Anyone got a freestanding kitchen?

[Doubleraspberry]

I'm playing with ideas for the new kitchen we will need in our new house. One obvious issue is a shortage of fitters and rising costs, so I'm pondering a freestanding kitchen to reduce those issues.

Has anyone got one? Any suggested suppliers? How have you found it? Did you still need any fitting?

We're buying a Georgian house so it feels like freestanding would suit the house, which is also a factor in considering it.

I had one when I lived abroad and loved it. The English site is a bit basic but their kitchens are super quality. BLOC Freestanding Kitchens

Thanks! They are probably a bit too modern for my kitchen although I do like them so I’ll have a proper look.

Following!

Come along with me, @LemonSwan !

I have been looking at this briefly. The things I have found seem to actually be freestanding units then fitted afterwards anyway. Which makes no sense.

I have so many questions and no answers.
How do the worktops work with freestanding?
How do services work?
How does plumbing/drainage etc?

We need someone German to come along I think 🤣

This did look quite good though… www.huckleberryhome.co.uk/freestanding-kitchens

Devol I think could also probably do it. They have the harberdashers kitchen which looks quite freestanding and they make their own custom.

Devol do, and their kitchens are gorgeous, but so far outside my price range.

The Huckleberry ones are also stunning but again way more than I’ve got to spend sadly.

Last time I started a kitchen thread I taunted lots of posters with the Plain English site, another lottery-win fantasy brand for me.

There are a couple of companies on eBay that make and sell free standing kitchen units and larders. They can accommodate unusual sizes and seem reasonably priced for solid wood carcasses.

I’ll do some digging, thanks.

In an ideal world I would find a wonderful joiner to make me one, but I doubt that would be easy or remotely affordable.

I used to love Ikea's freestanding kitchens all the time I was in rented properties. By the time I'd finally bought a house they'd discontinued them. I was gutted.

I’ve had a freestanding kitchen for five years simply because I wouldn’t pay the prices we were quoted for a fitted one !
The kitchen we have is basically a medium sized rectangle. I had the walls replastered and painted. Put down vinyl cushion floor as it’s easy to clean.
I had a sink unit fitted by a plumber, just a basic one with a stainless steel sink and taps. On the same wall there’s the washing machine and cooker. Freezer and fridge are on the other wall.
My freestanding pieces are made up of four ikea freestanding island units which provide worktop space and storage beneath for pans/ dishes etc. I also have three ladder shelf units that fit against the wall, think they’re a mix of m& s and Argos. I also have a double pine wardrobe that I put shelves in from top to bottom and painted in a F&B to match the walls. This makes an incredibly good larder unit costing under £120 second hand in contrast to bought larder pantry units that are around a grand.
This has worked for us brilliantly. If I get fed up I can change the location of the units or their contents. I have three floating shelves as well and recently moved one of the ikea units into the centre of the room so I could fit in a condenser dryer.
I would never ever spend money on a fitted kitchen. I’ve got better things to spend it on ( like booze and ciggies 😂 ). Ikea still sells the island units I’m using.

My brother used to have a fabulous freestanding kitchen in his house - think dressers, larders and a big table instead of an island (all very much in keeping with the style of the house). He then paid a fortune for a modern fitted one and I don't think its a patch on the old one

Thanks! I am looking at the massive dressers that you can get second hand and wondering if one of those plus a giant sod-off island and maybe a biggish sink unit wouldn’t hold most of our stuff.

I had a free standing kitchen a while ago. The sink unit and sideboard was M & S - unfortunately doesn't look like they do kitchen stuff anymore. We also bought a welsh dresser and pantry unit from antique markets for extra storage. I loved it. It really suited the period property and was as cheap as chips to install - plumb in the sink and you're away. You do need a big kitchen though as the units are bulky and even though it's free standing you can't really take it with you.

@Birdy1066 we need at photo! :)

Hi I have an ikea freestanding kitchen. It was cheap and cheerful and they don't sell here any more - udden range. I've had it 9 years. Nothing has broken. Have a range oven and standard fridge freezer, dishwasher etc. Plumbing is just standard but pipes are visible if you look under the units as no kickbacks. Genuinely freestanding base units, not attached at all. We put it in as a temporary solution and it's still here.

I agree they are expensive but so naiceee!

Our main problem is we are currently without a kitchen. Living out of a utility with an air fryer and about to wean a babe. I need a kitchen ASAP! But our main issue is the floor which the kitchen is on we want to take up and replace at some point which we will need years to save for (very big open plan barn style space).

I thought maybe I can buy one of the longer sink units, pay for a lovely range and then that’s it until we can afford to add to it. Get the rest (dresser, cupboard, table etc) mix and match from auctions. We can then remove everything easily when we want to switch the floor and at some point in the future can pay for a nice worktop.

It’s really a £5000 kitchen and the start of something spectacular.

But if you find it cheaper OP let me know!!!!!

Yes we lived with them in a rented house and then again for a few years in our renovation house before we got a fitted one. Just great. We did get some on eBay so might be worth a look

It’s still out there - VARDE

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144711399980?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=oE7MzKz2TXO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Yes, that was it! I'll have to keep an eye out as some of the other links on here would use my entire budget just for one unit.😂

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm now quite enthused at the idea of finding a couple of second hand wardrobes and kitting them out as larders etc. I want a proper island unit as I very much want and need pan drawers (a life saver) but other than that I could quite easily do with dressers/cupboards etc. It also means I can splash out on really nice paint and get the perfect colours if I'm not spending the money on units.

We've got a nice big room to use, a large rectangle triple(!) aspect kitchen/dining space so quite a bit of choice about how we'd use it and it would be great to have scope to move things around and experiment.

Maisons du Monde do some lovely freestanding kitchen units, as you'd imagine from the name they have a bit of the French farmhouse kitchen about them and I think you might be going a bit more English but here's a link anyway

I do love Maisons du Monde (although am barred from there by DH unless we have discussed first...) and their sink unit would be great I think.

www.maisonsdumonde.com/UK/en/p/slate-grey-solid-mango-wood-kitchen-base-unit-for-sink-cezanne-200117.htm

Have a look at the Used Kitchen Company. Loads of the high end kitchens are effectively freestanding and just need a counter. We have gone down this route, ended up with a solid oak kitchen (which can be painted over and over again) and it has cost hardly anything to fit.