So you’ve decided you need to redesign your kitchen. But there are a lot of different terms thrown around like, custom, bespoke, made to measure, modular and off-the-shelf, and knowing what the difference between them all can be confusing.
As kitchen designers, a common question we get asked is what exactly is a bespoke kitchen? In this post, we’re going to answer that question as well as discuss some of the processes involved in getting fully bespoke kitchens designed and built.
Definition of Bespoke Kitchen
If you want a one-of-a-kind kitchen designed with your exact needs and space in mind, then a bespoke kitchen is what you’re looking for. Your kitchen designer handcrafts the entire kitchen based on your specific requirements rather than requiring you to adapt your expectations to what is available off-the-shelf and fitting it to fit your home.
With a bespoke kitchen, everything is made completely custom for you. There are no premade cabinets or surfaces and you’ll have the freedom to have the kitchen exactly the way you want it.
Whatever your ideas, or the shape and style of your room, a bespoke kitchen designer will recreate it or if you need some inspiration, work with you to find exactly what you want.
Designing a Bespoke Kitchen
When it comes to deciding what you want and beginning to design your kitchen it can feel a little overwhelming. You can do some research on kitchen design ideas before contacting your designer to get inspired for how you want.
You can also get helpful information from showrooms, magazines, kitchen brochures, and online platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Once you have compiled the features you want, create a mood board including pictures, colours, finishes, and desired materials. In addition, make a wishlist of your desired appliances and the kind of layout you want to give your designer a good starting point.
When you’ve got an idea of how you want it, you have two options:
- Having all your chosen units hand-crafted individually (that’s what we do)
- Ordering pre-made units designed to meet your needs from a manufacturer. However, you need to specify what material you want in your new kitchen before pre-ordering. That prevents extra costs in case the pre-ordered materials don’t meet your requirements after completion.
Benefits of a Bespoke Kitchen
Bespoke kitchens are commonly made using traditional joinery methods. Traditional joinery methods are solid and durable, adding to the quality of your kitchen. In addition, these kitchens are hand-painted. Generally, designing a bespoke kitchen follows the following steps:
A Tailor-made Kitchen Design can Make Your Life Easier
A bespoke kitchen design allows you to design your kitchen based on how you want you and your family to use it. With this made-to-measure design, you can add extra features that make your time in the kitchen easier. For example, this design features an extra-large sink with a pull-out bin beneath and easily accessible storage.
When designing your kitchen, consider where you put various items such as the groceries, the amount of worktop space you need, and the number of people in the kitchen at the same time. Considering these factors helps you determine the amount of space you need for your kitchen.
Better Storage
A happy kitchen is a well-organised kitchen and storage is an essential part of every kitchen. First, you need to figure out how much of it you need to keep your kitchen running efficiently. Consider having enough space for extra utensils in case you may need them for some time. Planning your kitchen storage properly keeps your kitchen in an orderly manner at all times.
We’ve designed so many bespoke kitchens we’ve lost count so can definitely help to recommend the best way to arrange storage.
Improve an Awkward Kitchen Layout
One of the benefits of designing a bespoke kitchen is overcoming a multitude of design challenges. For example, you can rectify uneven flooring, low ceilings, and awkward shapes with a bespoke kitchen design.
For instance, if you have split-level flooring, you can build a bespoke kitchen island around it. Design it to be shorter in the cooking space and longer in the step height for the bar area. The design makes a great sociable space for your family.
It can Embrace Your Kitchen’s Prominent Features
Another benefit of a bespoke kitchen is that it can allow your kitchen’s original ideas to stand out by adding design features that complement the original ones. For instance, you can pair a traditional kitchen with an oversized kitchen island. In addition, you can paint the island with a colour that complements your cabinetry and include an elegant iroko island with brass handles to enhance the historical appeal of your kitchen.
A Professional Designer Helps you Through Every Step
Another good reason to opt for a bespoke kitchen over one that’s made to measure is that you’ll get one on one contact with our expert designers. From your initial inquiry, through the entire design stage, and then fitting, we’ll be in touch through everything to get things looking just the way you want it.
More Durable Materials
When choosing the materials for your kitchen, think about quality first and not the price. In some instances, cheap materials may end up being less durable, requiring you to replace them after a short time. In the long run, the cost of the materials will end up being more expensive.
Therefore, when choosing your new kitchen’s material, think about durability over price, which is another benefit of opting for a bespoke kitchen.
How Long Does it Take to Fit a Fully Bespoke Kitchen
Due to the intense amount of customisation that goes into every kitchen we design, it can take a while. We make everything from scratch so it won’t be as simple as picking cabinets and getting them installed. As a result, we recommend expecting 6 months from start to completion.
We specialise in getting things just right so we don’t want to rush!
How Much does a Bespoke Kitchen Cost?
As everything is handmade and customized to fit your space, bespoke kitchens are considerably more expensive than off-the-shelf kitchens. How much a bespoke kitchen costs you largely depends on size, the quality of the materials used, and the designer.
Since a bespoke kitchen requires considerably more planning, attention, labour, crafting, and time, it can cost anything from £20,000 to £100,000+.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a bespoke kitchen design may seem easy, but it’s not. However, you can simplify the process by working closely with a professional kitchen designer. In addition, make sure you enjoy the freedom that designing this kind of kitchen gives you. Finally, don’t commit the mistake many homeowners make of limiting themselves to dimensional aspects only.
At Chamber Furniture, we dedicate ourselves to designing your bespoke kitchen by hand-crafting everything, from the first sketch to the final installation. Contact us today if you want to create a bespoke kitchen that uses the finest materials and highest-quality craftsmanship.
