Kitchen cupboards - help needed

[Xanthe]

I don't know if any of you can help me with this somewhat mundane problem. We want to create an additional kitchen cupboard in the space where the previous owners had their dishwasher, as we already two cheap and reliable dishwashers - me and dh! We consulted a local carpenter who said if we provided the door he could make the shell of the cupboard. After a weary trip to B&Q (the makers of the original kitchen) we found that style of pine had been discontinued and nothing else seemed to match. The staff were very unhelpful and we came away feeling we weren't getting anywhere.

Obviously a specialist kitchen company is only going to be interested if we want a brand new kitchen. Should we be looking for a joiner to make us a door as well as the shell? We don't want to spend too much. Can anyone recommend a company or individual to help us? We are in SE Herts. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

It sounds like the easiest option might be a Changing Rooms/Linda Barker jobbie. If the pine can't be matched easily why not make a door out of MDF & paint with blackboard paint for a low-level childs' scribbling board? Or a sheet of something magnetic for fridge letters? Or a piece of cork for a notice board? obviously it depends on the age of the child as to whether it would amuse them or not, & it might not go with the rest of your kitchen. Or you could use trompe l'oeil & stick a blown-up picture of a dishwasher front on the door (joke)

You could also get a lattice style door or glass panes to make it a sort of feature - don't know how practical this would be though ?

Maybe try www.pinecabinetdoors.co.uk?

Or you could run a curtain wire top and bottom and thread some nice fabric (maybe a check to go with the pine) and have a curtain bit - quite old fashioned but shabby chic/Swedishy in style. Not, however a place to keep the bleach and Stanley knives!

Xanthe, have you looked around the other kitchen stockists, sometimes another manufacturer has one the same. If you can find the same style, but different shade of pine then you could get a French Polisher to match the colour to your existing ones. I don't think it would cost that much just for 1 cupboard.

How about doing without the door, putting in as many shelves as you want, and using wicker baskets on the shelves? Ok for things like tea towels.