Kitchen fatigue-choosing a kitchen

MotherOfRatios · 2025-03-09T19:21:38+00:00

Just bought a property and had the kitchen ripped out. Now currently deciding what to replace it with. I'm looking for a shaker style in either ballerina pink or burgundy red a quote from Howdens came in at £3.8k (9 units) Just seen a lovely magnet's kitchen There's a well known Facebook group good for research and it seems no-one is happy unless they've bought independent or DIY kitchens. I can't get to DIY to view and that's a must and local independents come out at £10-15k excluding Labour. So any experience with magnets?

friskybivalves · 09/03/2025 21:36

Just checking you know that DIY now has another showroom outside Oxford way, as well as the original one near Pontefract? I'm a DIY Kitchens fan, made a day of it to Pontefract and never regretted it for a second!!

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 09/03/2025 21:49

friskybivalves · 09/03/2025 21:36

Just checking you know that DIY now has another showroom outside Oxford way, as well as the original one near Pontefract? I'm a DIY Kitchens fan, made a day of it to Pontefract and never regretted it for a second!!

I don't drive and it's not a straightforward commute from where I live in London

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friskybivalves · 09/03/2025 22:08

Ahhh. I took the train to the Pontefract one from SW London... they sent a Merc to pick me up from the station and drove me back again once I was done! I had just let them know that I was coming because I was struggling a bit with my planner and everything, and wanted to see all the different door designs and colours. Very fancy, with little bottles of free mineral water on offer from the driver . I booked in advance so the train was super cheap too. I can really recommend it although this was about five years ago now so you'd have to check they still do it.

friskybivalves · 09/03/2025 22:10

They had comparison doors of howdens, magnet, wren, theirs and one other. Maybe b&q? Theirs you could see were far stronger and thicker. And the cabinets arrive already made so you save a packet on fitting costs.

BangingOn · 09/03/2025 22:12

DIY Kitchens are bloody brilliant. We used an online designer recommended on here (Karen at One Plan) for a DIY Kitchen and couldn’t be happier with the end results. Cheaper than the competition too.

RedPanda3 · 09/03/2025 22:18

Another vote for DIY here. You can get sample doors sent in custom colours for a fee. My dad is a retired builder and brother in law has fit a lot of kitchens, both agree hands down can beat DIY for quality.

you might find similar quality in high end specs of high street retailers, but at much higher cost. Im talking triple the cost if not more

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 10/03/2025 13:45

RedPanda3 · 09/03/2025 22:18

Another vote for DIY here. You can get sample doors sent in custom colours for a fee. My dad is a retired builder and brother in law has fit a lot of kitchens, both agree hands down can beat DIY for quality.

you might find similar quality in high end specs of high street retailers, but at much higher cost. Im talking triple the cost if not more

DIY kitchens is no cheaper than my high street quotes, I must stress DIY isn't an option for me.

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MatchaTea1 · 10/03/2025 21:05

Magnet are a massive rip off - we were quoted £16k just for units in their supposedly 'half price' sale, whereas for the same design Howdens were 9k and DIY kitchens were £5.5k (for a much higher spec).

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 10/03/2025 21:17

MatchaTea1 · 10/03/2025 21:05

Magnet are a massive rip off - we were quoted £16k just for units in their supposedly 'half price' sale, whereas for the same design Howdens were 9k and DIY kitchens were £5.5k (for a much higher spec).

Howdens was just over £3.8k and DIY was also just over £3.8k I'm awaiting my magnets quote the only thing that annoys me about howdens is technically your insurance is linked to your builders account

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EasterIssland · 10/03/2025 21:17

MatchaTea1 · 10/03/2025 21:05

Magnet are a massive rip off - we were quoted £16k just for units in their supposedly 'half price' sale, whereas for the same design Howdens were 9k and DIY kitchens were £5.5k (for a much higher spec).

Agree. I didn’t check with howdens but I found magnet a rip off even with their 50% off discount. They were charging me 5k for silestone and 3k for fitting.
i went with Schmidt and the same silestone 3k and fitting 2. Their quote was only 2k more and that was with better appliances and use of storage

gettingolderbutcooler · 10/03/2025 21:20

Love our Magnet kitchen. That's partly because their customer service was so good too though.
Love the pull out larder, big inbuilt bins.

MatchaTea1 · 10/03/2025 21:27

gettingolderbutcooler · 10/03/2025 21:20

Love our Magnet kitchen. That's partly because their customer service was so good too though.
Love the pull out larder, big inbuilt bins.

