Kitchen cabinets: matte white, integrated handles?

glitch · 26 Nov 2016 at 10:12

Pending the purchase of a house, I'm going through my wish list of things I'd want to change before moving in and high up on the list is the kitchen.

I have a pretty clear idea of what I want it to look like, but the layout is going to be a different matter and something that will take some planning and where I'd look for a designer to add some input.

But looks-wise, I'm wanting something finished in matte white and with integrated handles - for reference, I've seen the IKEA Voxtorp (21mm, foil finish) which ticks most of my boxes, but I'm sure there are plenty of other, similar offerings.

Any suggestions?

Bickaxe · 26 Nov 2016 at 11:38

Take the room measurements to places like Wren, Homebase etc... and the online only places.
Most need an appointment but it'll give you an idea of features and cost.

glitch · 26 Nov 2016 at 12:28

Neither Wren nor Homebase offer a matte white finish with integrated handles - any other ideas?

roadie · 26 Nov 2016 at 12:56

Howdens?

thezappa · 26 Nov 2016 at 13:37

http://www.betterkitchens.co.uk/shop/kitchen_style/choose-my-kitchen-1

Any help?
Got ours from there; 3500x4500 room came in at £5-6k I think.

the_r_sole · 26 Nov 2016 at 16:23

I got a few quotes from various places when I was looking for the same, the ikea one was a good bit cheaper than I got priced for matt finish anywhere else

Lumeycom · 26 Nov 2016 at 22:07

Remember that IKEA kitchen cabinets have no void in the back of them which makes fitting a total pain in the ass as british kitchens tend to have pipes on the walls that fit in a traditional void. Also the flat to wall bit makes it difficult if you have the typical wonky wall thing going on.

chipperhead · 26 Nov 2016 at 22:44

Our kitchen is matt white although it doesn't have integrated handles, you push the door slightly and they open a couple of inches.
We're extremely pleased with it, it's been in just over 3 years and it's from Omega PLC.

the_r_sole · 27 Nov 2016 at 00:19

Lumeycom said:
Remember that IKEA kitchen cabinets have no void in the back of them which makes fitting a total pain in the ass as british kitchens tend to have pipes on the walls that fit in a traditional void. Also the flat to wall bit makes it difficult if you have the typical wonky wall thing going on.

tbh the updated cupboards/mounting rails etc mean it's not actually a big hassle - pretty easy to fit and you get a decent amount more cupboard space where you don't have pipe work too

glitch · 27 Nov 2016 at 08:59

roadie said:
Howdens?

Thanks!

Clerkenwell Matt white, 19mm with a PET finish.

thezappa said:
http://www.betterkitchens.co.uk/shop/kitchen_style/choose-my-kitchen-1

Any help?

Ah, that's a new name to me.

Moderna looks to be the one, 22mm with painted finish.

Lumeycom said:
Remember that IKEA kitchen cabinets have no void in the back of them which makes fitting a total pain in the ass as british kitchens tend to have pipes on the walls that fit in a traditional void. Also the flat to wall bit makes it difficult if you have the typical wonky wall thing going on.

Now you mention that, I'm sure I've seen people bemoaning that design feature before...

chipperhead said:
Our kitchen is matt white although it doesn't have integrated handles, you push the door slightly and they open a couple of inches.
We're extremely pleased with it, it's been in just over 3 years and it's from Omega PLC.

Oh, check you out with your three ovens! What a beautiful kitchen you have there - could I see more?

glitch · 27 Nov 2016 at 09:02

One more for the list; DIY Kitchens' Luca, 22mm with a painted finish.

the_r_sole · 27 Nov 2016 at 09:59

glitch said:
One more for the list; DIY Kitchens' Luca, 22mm with a painted finish.

they have some nice finishes - get some samples - we looked at the alabaster and mussel colours which were a bit nicer than the white

glitch · 28 Nov 2016 at 10:31

the_r_sole said:
they have some nice finishes - get some samples - we looked at the alabaster and mussel colours which were a bit nicer than the white

I'm enjoying their range of colours!

That said, it's likely to come down to a toss-up between white matte units with a light stone-effect worktop or light-grey matte units with a white-ish worktop.

the_r_sole · 28 Nov 2016 at 10:45

glitch said:
I'm enjoying their range of colours!

That said, it's likely to come down to a toss-up between white matte units with a light stone-effect worktop or light-grey matte units with a white-ish worktop.

yeah, my wife didn't want the white kitchen after we saw one, said it was too clinical which is why we ended up looking at off white/grey finishes - went for the ikea light beige in the end due to price, but think the mussel finish was nicer

glitch · 28 Nov 2016 at 11:07

I'd agree with that - all well and good in theory, but until you see it in the flesh its hard to imagine just how stark it would look being all-white.

I think a matte finish helps to reduce the 'clinical' look to a certain degree, but it's not always going to work.

tom_nieto · 28 Nov 2016 at 12:15

http://www.crown-imperial.co.uk/zeluso/

We've been enjoying our Crown kitchen for over a year now. It's a handle less bar design and I really love it. The matt finish is excellent and the white units aren't as difficult to keep clean as expected. We've gone with a black honed granite surface which keeps the matt look. For once I think we were almost ahead of the trend with this style. The simplicity of it won't go out of fashion for a while I don't think (unlike high gloss aubergine!!).