My non-negotiables when choosing a cheap shaker kitchen
Some pointers to make it look more expensive
We are lucky enough to have had 2 beautiful handmade kitchens but our 2 houses prior we just didn’t have the budget, (and even in our current utility I’ve used b&q carcasses and doors) so I’ve used a combo of IKEA, B&Q, DIY kitchens and then also a cheap carcass and joiner made doors combo.
First of all I know you’ll be thinking, well which of these is the best. I think it depends on the complexity of the kitchen and your ability to design and plan because places like DIY kitchens don’t have a planning service, you literally have to order every plinth and end panel yourself- which can get confusing, even using their online tool. Somewhere like Units Online is a similar price point (it’s a little bit more expensive than DIY) but has a free planning service so that’s a better option for some people. I’ve had an IKEA kitchen and didn’t rate it and wouldn’t recommend personally. B&Q tends to come up slightly more expensive than DIY but you can go to the store and see them which some people like, also I found their virtual planning service to be pretty good! If you’re going to go down the cheap carcass and custom door front route, i’d stay away from mdf for every day cupboards as it doesn’t matter how well they are sanded and painted, they will always feel like mdf- fine for under-stairs cupboards etc but less fine for a kitchen.