My new kitchen - Birds of a Feather grey, or The Good Life brown?!

[ArtDeco]

OH and I have decided we're going to replace our kitchen this year. The one we have was good quality when put in - hard wood doors, Neff appliances etc - but after 32 years service it's literally falling apart. We've put up with it for the 7 years we've lived here but have become a tad bored of having to utilise the benefits of masking tape to keep the oven shut :rock:

We've decided to spend a decent amount, as we have quite a nice house in a good area, and unless something dramatic happens with OH's work we plan to stay here until, in the words of OH, we get wheeled to the retirement home down the road . Plus I do use my kitchen an awful lot - nothing's for show - so it has to be hardwearing. So far we've had a quote for a Siematic one (which was unsurprisingly rather steep :sweat and today had the chap from Howdens round. So I thought I'd post here and see if anyone had any opinions of kitchen providers, top tips, things to spend extra on and things to avoid, horror stories etc. Just thought people might have made mistakes that I could escape! Also, any advice on appliances? My Neff oven has done 30 + years, but my mother hated her last one, called it her 'Naff' oven and has replaced everything with Miele now.

Another thing is the colour of the kitchen. I always wanted a kitchen like the one on Birds of a Feather, if anyone remembers that? It was blue and grey. I thought this would be very out of fashion these days, but apparantly not, it's the new trend. Eighties chic coming back in, who'd have thought it? :clapping:. I also loved the kitchen Margot had on The Good Life, all dark walnut and high gloss white. The danger with that is there will no break-up in colour throughout the whole of downstairs as we have white walls and dark brown carpets. Living my love of sitcoms through my interior design!

Anyway, any input greatly appreciated! :handshake:

 

[Nora]

A relative of mine has just had hers with white units in a high gloss finish and black work tops and has added red utensils for a splash of colour as she said it is cheaper to change those if she wants a change of colour later on. At the end of the day you need to go and look at a lot of displays and you will know the one when you see it. Good luck

 

[iloveshopping]

I think light pine coloured ones have dated the least but it is difficult to predict trends for the future. Try asking an estate agent -they must have some ideas as to the do's and dont's of kitchen design. I would avoid the high gloss kitchens much as I love them as I think that they will date. I have a blue/grey doors and light pine tops in a 15 year old kitchen. It was there when I bought the house. I would like one of those slide out cupboards where I could store time and packets of tomatoes.
U

 

[Frazzled]

How lovely to have a new kitchen AD.

My ex is a carpenter and he used to fit a lot of Howden kitchens, he rated them very highly. I think whatever you go for the important thing is the fitting. Try and get someone who comes highly recommended via word of mouth or local ratings.

A friend of mine is having a new kitchen this year and I am going to have her old one which is still in very good condition, my existing like yours is falling apart. My ex, who is still a good friend, is going to fit it for me. I've just got decide of colour of worktops, floor etc. I'll probably go for cream or white. I can't wait to have a new cooker and bigger fridge, exciting isn't it! :clapping:

 

[Waterlily]

I had a new kitchen fitted about two years ago, didn't want white or wood. We actually bought the kitchen quite a long time ago (it was stored while we had an extension built). I went for a stainless steel and black one in the end and I love it but it needs a lot of polishing lol.

I would have liked one of the pastel coloured ones that are on sale now

 

[BusyMum]

Love that kitchen Waterlily!

Ours is north facing and you can't manage without the light on whatever time of day it is..I went for white gloss doors, and a black worktop, with green - Prepology green chopping boards in rack, hanging tools, etc. Like Fraz my OH is a carpenter so the only problem I had was getting him to actually do them as non-paying customers tend to stay at the bottom of the list!

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I love wood in a kitchen. It's probably old fashioned now but I love it. My kitchen is oak and although its probably 20 years old it still looks good. My kitchen is small so we could buy really good quality units without breaking the bank. The walls are a soft yellow and the woodwork is blue. The floor is also oak. The work surface is a pale blue speckled something or other and the tiles are white with a yellow and blue tile hither and thither.

