German Kitchen For A Small Space

4 replies

SisMichael · 10/08/2024 13:18

Hello MNetters,

I would really appreciate your experience and opinions on the following:

We have a tiny kitchen in a large(ish) flat. It is currently a 20 year old galley shaker-style in a 4.2m x 1.9m space. I care for my mum in the flat but we used to have carers who did the bulk while I was at work. I am trying to get part to work so we will need to get carers back in again to share the care work.

Trouble is, the carers we had before essentially destroyed the kitchen, so we are trying to put something in that will be bomb-proof and durable.

We had been thinking gloss handleless (so that it is easier to clean) in light colours (lighting is an issue) with wall units to the ceiling (storage is an issue) and with clever smart storage solutions to make it extremely functional.

DIYK were our first pick, but then someone sold me the idea of a German Kitchen as more robust, clever storage solutions, customisable etc.

I have since gone down a bit of a rabbit hole and am now confused as many on the internet suggest there is no difference in quality and that a German Kitchen would be wasted on a space as small as ours???

Would be very grateful for your thoughts and opinions, particularly if you have a small space with a German Kitchen in it!

OP posts:

TheSquareMile · 10/08/2024 18:28

@SisMichael

Bulthaup have a good reputation for kitchens, OP. They are a German company.

https://bulthaup.com/en/products/b3/

Tangelo · 10/08/2024 19:14

I don’t have a German kitchen. But I do have a small kitchen that fits this description perfectly if you decide to go with a different approach.

Our kitchen has been used for five years by two clumsy adults who cook a lot, and it looks the same as the day it was installed. Everything is wearing excellently and feels properly sturdy. It was very well priced and came from BenchMarx which is part of Travis Perkins. I imagine who you get to fit it is pretty important.

Original poster

SisMichael · 10/08/2024 23:09

@TheSquareMile - I have actually been in touch with Bulthaup as I have yet to find a single person with a bad word to say about their kitchens or their service. They quoted us £45K for an L-shaped kitchen in that space which is somewhat more than what we had budgeted, though I would have loved to go with them even without the benefit of seeing any designs. This wasn't helped by a family friend asking us why we were spending so much on such a small space but it got me thinking. Bulthaup does truly seem bomb-proof when it comes to quality.

@Tangelo - Benchmarx is one of the non-German brands that we are considering but I can't seem to find too many photos of their kitchens in a small space on the internet. I have been warned not to use their workmen to fit it by several people. Do you mind me asking what the final cost was for the kitchen itself (we already have fairly new appliances) and what sort of plan/colour scheme you went for? Looking for inspiration!

We realise a big cost for us will be the fitter (which comes with a premium on top as we live in a major city) and we are currently trying hard to avoid the cowboy traders that seem to populate London!

OP posts:

Tangelo · 11/08/2024 11:05

@SisMichael
We used our builders to fit the kitchen and they did a decent job with everything, We have 19 cupboard fronts including appliance fronts and a wide set of drawers, and I don’t think it cost more than £5k including pull outs etc. But this was five or six years ago. We also bought our wooden worktops elsewhere as we didn’t think much of the Benchmarx offerings.

We went for white gloss handleless because it’s a small space and we wanted to bounce the light around, but colour and pattern on the tiles and oak worktops to bring some warmth. Our kitchen and dining room were separate rooms so we knocked through and built a small u-shaped kitchen with a wide peninsula with half depth cupboards one side, and under counter fridge and freezer the other side.

I remember finding choosing a kitchen which was going to last and for which we had a tight budget pretty stressy! But we’ve been very pleased with the results. It feels really solid

Flip