What should I do with my kitchen.
Discussion
This is it at the moment, the cupboards/doors are about 14 years old and are the factum range from Ikea, this is superseded now by their newer range and the new doors don't fit the older cabinets apparently, the cupboards are strill like new but I think the doors and handles are quite dated now, there are also far too many handles. Also doors from other makes won't fit either due to the depth of them, ikea make odd ball sizes.


The quarts tops are only about 8 years old, but again you hardly see black tops nowadays and there isn't much that goes with them, but I'd like to keep them as they were £1800. You can get doors that fit from a couple of places but to get all new doors/drawer front etc is about £3500. I could buy complete new cupboards and fronts for that sort of money. I reckon I could change all the cupboards one at a time whilst leaving the worktop in place, its just finding something that goes with them.
The floor is quite new though and I don't want to spend 10 or 20k on the kitchen like most people seem to do today, I'm not really interested in the "wow" factor, just something that looks nice and modern, I don't have much of a flair for inspiration.
The quarts tops are only about 8 years old, but again you hardly see black tops nowadays and there isn't much that goes with them, but I'd like to keep them as they were £1800. You can get doors that fit from a couple of places but to get all new doors/drawer front etc is about £3500. I could buy complete new cupboards and fronts for that sort of money. I reckon I could change all the cupboards one at a time whilst leaving the worktop in place, its just finding something that goes with them.
The floor is quite new though and I don't want to spend 10 or 20k on the kitchen like most people seem to do today, I'm not really interested in the "wow" factor, just something that looks nice and modern, I don't have much of a flair for inspiration.
Belle427 said:
Looks ok to me but i do think lighter worktops would lift it slightly, everyone has a different opinion though and if they are fairly new its a tough decision.
I basically copied someone else, they had beige doors (with smaller handles) and black worktops and I thought that looks really nice so I originally got the cupboards and doors with a cheap wooden worktop, then upgraded the worktop at a later date. But it looks pretty bland now though compared to a lot of new kitchens you see posted on forums (yes I appreciate they have probably spent £20k plus to achieve that.)If Ikea still made the doors then I would just buy more modern ones of them and swap them over, I'm also not too keen on the glass cupboards now either wo would probably change the run of wall units to more traditional cupboards anyway. I chose Ikea because you could go late at night, grab whatever you wanted off the shelf without any interaction with any sales people etc, I installed the kitchen bit by bit, I 'd buy a few units, fit them then go back for more when I had more free time. I also didn't really miss the money so much doing it that way.
do you like the layout?
if so prob best to visit ikea first to understand what refresh options are.
i don't know their kitchens but recently extended our pax wardrobe and it was the door sliding mechanism that wasn't compatible [completely different design and track arrangement]. we had to change the one on the other unit to match, but the new doors and frame were identical to the old ones.
if so prob best to visit ikea first to understand what refresh options are.
i don't know their kitchens but recently extended our pax wardrobe and it was the door sliding mechanism that wasn't compatible [completely different design and track arrangement]. we had to change the one on the other unit to match, but the new doors and frame were identical to the old ones.
Assuming it's all in reasonably good structural condition, I'd just get the doors painted in whatever colour and finish takes your fancy. There are plenty of tradesmen around offering a mobile cabinet door spraying service.
As far as the handles go, if you're painting anyway then it's easy enough to fill and sand the old handle mounting holes and redrill for whatever style of handle takes your fancy, before painting. Or maybe even use a router and jig to machine an integrated handle groove along one edge.
Of course that assumes you are happy enough to stick with the plain door fronts. If that is not the case then the peculiar IKEA sizes mean you're probably stuck with changing the whole lot, or the laborious job of modifying the existing doors using a router.
As far as the handles go, if you're painting anyway then it's easy enough to fill and sand the old handle mounting holes and redrill for whatever style of handle takes your fancy, before painting. Or maybe even use a router and jig to machine an integrated handle groove along one edge.
Of course that assumes you are happy enough to stick with the plain door fronts. If that is not the case then the peculiar IKEA sizes mean you're probably stuck with changing the whole lot, or the laborious job of modifying the existing doors using a router.
It’s the floor and worktops that are jarring for me - has that floor ever been in style? While they’re not my taste, I reckon the cupboards would look a lot better against a wooden (or wood effect LVT) floor and a suitable lighter worktop (the off white ones with golden veins might work nicely). Throw on some new handles and it’ll look nice and modern.
That being said, I’ve done the kitchen refresh thing before and they always feel a bit half-arsed.
That being said, I’ve done the kitchen refresh thing before and they always feel a bit half-arsed.
I'm fine with the floor, I did think about LVT but I would have to pay someone to fit it, also those tiles are laid on top of older travertine tiles (now they did look awful, especially when dirty) so it wasn't straight forward. tiling is something I can do myself so it had to be tiles and the ones I got looked quite nice on the website picture for the money.

https://www.tilemountain.co.uk/carrera-white-marbl...
I think I've got off fairly lightly though, I quite liked the coloured gloss kitchens Ikea used to do, they came in red and grey etc, but occasionally you see a house for sale on rightmove which has a bright red kitchen and they look terrible now (IMO).

