We have been waiting for this moment ever since moving into our Yorkshire Coach House
three years ago. And finally, the kitchen of our dreams has become a reality and we couldn’t
be more delighted!
Although the kitchen was always something that needed doing, boiler, bathroom and
bedrooms had to take priority and a big chunk of our budget disappeared. The pandemic
then put a total stop to our plans, but finally, with everything moving again and the sudden
crumbling of our current kitchen, we have made it all happen!
I promised I would share all the details, so here they are! For full disparity some items were ad/pr products.
Kitchen design and cabinets
To get a good picture of the space we have and the various costs, I started by getting lots of
quotes from a wide range of kitchen designers, local joiners and the bigger national kitchen
companies. Some of the high-end designers quoted us up to £60k, whilst the other end of
the scale, places such as Wren, Magnet and Ikea, were asking for around the £20k mark.
Although I would love to have gone for one of the beautiful top of the range kitchens, sadly
our budget couldn’t be stretched this far.
I came across DIY Kitchens on Instagram and from friends’ recommendations; we were
impressed by their showrooms and good customer service. The idea behind DIY Kitchens is
that you use their software to design your kitchen yourself and then find someone to fit it.
The only problem with this is that I don’t have much in the way of kitchen design
experience! So through DIY Kitchen’s reviews on Facebook, I then discovered Tony Ives The
Kitchen Planner. Tony offers two packages; you can either send him photos and do it via
Zoom, or he will come out to your house. We went with the second option and Tony then
designed our kitchen for us using Kitchens software, put everything we needed into the
basket, and I simply had to pay. So easy!
Another benefit of DIY Kitchens is the very quick delivery. Our kitchen came in just three
weeks, which compared to many other companies is very fast. To speed up the delivery time
(our old kitchen is falling down around us!), we opted for a neutral dove grey colour for the
cabinets, rather than choosing a bespoke colour which would have slowed things down.
However, despite the success in getting the kitchen itself to our house with super speed, I
then discovered that there were no fitters free for months and months! Since the cabinets
from DIY Kitchens come already built, and my husband is handy with a tool box, clever
James has done it all himself! As a doctor who works long hours, James has managed to
squeeze this big project in by fitting the kitchen over three Sundays and a few evenings.
Quartz worktops
For the worktops, we really wanted quartz and I did a lot of searching for the perfect finish.
The one that we decided on was much thicker than the others and although it was actually
the same price as the other quotes, the thickness means that it looks much more expensive.
We are delighted with the Quartz Ayfon Sugar Omega Stone, which was bought from and
fitted by Omega Stone in Pudsey.
Handles* (discount)
Perhaps somewhat controversially, I decided not to go for the very on trend cup handles
that I have seen everywhere online and in all the show rooms. We chose Alexander and
Wilks Quantock Cupboard Knobs on Backplate from More Handles. I was given a PR discount for these, but because we needed about 40 of them, they were still a big outgoing. We are really pleased with them though and think that finishes like handles, and the quartz worktops, make our kitchen look more expensive than it was!
Appliances
After lots of shopping around for the appliances, in the end we bought them all from AO as
they had the best deal and they also give a ‘blue light’ discount to NHS workers. We went
for NEFF oven appliances, including induction hob, electric double oven and built-in
microwave, as we decided they looked the sleekest and are of a good quality that should
last. I decided on a built in Samsung fridge freezer (Samsung BRB26615FWW_WH) and AEG
dishwasher (AEG FSSS63607P_BK). We love the fact both these appliances are integrated
into the kitchen, but in hindsight the fridge freezer is going to be too small. Although we can
live with using an overflow fridge freezer in the garage, this was a bit of a mistake!
Tap
One of the things that I was keen to have in my dream kitchen was a boiling water tap. I
have collaborated with QETTLE and the Signature Modern Tap was an AD/PR gifted item.
This tap has hot, cold, filtered and 100 degree boiling water and QETTLE taps start from £495.00 per month, and mine is a QETTLE Signature Modern, with a 4L tank, is £835.00.
I was really impressed with QETTLE for a number of reasons;
~ Firstly, whilst there are now so many ‘instant hot water taps’ on the market, only a few,
including QETTLE, dispense truly boiling 100C water. Most other ‘boiling water taps’ only
have a temperature of between 85-95C. The posher instant coffees won’t dissolve at less
than boiling, and tea enthusiasts will agree that you can’t make a proper cuppa if the water’s
not boiling! You might also use the tap for – making up baby formula, degreasing a roasting
tin, making quick snacks like super noodles or a cuppa soup – which also don’t work as well
when the water isn’t really boiling.
~ With three children and husband who is a doctor, we were particularly concerned about the safety of having a tap that dispenses boiling water. QETTLE put our fears to rest as their taps have two-stage safety; a red clip ensures it’s impossible to unwittingly access the boiling
water and a button down/handle back action provides another layer of protection against
mishaps. These safety features ensure that it is not possible to accidentally knock a handle or
lever and get a torrent boiling water unexpectedly.
~ QETTLE are also proud with the ease of installing their boiling water taps. For any decent
plumber, they are very easy and straightforward to install; QETTLE also claim to have had
had lots of happy DIY-installers and state that those confident with basic plumbing would
definitely manage.
~The boiler tank and filter system also take up a relatively small space under the sink. Many
people worry they will lose their undersink space, but we have not had a problem getting all
the usual undersink stuff under the sink as well!
~I also think that QETTLE is brilliant value for money – it’s a 4 in 1 tap, made in the UK that
provides you filtered drinking water, boiling water and normal hot and cold flows. Even
opting for the top of the range with a coloured finish will give you change from £1500, which
is not possible with any other brand!
Use the code CAROLINE for £50 off a QETTLE Signature Modern or a QETTLE Signature Classic (traditionally styled version). Any tank size can be chosen, and the code is also applicable for coloured finishes. The code is active from now until 21st July 2022. All followers need to do is to put CAROLINE into the promo code box at checkout, and the discount will be made automatically.
Paint
And finally, the walls! I was contacted by Splat, an online paint company who were keen to
help with our colour schemes in the new kitchen. We sent them a colour sample of the
kitchen cabinets and asked them to colour match it; this paint was used for the skirting
boards and cornicing, and we are really pleased with the result. We also decided on a
Farrow and Ball Wimborne White for the walls, which Splat also
provided. This was an AD/PR collaboration and I want to thank Splat for
helping with the final touches of our wonderful new kitchen.
Lights
I wanted lights above the beam and 3 in a row. I found these ones on Pooky.
We still have the floor to do and I will update this blog when it goes down at the beginning of July. The skirting boards then need to be fixed on after and we are then nearly there.
We are not moving on to renovate out new study and a living room.
Follow along on my instagram to see the journey.
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