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Property/DIY

Victorian house, but don't want victorian kitchen any suggestions ??

30 replies

Haylo · 20/10/2008 14:20

Moving in later next month. Need to start shopping for new kitchen this week. Love all the period features in the house, but not into victorian style kitchens.

Have open plan kitchen/ dining room with kitchen end being 9'6 x 11'6 and a seperate utility room of 10'0 x 11'0, both have very high ceilings. Want both rooms to have matching units and look. l am a real foodie and would love a walk in pantry like Nigella's, probably in the utility room. Retaining original aga surround and pantry wall cupboard doors in stripped wood in kitchen, utility is a blank canvas.

We plan to be there for the next 15-20 years (not that l expect a kitchen to last that long), so although we cannot afford a real bespoke kitchen would like it to live up to the house and be the best on our budget (DP says he wants a WOW kitchen for £15k).

l like the coloured kitchen units in either charcoal, mocha or cream with chunky and straight chrome handles. Like black granite, but not sure if budget would stretch and would it look too cold with cream units ? Have looked at MFI, Kuchen Lab & Howdens so far.

Any advice on style or suppliers appreciated.

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scaryteacher · 20/10/2008 16:14

My house is just pre Victorian built in 1835.
I have two huge firepalces - one has the Stanley (Rayburn equivalent) in it, and the other housed the wine racks.

I had a Magnet shaker kitchen in cream with base units and drawers one side with a butler sink. the sink had a teak surround and the windowsills were tiled with Fired Earth tuscan tiles. The other side of the room was my fridge freezer and a large freestanding triple pantry cupboard.

At the dining end I had a freestanding low cupboard for glass ware and dishes with a dresser above for plates. I then had my kitchen/dining table (specially made) in the middle of the room.

The house is let now as we are abroad, but the Magnet units are still looking good and should be fine when we eventually go home.

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JackieNoHeadJustABloodyStump · 20/10/2008 16:18

John Lewis of Hungerford - nothing to do with the dept store, afaik. Lovely, plain, loads of colours, well built .

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bodycolder · 20/10/2008 16:25

I am in the middle of the same Just started today stripping out.Plan to open the fire place up tile and underfloor heating and then fit a fairly modern kitchen too.Haven't 100% decided yet but maybe white units and wenge tops and a stainless steel range Will keep an eye on your thread!

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newgirl · 20/10/2008 16:30

i think nigella's kitchen in the show is a white baulthaup kitchen with white tops/silver edges - have a look at their website! very expensive but good quality

for me i prefer white/or painted wood to laminated or veneered wood doors

for tops, you could look at the composite tops that are out there, and some of them are even more stylish and practical than granite (prob better for environment too)

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skewputt · 20/10/2008 16:35

I also live in a Victorian house but my kitchen is in the middle of the house with light coming in from the hall so can be a bit dingy - I went for a very understated look so as not to be too jarring with period features in the house but not trying to look Victorian - not too farm housey or with any flouncy bits. White units and natural wood worktop with tumbled marble tiles. It is lovely if I do say so myself and really brightens the place up

Not sure about granite with cream - I decided against granite as I thought it would look a bit too clinical with the white and neutral colours I wanted due to lack of natural light.

Got units and worktop from Howdens and would really recommend - solid and excellent quality, not too pricey compared to some and staff very helpful too - bet you could get something really fab for 15K - good luck

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zippitippitoes · 20/10/2008 16:38

walnut worktops wopuld be lovely with cream units

i have fitted a kitchen from this company avent cappuchino with walnut worktops

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newgirl · 20/10/2008 16:45

that is lovely zippi!

how do you get on with the wood near the sink? or do you have something different there?

in an old house i found it hard to keep the wood looking great near the sink/draining area

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scaryteacher · 20/10/2008 16:47

Make sure you keep oiling it and it will be fine.

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Haylo · 20/10/2008 16:57

Thankyou for all of your suggestions. l really want to get this right. It feels like a grown up house IYKWIM and l want it to all sort of flow, with everything working together.

l like the idea of painted units in farrow and ball type colours and wooden worktop perhaps - but are they difficult to look after ? - l have two small DC 1 and 3 so finger prints is a factor to consider too.