We did the rounds of all the usual suppliers and they all have the pull out larders and big built bin drawers. Magnet are so overpriced compared to others. The sales woman/designer was lovely though I must admit.

nameychangey1112 · 10/03/2025 21:33

I know you don't want to hear this but diy really is better than magnet or howdens. Had two of their kitchens as well as a magnet one in the past. Next level up is handmade, jl of Hungerford etc. But that's 3 to 4 times the price. DIY is the top end of high street. A kitchen is a big investment. I'd take the train.

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 11/03/2025 09:25

nameychangey1112 · 10/03/2025 21:33

I know you don't want to hear this but diy really is better than magnet or howdens. Had two of their kitchens as well as a magnet one in the past. Next level up is handmade, jl of Hungerford etc. But that's 3 to 4 times the price. DIY is the top end of high street. A kitchen is a big investment. I'd take the train.

It's fantastic they worked for you but it's not a company I will be using

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MatchaTea1 · 11/03/2025 11:26

I would go with Howdens then, Magnet are so over-priced, our Howdens quote was £7k cheaper than Magnet for the exact same kitchen.

Mammamiammy · 01/05/2025 12:40

Hi. Jumping in this thread.. we are SW London based and looking at Howdens, Magnet or Smidth kitchens. Need a clever designer as it’s a slightly awkward space. Thoughts please on the designers at the above mentioned kitchens and also quality and appearance. Want it to look high quality but our budget doesn’t extend to bespoke German luxury. Thanks.

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 01/05/2025 15:47

Mammamiammy · 01/05/2025 12:40

Hi. Jumping in this thread.. we are SW London based and looking at Howdens, Magnet or Smidth kitchens. Need a clever designer as it’s a slightly awkward space. Thoughts please on the designers at the above mentioned kitchens and also quality and appearance. Want it to look high quality but our budget doesn’t extend to bespoke German luxury. Thanks.

Personally, Howden's got my Kitchen all out of symmetry and I've had to have it all redesigned.

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JustLikeThatBluebird · 05/05/2025 12:22

I really wouldn't recommend travelling all that way to DIY Kitchens (I know you've said you're not keen on doing this anyway). I went recently and all the doors have a plasticky coating. I would guess this is what makes them very hard-wearing but if I'm paying for solid timber I want it to look and feel like timber not like plastic. We weren't impressed.

Have you tried Ikea? We're getting our new kitchen from Howdens but our last two were from Ikea and I really rate them. They're good value and pretty much indestructable.

Mammamiammy · 05/05/2025 16:52

I second Ikea. Mum bought her kitchen 13 years ago (Ikea France) and it’s still like new. She paid for a fancy work top and upgraded appliances and it’s a winner…

Blackcountrychik83 · 05/05/2025 16:56

Sounds like whatever anyone says you want to use Magnet so what’s the point of the post ? Just go and buy a kitchen from Magnet you don’t need anyone else’s permission ?

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 05/05/2025 19:58

Blackcountrychik83 · 05/05/2025 16:56

Sounds like whatever anyone says you want to use Magnet so what’s the point of the post ? Just go and buy a kitchen from Magnet you don’t need anyone else’s permission ?

This was posted in march... it seems to have become active again.

I didn't go with magnet I went with a bespoke small company in the end

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FrogFairy · 07/05/2025 22:47

Nosy question, did you go for pink or burgundy?

Original poster

MotherOfRatios · 07/05/2025 22:56

FrogFairy · 07/05/2025 22:47

Nosy question, did you go for pink or burgundy?

I went with Middleton pink by farrow&ball

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FrogFairy · 07/05/2025 22:59

Googled it and it is such a pretty colour. I hope you are enjoying your new kitchen. I have been at the “thinking about it” stage for years.

GoldenAnnie · 17/05/2025 15:39

We originally ordered our kitchen from a DIY store, it was a bespoke solid wood design. Unfortunately, there were delays on their end, and in the end we had to cancel the order. We then asked our kitchen fitters if they could supply everything themselves. To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised- the price came in around 20% cheaper than DIY Kitchens. I’m not entirely sure where they sourced everything from, but I do know that the fronts and carcasses came from different suppliers.
The units themselves are excellent quality and were even factory painted for us, which gave a lovely finish. For the worktops, we chose quartz and used a granite and marble shop in Reddish- they handled the templating, manufacturing, and installation, all in-house. The rest of the kitchen was supplied and fitted by our builders, and we purchased the appliances separately from various online retailers. Overall very good experience with kitchen and worktop fitters