I still love it and even though its been decorated I've kept the colour scheme.

I hope whatever kitchen and colour scheme you chose turns out to be fabulous.

 

[Nikki]

Loving the stainless steel & black combo Waterlily!!:rock:

Just a personal thing but I love the silver, as per Waterlily's pics. I also adore the dove grey, (often looks like it's got a hint of subtle blue in it). I splashed out & had deep red high gloss doors for mine with silver & black dishwasher, fridge etc. I also had black tiles & grouting with cream worktops. Sounds like a sight for sore eyes but actually the red is like a victorian red, not bright so all coordinates well, (unless my friends are just being kind by saying they love it lol).
The black tiles are very glossy so actually open out the space as they reflect the light. Above the cupboards is just going to be pale dove grey painted walls. (One of those little jobs that never seems to get done):thinking:

I'd personally go for the dove grey but then I'm the nutcase who went for a red, black & cream kitchen lol! x.

Oh yes just thought I'd add that karcher as shown on IW that cleans surfaces like windows, worktops & glass etc is AWESOME! It was a bugger trying to keep those doors & tiles smear free until I got that. DON'T BUY IT FROM SHOPPING CHANNELS tho if interested until you've checked Ebay out first. I got mine for £38.99 no p&p as opposed to about £70 from IW. Fantastic for worktops & windows, they come up gleaming in a couple of minutes, I couldn't believe how easy it was! x.

 

[Waterlily]

Love that kitchen Waterlily!

Ours is north facing and you can't manage without the light on whatever time of day it is..I went for white gloss doors, and a black worktop, with green - Prepology green chopping boards in rack, hanging tools, etc. Like Fraz my OH is a carpenter so the only problem I had was getting him to actually do them as non-paying customers tend to stay at the bottom of the list!

Thank you everyone.

Funnily enough my hubby is a carpenter too (cabinet maker). There is no way he could build a kitchen for the price of the DIY ones. If he did make one it wouldn't be made like the DIY ones either lol.

He fitted out our first kitchen from scratch, made everything himself. In those days there weren't places like B & Q etc. So there weren't many fitted kitchens. Most kitchens just had a cupboard under the sink lol. I found the details of when we sold it a few days ago and it said 'dream kitchen' lol.

 

[barbedwire]

AD,

Have you rung the man from Crummetts of Winchester? (he has very flimsy knobs). Are you pondering over distressed teak or pine? A farmhousey feel? You might want to plump for Withys of Totnes. Its £65,000 but they do do the whole thing for you and it's worth it because you never have to meet the labourers...

(sorry, AD should get this... :wink: )

That's no help at all I know :grin: . My kitchen was from Hygena, it's only 5 years old and falling to bits. I've had two new cookers in that time, two cooker hoods and the repair man out to replace the worktops and taps twice. MFI went bust shortly after. Figures.

 

[ArtDeco]

Thanks everyone :up:

Tinks - oak and blue and yellow sounds like the new kitchen they had fitted in Birds of a Feather after Sharon blew the blue/grey one up (I will stop going on about Birds soon I promise ) Lovely and sunny I imagine, a nice room to be in.

Nora I think you're right I'll know the one when I see it (should say "we'll" know it but OH is largely unmoved by the whole process!) Am going to go to Howdens to have a good luck as soon as I get chance. I had a Howdens kitchen in a house I owned years ago, I only lived there 8 weeks (another story) but I do remember the quality. I'm not too bothered about it dating (in fact I quite like that!) but just want to get it as right as poss as it's going to be a sizeable spend.

The people who'll be fitting it are the same chaps who've converted my garage into the playroom and built my extension, a team of father and son, and their friends and work colleagues of old. I'm *so* glad I've found them, wouldn't have anyone else now. Dad is a joiner, son a builder, Dad's best friend of 40 years the electrician, you get the picture! All City and Guilds, time-served from the days of proper apprenticeships, they really know what they are doing and are very transparent on price. The older generation are coming up to retirement but the wives are encouraging them to keep working to keep them out of the house :rock:. And they are a hoot to have working for you, jokes and comedy stories of jobs they've worked on in the past all day. And they throw in extras if I get Doris the KitchenAid out and bake them a cake...anyway, I digress...

