Hello all

[PREM]

What he said

[Stretch]

Wise words. 

[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. 

[Mark Stewart]

Hi Trumar,

Great words said by Colour Republic. I sell both Stormer and JJO kitchens (British).

I recently visited a bathroom customer. On arriving I noticed their plain slab doored kitchen. It was her pride and joy and she said its a part of the family. I thought strange woman, but it turns out the German kitchen was over 40 years old (not the worktops or appliances) and was older than her three sons. I know she has looked after it really well but apart from a small dent on a corner of a door (grandsons toy car) the kitchen looks fantastic.  The doors and drawers were fully operational and I would have said it looked no more than 3 years old.

Over the past 40 years most of us in the UK have had pine, limed oak, dark oak, light oak, beech most of these look dated within just a few years but the Germans like simple style that looked good in the 70's 80's, 90's and still stands out today.

As a designer I love Stormer they give me many more option than any standard British Kitchen company, that is until a customer asks for a curved unit. I struggle with their options so often go down the JJO route. You can still get a pretty good kitchen from them as long as it's fitted well.

A great selling point for us is the way Stormer routers out the wall units to fit LED lights. Not a wire in sight. Details like this come at a cost but well worth it (as long its not going in a rental).

If you pull up at a customers house and they have a newish German car on their drive way, selling a German kitchen is easy. 

Cheers,
Mark

[Colour Republic]

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. 

Personally I find it extremely helpful when customers have put together a pintrest board or the like, especially if the rest of the house doesn't represent their current style. It gives valuable pointers on their likes and dislikes. Not only of cabinet style, but lighting, flooring, colours etc.

[PREM]

Wise words. 

Cheers mate

[trumar]

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. 

Personally I find it extremely helpful when customers have put together a pintrest board or the like, especially if the rest of the house doesn't represent their current style. It gives valuable pointers on their likes and dislikes. Not only of cabinet style, but lighting, flooring, colours etc.

Yep, we find Pintrest (hard to avoid them actually) and Houzz very good for setting up a theme. Thanks again. 

[trumar]

Hi Trumar,

Great words said by Colour Republic. I sell both Stormer and JJO kitchens (British).

I recently visited a bathroom customer. On arriving I noticed their plain slab doored kitchen. It was her pride and joy and she said its a part of the family. I thought strange woman, but it turns out the German kitchen was over 40 years old (not the worktops or appliances) and was older than her three sons. I know she has looked after it really well but apart from a small dent on a corner of a door (grandsons toy car) the kitchen looks fantastic.  The doors and drawers were fully operational and I would have said it looked no more than 3 years old.

Over the past 40 years most of us in the UK have had pine, limed oak, dark oak, light oak, beech most of these look dated within just a few years but the Germans like simple style that looked good in the 70's 80's, 90's and still stands out today.

As a designer I love Stormer they give me many more option than any standard British Kitchen company, that is until a customer asks for a curved unit. I struggle with their options so often go down the JJO route. You can still get a pretty good kitchen from them as long as it's fitted well.

A great selling point for us is the way Stormer routers out the wall units to fit LED lights. Not a wire in sight. Details like this come at a cost but well worth it (as long its not going in a rental).

If you pull up at a customers house and they have a newish German car on their drive way, selling a German kitchen is easy. 

Cheers,
Mark

Thanks Mark. More great advice!

[trumar]

Hello again. Are there some opinions regarding Symphony Kitchens?