Dream Kitchen on a Budget: Part 1

It's fair to say that purchasing a new kitchen is going to be one of the single most expensive buys of your lifetime. For many, the purchase comes in the middle of a large-scale extension or renovation project and, at that stage, the available budget may well be rather tight! Here are five 'Big Picture' suggestions to help keep kitchen costs down whilst still achieving an outstanding outcome:

1) Consider the layout of your space carefully. A smaller, well-designed kitchen footprint is usually easier to operate in than a larger space. A peninsular joined to the end of a kitchen run will give you seating space at a lower cost than a free-standing island as less panelling/cabinetry is needed.

2) Kitchen cupboards are cheaper than kitchen drawers! Keep the number of drawers to a minimum if you want to save money. Wider cabinets are more cost-effective than narrow cabinets. Open shelving is more cost-effective than wall cabinetry.

2) If you have an alcove/awkward corner in your space consider building in a walk-in pantry. This can be kitted out with inexpensive floor to ceiling shelves, some of which can be made deeper so that a freestanding microwave and other bulky tabletop appliances can be placed in there. This saves money on microwave oven housing, kitchen cabinetry and expensive larder pull-outs.

3) Think about the style of your kitchen cabinet doors. In-frame doors, where typically a Shaker door is set into a surrounding frame, is often the most expensive type of door on offer. Lay-on Shaker doors (without the frame) are less expensive. Here at Simply In Frame we are able to use a special moulding to give a regular Shaker door a semi in-frame appearance at a lower cost. The simplicity of our contemporary J profile handleless doors also keeps costs down with the added bonus of no handles to buy!

4) Materials make a difference. Vinyl-wrapped doors have come a long way and many offer reasonable quality at a lower pricepoint, although they do remain susceptible to water ingress if scratched or damaged. Moisture resistant MDF doors are generally more expensive than vinyl-wrapped doors and slightly less expensive than painted ash doors, with solid oak being one of the more pricey options.

5) If you are on a tight budget, sticking to standard paint colours rather than specifying bespoke colours will save you up to 25% of the cost of your kitchen doors. Our cabinets come in 26 beautiful standard colours, so there really is something for everyone in there.

With a bit of thought ahead of time (preferably before the builders move in) and a savvy design it is possible to create an amazing kitchen space for less. Look out for Part 2 of Dream Kitchen on a Budget next week.