https://www.tilemountain.co.uk/carrera-white-marbl...
I think I've got off fairly lightly though, I quite liked the coloured gloss kitchens Ikea used to do, they came in red and grey etc, but occasionally you see a house for sale on rightmove which has a bright red kitchen and they look terrible now (IMO).
Why don’t you emulate that photo of the tiles then? Get the doors vinyl wrapped (surprisingly good!) in the same colour wood effect as the photo and decide on whether the worktop needs replacing or not.
It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they’re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that’ll work with them - other than grey (and that’s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they’re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that’ll work with them - other than grey (and that’s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
There are plenty of web sites of suppliers who will make custom sized doors, eg:
https://kitchenwarehouseltd.com/replacement-kitche...
Edit for typos
https://kitchenwarehouseltd.com/replacement-kitche...
Edit for typos
Huzzah said:
It needs colour, even your hand towel is grey.
Yes, it looks very dull and cold with no visual interest. The black worktop isn't helping, dragging it down. I would replace it with a wood worktop and consider vinyl on the floor. Vinyl comes in thousands or designs, is relatively cheap and easy to fit, warm to walk on and if you drop a glass or plate it probably won't break. Tile effects and plank effects abound. After that, if you like, consider a pale colour on the walls - very cheap and easy to do.Crumpet said:
Why don t you emulate that photo of the tiles then? Get the doors vinyl wrapped (surprisingly good!) in the same colour wood effect as the photo and decide on whether the worktop needs replacing or not.
It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that ll work with them - other than grey (and that s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
I don't really mind grey though, I don't like it when everything is grey like you see in ultra modern houses, but I have a dark grey carpet on the stairs/landing and it goes quite well with the oak doors I think. I see some houses that have grey carpets, grey doors, grey curtains and grey furniture, thats too much. But I quite like the look of this kitchen from Ikea.It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that ll work with them - other than grey (and that s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/rooms/kitchen/lerhyttan...
Thay would be ok with my worktops, but the doors seem to be 800 height with a small plinth. My base doors are 700 in height where as most other makes like howdens etc are 720 I believe.
It seems madness that ikea made an oddball size door to make you go back to them in a few years if you just want new doors and then change the design completely so they dont fit anyway.
About 12 years ago I really wanted to have lime green glass splashbacks, which was quite fashionable at the time. Very Marmite, but definitely brightens the place up!
I chickened out in the end and had glossy maroon bevelled metro style tiles, which I was very happy with, but I still sometimes think about that lime green

I chickened out in the end and had glossy maroon bevelled metro style tiles, which I was very happy with, but I still sometimes think about that lime green


Simpo Two said:
Huzzah said:
It needs colour, even your hand towel is grey.
Yes, it looks very dull and cold with no visual interest. The black worktop isn't helping, dragging it down. I would replace it with a wood worktop and consider vinyl on the floor. Vinyl comes in thousands or designs, is relatively cheap and easy to fit, warm to walk on and if you drop a glass or plate it probably won't break. Tile effects and plank effects abound. After that, if you like, consider a pale colour on the walls - very cheap and easy to do.
FourWheelDrift said:
Have you looked at custom made doors?
One of many if you google "custom made kitchen cupboard doors" - https://www.kitchendooroutlet.co.uk/
I have, there is one company actually called FAKTUM that must have bought the old ikea jigs but each door is at least £200 on its own and as I said just for new doors works out at £3500 for my kitchen, I could buy a complete new cabinet and decent door for that sort of money, and probably get a couple of hundred back for all my old cabinets. One of many if you google "custom made kitchen cupboard doors" - https://www.kitchendooroutlet.co.uk/
Crumpet said:
Why don t you emulate that photo of the tiles then? Get the doors vinyl wrapped (surprisingly good!) in the same colour wood effect as the photo and decide on whether the worktop needs replacing or not.
It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that ll work with them - other than grey (and that s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
Even wrapping though costs quite a bit looking online, bet it would be at least £2k+ for the amount of units I have. And you are right, the kitchen is from 2011, the tops from about 2018 and the floor from 2024. It does look, to me at least, that you have a floor, worktop and units from different eras and they re not working together. To me the tiles look a pain in the ring to find a colour that ll work with them - other than grey (and that s an awful look!), or wood effect like the photo.
I would much prefer to go down the route of doing it myself though, it seems its the only way I get things done, I've been asking someone for 2 years now to block pave my front so it looks like I'll have to do that myself as well. the best scenario I'd like for me is to go to Ikea at 9PM when its empty, straight to the warehouse, grab what will fit in the van and install it the next day, that way I'm not relying on anyone else.
Frane Selak said:
Simpo Two said:
Huzzah said:
It needs colour, even your hand towel is grey.
Yes, it looks very dull and cold with no visual interest. The black worktop isn't helping, dragging it down. I would replace it with a wood worktop and consider vinyl on the floor. Vinyl comes in thousands or designs, is relatively cheap and easy to fit, warm to walk on and if you drop a glass or plate it probably won't break. Tile effects and plank effects abound. After that, if you like, consider a pale colour on the walls - very cheap and easy to do.

Note that the IKEA kitchen in the photo is very dark but looks good in the photo because there are huge windows behind it. In your area it could look a bit grim... you'd certainly need to consider effective lighting.
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