Bright ideas
If you long for a new kitchen, it pays to invest well. Yorkshire is blessed with some great kitchen designers and makers, some of which advertise in this magazine. Their pictures speak volumes and feature beautiful, mostly handmade, cabinetry.
The only caveat is don’t follow outré trends. Many of those who spent a small fortune on red gloss units are now regretting it as they have fallen out of fashion.
Painted wood units are always a good choice as you can change the colour to suit whatever is in vogue.
If you simply can’t afford a new kitchen or can’t bear looking at what you’ve got while you save for something better, there is a solution and that is new doors.
There are a number of businesses now specialising in kitchen cabinet doors, including Custom Fronts, which specialises in handcrafting design-led doors, drawers, panels, plinths and worktops to fit Ikea kitchen frames.
The latest is inspired by the simplicity of Japanese and Scandinavian and is a series of fronts made from bamboo, a sustainable and stylish alternative to wood. Bamboo is also CO2 negative across its whole lifecycle. Prices start from £1,626 for a small kitchen.
There are other companies that will upgrade doors and worktops or, alternatively, contact a local joiner.
Even cheaper is to paint the doors you have got and add new handles. If your cupboards are melamine, try Rustoleum kitchen cupboard paint.