Hello all

[trumar]

Hi Trumar,

I suppose the first thing to point out is that kitchens, no matter their origin, are made to a price point that suits the market they are aiming them at. In fact you may be surprised to learn that many 'English' kitchens are in fact European made. The retailer is English, the units can come from Germany, the doors from Italy and the parent company be Swedish!

Just because something is English, German, Italian does't always mean one is better than the other.

For example Magent kitchens is an English retailer, but it has a Swedish parent company called Nobia. That parent company has many different brands which produces kitchens of varying quality. They have a brand called Rixonway which produces kitchens for budget housing, Magnet kitchens aimed at small builders, Gower Kitchens for DIY'ers (Wickes kitchens are Gower) all the way up to Pronorm which is recognised as a high end German kitchen, with a price tag to match.

Equally a kitchens origin doesn't make it cheap or expensive. You'll find many German kitchens are similar price or even cheaper than some English kitchens. So don't assume you can't afford a German kitchen.

It's about finding a brand which offers value for money in your price bracket, regardless of where it was made or came from.

I suppose the biggest 'general' difference between English and German kitchens, isn't price, it's that German kitchens tend to offer a lot more customisations as standard. The majority of English brands will have 40 different kitchens in their product range and that's it. They mass produce these kitchens and hold stock. A German brand may only have 12 different styles, but then allow you to finish each one in 100 different ways, so technically speaking they have a range of 1,200 different kitchens compared to the English offering of just 40. Of course having 1,200 different options makes it impossible to mass produce and hold stock, so all are made to order. That of course is a generalisation, you will find English brands which offer the same, but tend to be harder to find and in the upper end of the market when you do.

My advice would be to go and see some independent retailers in your area, you may be surprised that they aren't as expensive as you imagine, many will be similar prices to the big retailers, but offer a better product, giving you better value for money. Go and have a chat with them and if at all possible, be open about your budget. Give them a wish list and your budget and they will quickly tell you if they can help or not. There is no point in getting a design done for a £40k kitchen if you only have £8k to spend, equally you may find that kitchen you perceive to be £30k is in fact just £15k and within budget.

Good luck 

Wow, fantastic info. Many many thanks. Ok I'll take the step out and see what is out there. Luckily my wife and I are starting to get a clearer picture of what we want so at least that will make the process a bit smoother. Thanks again.