Qudaus living owner Belinda looks at the options when looking to refresh rather than replace a kitchen.

We sometimes have customers who are looking for a kitchen refresh rather than a complete new kitchen.

This can be an option, especially when the customer loves and wants to keep the layout and may have a limited budget.  Whilst we can look at replacing doors, worktops and/ or appliances, to provide a new look, it is not always that much cheaper or less disruptive.

Kitchen doors do make up a larger percentage of the cost of the kitchen units, much more than the carcass, so depending on the type of door chosen, this could still be a £4,000 or £5,000 option. 

There could also be issues with the door sizes, especially if the original units are bespoke or very old.  In these circumstances it could be difficult to get doors the right size.

New appliances may present some of the same issues.  If they are old then the sizes may be different, which will make it almost impossible to replace when they are built in.  The requirements for plumbing and electricity may also be different. 

When replacing worktops, if the new option is Quartz or Granite, or some other natural stone then this will need a new template.  It can take several weeks for the new worktop to be fabricated following the template and this can leave the customer without a working kitchen during this time. 

There are a couple of other less expensive and disruptive changes to consider.  Keeping but repainting doors for example, or a handle change.  Customers are often surprised to see the difference a handle change can make to the look of a kitchen.  Not all handle styles will work, as the position of the original drill holes do need to be considered.

If you are considering how best to refresh your kitchen, then why not book a meeting with one of our talented designers.  We can assess your current kitchen and work with you to develop a solution that is unique to you.