Hi, I would say go with your gut feeling but do your research on the quality off the style.

We got our new kitchen from Wrens which has quite negative reviews and apparently, the service is far from satisfactory. Our fitter also informed us about this issue with regards to Wrens. Despite this we received a really good service where delivery, was on time, all the parts where received and the incorrect part received was replaced and delivered for the next day.

In terms off quality, we couldn't fault wren as we had selected a gloss kitchen which they supplied in a Lacquered finish whilst competitors such as Howdens sold vinyl wrapped MDF which was off poor quality.

Whilst this doesn't give you the answer your looking for, sometimes it's best to go with it as long as you've done your research.

Good.luck

I'm not a kitchen fitter by trade, but I have fitted kitchens from b&q, wren, howdens and ikea.

Out of those four companies I would recommend howdens and ikea to be honest. B&Q quality is low and the 3 wren kitchens I have been involved with have also come with trouble customer service!

If possible visit all the show rooms and have a good look not just at the cabinets but inside and feel the doors and drawers. Invest in good drawer runners and door hinges as they do take a lot of wear and tear. I use Blum components for all my cabinets and they come with a life time guarantee.

Also check that if you wanted a extra end panels or door say what are the lead times on that product. One example would be a wren kitchen I fitted for a client who placed the order correctly, they then sent two wrong end panels and the correct panels had a lead time of 6 to 8 weeks on!

I hope that helps.

Hi, I've just had a wrens Kitchen fitted and I received a few incorrect panels. I sent them an email and rang them up and received my new panels on the next working day.

Additionally, I decided to change some components off the kitchen whilst in the process off having it fitted and my new parts arrived within 3 days.

Whilst many have said their customer service is poor, I've had quite a positive experience.

Hi Chris L,

It all comes down to quality, Please send us an e-mail. We could compare few kitchens and explain them in more depth.

Kind Regards,

A&S Kitchen Wardrobe

We have a far superior product to B&Q and are normally cheaper than them! I would shop local if not comfortable with a nationwide company.

Wren Kitchen Disasters Group on Facebook makes for some pretty grim reading.

I would give independents a go because honestly your be pleasantly surprised!

Jade

Customers think that using a smaller independent business will cost them more. It doesn't. Smaller businesses need to be competitive to stay in business. Many offer an excellent service and a huge range.

Wren - wouldn't touch them with a bargepole
Howdens - can't give the purchasing company a firm price. Always want to barter. Not available direct to the public for purchases only viewing. Their worktops are poor eg no balancing laminate underneath which means in time they'll warp. Appliances break down within one year
Ikea - you get what you pay for. Pay monkeys, get peanuts.
B&Q - limited choice. White carcases only on stock. Limited choice on worktops. If it's not on the shelf takes up to 6 weeks to obtain.

Choose an independent.

We've fitted a range of Ikea, Howdens and B&Q kitchens.

Personally, I prefer Howdens. From experience, there strudier than alot of others and if we've had any changes or issues during installation, they've been quick off the mark to help. Price wise, we usually get a very good deal from them which always makes our clients happy!

Ikea, not a fan as there not as sterdy. As for B&Q, not too bad but limited on choice and if they don't have something in stock you could be waiting a few weeks.

Thanks for the comments everyone - appreciated.

A few people have recommended a couple of local independent places so I'll do a bit more research.

Ideally, I'd love a dark grey coloured unit (like the photo below) but at a 'budget level' price as we've got around £8k to spend on it (including fitting).

I have had a little look at buying the carcass from ikea or b&q then getting bespoke painted doors etc done. Anyone else done this?

Hi Chris L,

We specialize in designing and making bespoke kitchens, our kitchens can be finished in over 1500 colours and wood finishes, over 100 stone worktops as well as wood worktops. This means that we can work on any budget.

Please send us an e-mail if you are interested in receiving a quote.

Kind Regards,

A&S Kitchen Wardrobe

www.kitchenwardrobe.com

e-mail: kitchen-wardrobe@o2.pl

Hi, we had surprisingly good design service from B & Q - but that obv differs store to store. Howdens had no idea in design. Our kitchen fitter recommended Howdens for quality. We ended up going with DIY kitchens also. Kitchen fitter was impressed & reckoned quality was better than Howdens. Units all come pre assembled & our cost less than b & q. It's all on line & you have to design it yourself but worth a look.

Thanks A&S - I've sent you an email.

I'll check out DIY kitchens too - thanks for the recommendation guys

Hi Chris,

We recently went through a very similar process and it was the exact deVOL kitchen that you've posted the picture of that I fell in love with.

After visits to deVOL (very expensive!), Howdens and Wren we narrowed it down to two companies.

I would suggest you look at the Shaker Kitchen Company based in Cirencester, when we were looking they had quite a long lead time but their prices were super competitive (significantly less than Wren) and the quality looked very good.

We ended up ordering from Unfitted in Moreton-in -Marsh who are independent but operate nationally. The managing director Mark will personally come and visit you and their service and design suggestions were exceptional. They make all of their units them selves in UK workshops and the quality is excellent.

If you source your worktop (I would suggest Granite Planet in Honeybourne for an excellent price) and appliances separately I think you'd stand a good chance of coming in on budget.

Good luck and hope you find what you're looking for.

Hi Chris, according to 'Which' magazine Howdens and Ikea seem to be preferred. I am using Howdens carcasses and getting my own doors, drawer fronts, end panels and worktops made to order from a company that supply birch ply formica. I wouldn't do this on my own, I am designing it and planning it with my carpenter who is always up for a challenge. This is the only way I can afford a unique kitchen, so I have to plan it really carefully - fingers crossed.

love my B and Q kitchen when looking all carcasses all seemed the same. Have white gloss with a wooden worktops from an online site looks amazing for only about 2k

I'm in the middle of sorting a kitchen refurbishment. Initially looked at b&q and all the others. I was after a white Matt shaker, and all the ranges looked a bit cheap plus the customer service reviews seemed awful, I know people like to moan though!
So I'm using an online company diy kitchens, much better quality and amazing customer service reviews. Good luck

I've had two kitchens from diy kitchens and the quality is second to none, way better than b & q ikea and howdens .Even the kitchen fitter was impressed and went on to recommend to other clients. Also the guys at diy kitchen are a great help with loads of info etc.

We would love to help you out with the design and pricing for the kitchen!

We are bespoke made to measure carcassing and doors but normally knock blocks off the sheds for price and superior quality.

With combined over 30 years in the industry we have the knowledge and expertise to bring to the table while only taking small profit margins to keep our products premium but without the premium price.

We can offer exactly what is required and you can even come to Bristol and pick the exact slab of granite and the exact piece to cut your tops from!

Let me know if you want to ping over your plans or designs and we can get you quoted up.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jade (Joint Director)

I'm, about to install mine, and I'm going for a Magnet kitchen. The design service is amazing, surprisingly good price (for everything! appliances included, which are very good quality and cheaper than high street) and I love the quality of the cabinets. I went to Howdens and it was a sad experience... They didn't had the showroom ready for me to see the actual kitchens (they didn't said so when they sent me the appointment), the designer had no clue about how to use the application... They only had a couple of doors to choose my preferred design from and the doors were badly foil wrapped mdf. WITH BUBBLES.
So no, thank you.
On other other hand, I have two builders interested about doing the job and both said that if I go for an Ikea kitchen, the installation will be twice the price they quoted, because Ikea is troublesome. :-\