooring for £15-£20k in London!!

I could happily spend £40k on a small kitchen. It would be gorgeous.

Good luck and have fun OP!