New Kitchen Phobia

We have Howdens units fitted by a local joiner and they're still good after 5 years. Things I'd do differently now, with a bigger budget: wood or granite work tips rather than laminate, better quality branded appliances rather than Howdens' own. They all worked, but not always very well. Have replaced dreadful hob which had solid electric plates with an induction one, and upgraded the dishwasher and oven. And the deep drawers I've seen in other people's kitchens look much easier than cupboards.

Strange how some people are telling her to tell her husband to shut up. He has to live with it as well.
On other threads people are complaining about their husbands not doing anything in the kitchen. Ideal time to get him involved.
My husband designed both our kitchens. I never had any complaints. However, he was an architect, varian.

As you are not in the throes of your very first kitchen all mod this that and the other I would go for what is practical but that doesn't mean basic.There is so much available on the market but it will need to fit in and harmonise with the rest of your home.I recently visited a friend to view (admire ?) her new kitchen.It stood out like a sore thumb. Her property was an old cottage renovated but still had original beams huge fireplace etc etc
I walked into the kitchen which I can only describe as being designed/ fit to carry out surgery.Very clinical with its stainless steel and granite work surfaces.
Functional but so out of place.
Chose carefully as there are many options.

Oh how I feel for you Iluvcruz! Just had a new kitchen installed. Started planning over a year ago, but my DH passed away just after Christmas and I simply couldn't carry on with it all. But then I remembered his words a few days before he died "carry on with the kitchen plans, I want to know that you keep busy". So I did.
He would love it, specially the picture on the wall that is just for him.
My advice to you is stick to your "ideas". It is overwhelming all those decisions but it's your kitchen, your dream. I would NOT compromise on the colour of cabinets..put your foot down! Try cutting cost where it's not too important to you. And relax! It is worth it. Good luck

Oh dear ... I do sympathise. We have a couple of new kitchens in the last 40 odd years and each time it was traumatic (slight exaggeration, but not much!) deciding what to have. You have plenty to spend which probably makes it harder ... too much choice. What worked for us was finding an installer who would visit, plan with us, then emailed us a virtual thingy (also not technically minded) which gave us a 360 degree view on the laptop. That meant that I could take the laptop into the kitchen, let it run through the virtual thingy and see it in situ. I hope that makes sense - as I said not technically minded! Good luck and please put a picture on here when it's all done. I am mildly envious. I dream of ripping our house to pieces, relocating walls, doors, bathroom etc., but I'd have a nervous breakdown. You are a very brave woman to even consider it.

Don't compromise unless you're genuinely happy to. I convinced DH and spent €€€€ on quality white granite work tops but compromised and saved money on the units. Everyday, I wipe down my worktops and seriously love them. They receive so many compliments. Also, consider pull out metal shelves/draws everywhere. They're fabulous. No awkward bending trying to find something.
I had an old original farmhouse style island unit, painted it purple and replaced the wood worktop with matching white granite. It looks fabulous against my grey units.

Ellen T. Howdens still good after 5 years?? I should think so.
My present property has Winchmore kitchen units These were installed when the property was a new build in 1983.
Inspite of many alterations I have carried out since purchasing this property I will not change these units and have observed imitations
Still standing strong and looking good 21C
(can't speak for myself)

Iluvcruz, you say that "we have a couple of doors leading off limiting options", is it feasible to brick one of them off? We had three doors in ours and closed off the one through to the garage - made a lot of difference to the lay-out. (£35k ).

My kitchen is 23 years old and very rough now - it was only a cheap one to start with. However, do you really want to spend upwards of £35K on this?
I'd rather have a holiday any day and do at least twice a year.
I wonder if something else is going on, what are you really trying to prove?

That is exactly the sort of thing your architect would consider. Get the space right, then plan the ideal layout, then choose colours, materials, appliances, style etc. Getting the perfect kitchen makes such a difference to anyone who does a lot of cooking. You deserve to get it right after waiting so long.

My post followed from Direne's post suggesting blocking a door.

It is so difficult to decide, given the amount of choice, but don't bow to pressure, within financial reason, that is. I have come to realise that if you're not at least a little bit excited by your choice, then it's maybe not right for you. Re the island, I had a run of a double cupboard and built in fridge coming out from the wall run into the middle of kitchen. Not sure if peninsula is the right name, but that's what I called it, and it served me well. It also acted as a divider between the kitchen area and the table and chairs. Sometimes the central floor area of a kitchen is wasted space. It also freed up some wall space.