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SheherazadetheGoat · 20/10/2008 16:59

get an ikea kitchen and pay for a really good joiner to fit it.

in terms of choice and budget you can't beat idea.

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zippitippitoes · 20/10/2008 17:04

lots of oil on the worktop

my other tip is if you can have a 700mm deep worktop for more generous space and more room behind the units for utilities

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Haylo · 20/10/2008 17:07

jackie - just looked at john lewis of hungerford site - lovely - want one of those pantry dressers !! but no costs .. would l get anything for 15k, l need to get appliances out of this too [hmmm]

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JackieNoHeadJustABloodyStump · 20/10/2008 19:58

Well the cost will depend how big your kitchen is. I found a bit on their FAQ that says:

12. How much will a John Lewis of Hungerford kitchen cost?
Our prices generally speaking are much lower than you might expect. Originally we produced very expensive kitchens but with the birth of ARTISAN we had three unique selling points - Great Looks, High Quality and Affordability. On average our clients spend between £8000 and £25,000 including installation.

Not sure that's terribly helpful. We had ours put in about 9 or 10 years ago - it's still going strong, and we still love it. Cost about £8,000, then, I think.

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Pannacotta · 21/10/2008 11:38

I think skewput and JackieNo's suggestions sound really nice, I prefer wood worktops tpp and found them fairly wasy to look after, just oil them regularly. Also agree that simple but well made is the way to go.
skewput where did you source the tumbled marble tiles? They sound lovely...

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GrapefruitMoon · 21/10/2008 12:26

I think Shaker style is timeless - you can make it look modern or more period style just by changing the handles and you can buy it in all budget ranges. We have a cheap one form Ikea, cream colour (similar to F&B New White which I have used to paint a larder cupboard I already had so that it matches). I have a mixture of an oak worktop (also from Ikea) and a stainless steel one.

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Haylo · 21/10/2008 17:13

l think a trip to ikea this weekend is in order armed with all of the measurements - are we mad to go over the weekend with two little ones ? and do you need to book an appointment with the kitchen department to have a plan made.
Why didn't l think of ikea, l buy just about everything else from there and have been happy with the build quality. Thankyou

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ilovemydog · 21/10/2008 17:17

just installed a shaker kitchen [smug]

did dorset red pilkington tiles.. good for dogs/kids/dp's band...

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Anna8888 · 21/10/2008 17:21

Agree that Ikea has a fabulous range of kitchen stuff at amazing prices.

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SheherazadetheGoat · 21/10/2008 18:17

definitely try and book an appointment.

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GrapefruitMoon · 21/10/2008 19:30

If possible don't take your kids - don't know if you can book an appointment. When I went to order mine there was a couple with several kids who were lying on the floor getting in everyone's way because they were so tired/bored. Plus Ikea don't do a planning service - you need to draw up a rough plan yourself and work out what you need (though they are helpful when you are ordering to make sure it will fit, etc) I think the website has a planning tool...

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SheherazadetheGoat · 22/10/2008 08:27

definitely download their planning tool , you can then save your plan up to ikea's server and the kitchen people can look at it in store

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newgirl · 22/10/2008 11:57

for the ikea trip go in the evening and book a babysitter

it will be hell on earth to take the kids and talk kitchens NO NO NO!!!

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SheherazadetheGoat · 22/10/2008 11:59

we took dd (unavoidable) and there was alot of lolling on the floor and general annoyance. but on the positive side it did make us make up our minds very quickly.

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OneSimpleShopper · 29/07/2013 11:37

John Lewis of Hungerford kitchen? Basic cabinetry was around £15K, but with additions such as the sink, taps, splashbacks and worktops, it eventually came to around £25k. And that is not counting the plumbing, electrics, flooring, appliances and painting. Not cheap, but it does add value to the house. Not impressed with their service in resolving snags - too busy selling more kitchens to sort out problems for the people who have already paid!

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Ramona75 · 29/07/2013 14:37

25k for a kitchen! wow, that is way ott. If you buy online you'll get that for half the price if not cheaper. Have you tried pricing up what you need on the site below? www.diy-kitchens.com/kitchen-units/

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