SW London Kitchen - Blakes

[planforeverything]

Hi there,

Has anyone used/know anyone who has used Blakes for their kitchen? We’re renovating a house in SW London and will be there for a while and want quote a ‘cool’ kitchen.’We went to Kitchens by Holloways yesterday but I felt like their style isn’t really what I’m after and when he said I should be expecting to pay £70k I almost fell off my chair. That was for a 2.4m island and 5.5m wall run of cabinets (only two double height, the rest single height) in MDF carcasses with marble work surfaces. When I showed them a photo of what I wanted they said that’d be bespoke hence why I think the price is so high.

Any bespoke carpenters/joiners/kitchen maker recommendations if you haven’t used Blake’s? I really like their style but if it’s another £70k quote it’s just not something we can accommodate

I used Kitchen Connections in Earlsfield and was delighted.

The contractor they sent to install our kitchen was wonderful and we have repeatedly used him for different projects in our house.

Wow, even for a bespoke kitchen that is a hell of a lot! Wouldn't it be lovely to have that kind of money to spend?

I've recently invested in a solid wood bespoke kitchen with this company and paid nowhere near that much- so if you want the same quality as Blakes but a fraction of a price I'd 100% recommend these. Good luck x

Thanks for getting back to me.

The £70k quote included a quooker tap, Bora hob (cheapest one) Siemens oven, Siemens microwave and Miele fridge. Installation was £5k - cabinetry was £40k. I also found out in the quote that wasn’t bespoke cabinetry either, it was one of their off the peg styles so I’m not sure why it was so high.

In terms of what I didn’t love about Kitchens by Holloway we felt quite restricted - when we showed photos of what we wanted it would start from a position of ‘we could do something similar to that but not exactly that…’ or ‘how’s about this instead’ and we ended up being shown things that were different to what we had envisaged. They can make anything bespoke but he obviously heard our budget and steered us to more ‘affordable’ options they could offer. He did get back to me with a quote within 3 days though.

We went to visit Blakes and had a great experience so far. They have a really can do attitude, went through loads of images we like and they start from a place of yes rather than no. They also suggested ways of bringing down the cost like supplying our own appliances. We’re going back in April for their initial design concept. A key USP is their designers are qualified interior designers (majority have interior design degrees) so we felt like design was the primary factor and then functionality is discussed if that makes sense.

On another note we went to Roundhouse on Fulham Road, was there for 2.5 hours, went through our architect drawings in detail, chose drawer and cupboard styles and the guy said he’d send over initial quotes and to get another date in the diary - haven’t heard from them since (3 weeks ago).

In terms of what we’re looking for we’d like a fluted island that is either offset or partially hanging to be able to eat dinner at the island for 4-6 people. We don’t want a traditional shaker kitchen or a super sleek modern one - would prefer a more contemporary take on a traditional kitchen or a more traditional take on a modern kitchen if that makes any sense at all!

@planforeverything

How did it go with your kitchen? which supplier did you buy your kitchen and the ball park figure you end up paying ? Would love to know your experience as we are about to embark on the same journey.

@planforeverything I know this is a zombie thread now but I'm also keen to know how you got on with your kitchen. I've been pursuing the Blake's website and loving what I see but slightly worried that they might be out of my price range.....

@Floyd45 and @planforeverything I know this is an old post, but as we are renovating our house this year, we are currently considering kitchens and came across Blakes. Any insights?

Sorry just coming back to this thread.

We went through a design process with Blake’s and then got the quote which was £80k for material that’s less expensive than MDF (it’s effectively a plastic material they source in Eastern Europe).

I actually went and did an interior design course which I’d been toying with for ages (my degree is in construction so sort of linked), ended up designing our whole house interiors (4 storey townhouse renovation that we had to take back to brick) and I ended up designing and drawing all of our joinery and gave the drawings to a joiner. We had our kitchen made in MDF, spray finish and drawers and cabinets lined in white oak veneer. Cost was £30k and included installation of cabinetry and appliances

This excluded cost of appliances or any flooring. We did marble worktops which are also excluded from this price. Total kitchen excluding flooring (to make it comparable with Blakes) was £43k

After doing our renovation and visiting loads of shops / suppliers, you’re paying a huge premium for the fact people don’t know where to start, how to design / do CAD drawings (which you don’t necessarily need) and whack 50% mark up just for the hassle free-ness of having someone design and install end to end your kitchen. My time was obviously free but took me about 3 weeks to draw, design (inside and outside), select paint, source worktop and handles etc

Hi there, we are looking to redo our existing kitchen and due to adding a door to a new utility, we are loosing some space. The existing space is also a very poorly planned space so not a good blueprint to work from. We are looking for a mid priced range but also sm interested in heating people’s thoughts on magnet. Mainly my question is about a really great kitchen designer who can maximise the space. After we have the design we can look at various supplies etc.. does anyone have a good recommendation for a designer please. We are SW London / North Surrey based. Thanks.

I used a small Brighton based company called Tradition fraction of the cost really well made. No MDF all solid wood carcasses.