Waterlily it is a lovely kitchen. Think mine is similar in shape though a little smaller, no room for an island unit sadly. But I should just be able to squeeze a two person breakfast bar in if I lose a cupboard which will be good as I can have the kids in there having a snack and claiming to do homework without having to shout into the other room! I only have a slimline dishwasher at the mo and will be getting a full size one which will make my life complete :up: :clapping:

Now I know how to post pics I'll come back on this thread and show before and after shall I?

 

[felinewoman]

It all sounds very exciting, ArtDeco. I had a new kitchen put in about 7/8 years ago but it was really just replacing old units - not much in the way of redesign. Of course, I had a teeny budget but I do like the colours - cream cupboards with black handles and black speckled worktops (would have loved black granite but obviously not an option) and a black cooker which was a last minute change of mind from stainless steel.

Never heard of Howdens - must google them.

Have fun.

 

[madge65]

Last time my kitchen was re vamped I had white doors , kept it simple & easy to clean , not that it was a kitchen i had fitted & made to measure so to speak , but I was happy with the results , so I would go white & add splashes or colour with a few bits & peices

My dream kitchen would be a range & a big table & muddy boots in the corner by the back door

 

[ArtDeco]

AD,

Have you rung the man from Crummetts of Winchester? (he has very flimsy knobs). Are you pondering over distressed teak or pine? A farmhousey feel? You might want to plump for Withys of Totnes. Its £65,000 but they do do the whole thing for you and it's worth it because you never have to meet the labourers...

(sorry, AD should get this... :wink: )

That's no help at all I know :grin: . My kitchen was from Hygena, it's only 5 years old and falling to bits. I've had two new cookers in that time, two cooker hoods and the repair man out to replace the worktops and taps twice. MFI went bust shortly after. Figures.

barbedwire how did I miss this? :mysmilie_507: :up: :clapping:. Oh my life I *loved* that sketch! Still listening to Peppa's Nex in the car at the mo

My Mum actually spent £20,000 on a kitchen from somewhere like Crummetts of Winchester, it was rubsquish. The next one she did came from MFI, she was actually quite pleased with it!

Anyway, for anyone who thought the masking tape on the oven was comedic license, here's the photo to prove it...

NB note the QVC oven gloves!

 

[BusyMum]

it really is lovely Waterlily, and huge! When we moved in here donkeys years back the kitchen was tiny, about 9' x 9', but there were two outhouses and a covered entryway outside the back door, so it was all asking to be knocked into one, which is exactly what we did so it's twice the size now, but even so (are we ever satisfied?!) I would like it squarer, so that I could have a table and chairs in the middle instead of a breakfast bar along one wall! Our first ever units came from Texas..the firm not the state obviously..long gone I think...anyway they were oak with fancy panelling and I loved them, had them for best part of 20 years, with a lemony-straw coloured "hessian" worktop.. All it's been since then basically has been changing the doors as my OH reckons all the carcases are the same wherever you get them from.

AD - one suggestion when it comes to door handles..try Ikea, we need something like 14 or 15 handles in our kitchen for all the cupboards and drawers and we found Ikea by far the best prices (when you look at B & Q or Homebase!)

 

[Mam]

It all sounds very exciting, ArtDeco. I had a new kitchen put in about 7/8 years ago but it was really just replacing old units - not much in the way of redesign. Of course, I had a teeny budget but I do like the colours - cream cupboards with black handles and black speckled worktops (would have loved black granite but obviously not an option) and a black cooker which was a last minute change of mind from stainless steel.

Never heard of Howdens - must google them.

Have fun.