I recently moved to a new build, with limited choice of kitchen. It looks good but not what I would have chosen, particularly the white granite work tops which show every tiny crumb, and which are always in danger of being stained, and chipped. They stress me! I also don't like the stainless steel appliances. My white hob of 18 years was easily cleaned, and looked as good as new when we sold the house. Choosing is hard, but at least you can have what suits you best?

I felt just like you Iluvcruz, couldn't find the colour I wanted then I found this web site that you choose the style and the paint colour from any chart ( I chose one from the Dulux chart) and they spray it to match. Superb job , well worth a look. www.diy-kitchens.com ( based in Pontefract)
Good Luck

Recommended local man fitted my kitchen 10 years ago. All done in four days. He has just done my friend's kitchen. He was recommended to me cost £6,000 including fridge and cooker plus hob.

My brother got his from John Lewis it is lovely but cost £16000

Illuvcruz If I had contemplated spending, £35thou?? on a kitchen refit I would not be asking a builder friend advice but, with glass of chilled wine in hand, be escorted around a high tec company show room who specialised in the sort of kitchens the likes of those having that amount of cash available would/might be interested in.
They will I am given to understand provide you with videos of what your kitchen would look like on completion.Ideal as difficult once the units and appliances had been installed and you were not happy.

I do sympathise with you. You've wanted a new kitchen for so long and now feel bullied into a colour or design that you don't like. You've displayed a lot of patience, haven't you? No-one would blame you for 'having an episode' if by that you mean losing your temper so badly that DH would be cowering under a table.
I think that you should remind DH that you've waited longer than many wives for this and you're going to have what you jolly well like. Who spends a good deal of time in the kitchen? I'll bet that's you - so tell him that the choice is yours alone. Of course you don't want to spend an obscene amount of money on this but this is your choice OP, tell DH that you'll choose it and he can like it.

Do your builder or husband spend much time working in the kitchen? If they do, maybe they might have a good argument against the things they don't like or want but otherwise, surely this is your domain?
My husband and I had to agree on colour (I should have never fallen in love with glossy black, it shows every mark) but when it came to design, unless there was a valid reason otherwise, what I wanted was what happened.
Having said that though, DH was convinced that the new extension would have a lip where it met the old bit of the house so my design was reworked around that to a slightly more cumbersome layout. I was quite miffed when there was no lip and I could have had exactly what I wanted. I should have discussed it with the builder first! Oh and if your builder doesn't like your design, get a different builder!

Grrr. Are your DH and builder friend going to use the kitchen or you. Please don't let them push you around, this is a big investment - take your time and get what you want.

If you are the main user of the kitchen then you should have the main say in choice of kitchen. If you accept things that you don't want they'll irk you every time to step in there.

Having had new kitchens and bathrooms installed over the years, I'm of the opinion that builders and installers often like to suggest ideas that make their lives simpler, not yours. Likewise, they'll suggest fancy this, that & the other because they receive a greater mark-up on those items than on plainer ones.

My current kitchen was from Magnet, about 15 years ago. It looks as good as the day it was installed and I still get pleasure from it every time I go into the kitchen. Magnet still sell it, its the Shaker range, so it's timeless and won't go out of fashion.

I would not budge on the Neptune kitchen yoy love! You have been extremely patient and deserve it. Good luck.

As has already been said, do try local, smaller kitchen companies. We went with a local firm several years ago and have used them again when we downsized. They employ their own fitters who did a first rate job.
Two things I would always have, one is a tall , pullout larder cupboard as they hold such a lot and the other is 'Le Mans' corner cupboards. These are brilliant as the trays swing right out and round and every bit of the corner is utilised.
As regards Howdens, I'd definitely give them a miss! Wickes have a good range and if you wait for their Sales the prices are reduced considerably.

Choose 3 colours you like. One neautral,Google kitchens with said colours,you will be surprised how many come up.
I have cream cupboards, granite worktops gold terracotta browns,odd sparkly bits.Lightish terracotta floor.Wall tiles neautral with odd blending ones. Also tiled mural of three horses,in similar colours,over the Hob.

Sooo difficult because you are going to have to live with it for years.
My husband wanted black and red, I wanted duck egg blue, we got high gloss ivory. We couldn't get duckegg in the range we wanted from John Lewis. I still love it and hardly spend any time polishing the fronts.
I've got deep drawers all over the place. Why would you have cupboards except in the corners when you have carousels? So much easier to see what's in there.
Yo could always get the units that you like and get the doors elsewhere but that may be more complicated.