I bought my granite worktops online when my kitchen was fitted about 3 years ago. I was nervous as my builder had to take the measurements and relay them over the phone to the granite suppliers. They came all the way down from Manchester complete with their angle grinders et al, and did a brilliant job, perfect fit and all for less than half the price I'd been quoted locally. I got the huge cream travertine floor tiles the same way from a firm in London at a snip of the price of local suppliers and that was trouble free too. Definitely worth shopping around for the extras even if you get the basic carcasses and doors from a local supplier. I eventually played safe with a light solid oak shaker style door and went for black handles, cooker hood and fridge/freezer to tie in with the granite. Looking forward to seeing the finished result AD

 

[Lilo Lil]

I like Smallbone/Mark Wilkinson kitchens but installed an MFI one a few years ago (I can dream). Lovely kitchen Waterlily - Have you tried the stainless steel microfibre cloth from Lakeland which is supposed to clean without using chemicals?

 

[Frazzled]

Years ago Howdens were the trade side of MFI.

http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/home-improvements/reviews-ns/best-kitchen-brands/howdens-joinery-kitchens/

 

[Milly]

I think the fitting and design of a kitchen is really important because you can have a brilliant kitchen but if its not fitted well it can look awful I know because when we moved into our bungalow at first glance the kitchen looked lovely but when we moved in and had to use it to be honest it was fitted badly and the layout was poor and impractical it was always the one thing I wanted to change so about three years ago we ripped out the old one and redesigned it and I went to Bradfords a local builders merchants and chose a white handleless gloss kitchen , as its in the back of the bungalow and not a lot of natural light and white sparkly worktops and upstands and with a slate grey laminate floor and very soft pale green walls and no tiles anywhere , I have a few darker green bits and pieces to add a bit of colour, We had a local chap to fit it who has done a lot of work for us in the past so we knew he was good and that made a lot of difference.
I like your stainless steel kitchen waterlilly but I work in a professional kitchen at work that is stainless steel so I would'nt want one at home or I might forget where I was lol.

 

[ArtDeco]

Just a quick (long now I've just read it back!) update! Got a quote from Howdens which came in quite a bit higher than I expected tbh, and when we went to the showroom we weren't that impressed with the styles and colours. It all seemed a bit safe & predictable. Not that we want anything avent garde! But Howdens only seemed to offer shaker style, or country, & work tops in dark black, or faux wood etc. A new discount kitchen place has opened bere recently, popped in there & found the exact kitchen I wanted (the Birds of a Feather grey one!) but looking at the quality it just wasn't there. I know everyone says they're all the same wherever you go, it's just the mark up on higher end stuff, but I just can't agree. I had a good poke & prod around & it was clear the drawers were never going to take what I'll be flinging at them!

On a whim in town one day I decided to pop back into the SieMatic supplier, thought it would be depressing if I saw the kitchen I wanted but couldn't afford! But also thought it was worth it just to look for some inspiration, got chatting to owner who is lovely, polite, professional, knowledgeable & unsurprisingly not salesy. He said that SieMatic have launched a new range that is around 10% cheaper than their primary range, & are doing introductory offers to get it off the ground. He asked if he could re-look at our first quote & get back to us. We looked at the samples & the only differences are the handles & that you can't have the really expensive uber-clever storage solutions which we don't want & can't afford! Plus they had the kitchen I wanted, even nicer colours in fact than the discount place! And the step up in quality is so clear, from the Hansgrohe taps to the branded carcases. (As OH kept saying under her breath, when it comes to this kind of design & engineering, you just can't wack the Germans!) Anyway we agreed they could have another look & it came in at around 25% lower than last time, & not a huge amount more than Howdens They're coming round tomorrow to bring colour samples to the house to see what they look like in our spaces, & so I can tell them that it's still out of our budget & they need to do me an even better price (worth a try I reckon...:angel::rock

Must admit I am embarrassed to be this excited about a new kitchen Standby for further updates (if you can all take the pace of my rock n roll lifestyle that is?!)