QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

No, not all cabinets are built the same way, nor do they use the same materials and components. While many consumers focus entirely on getting the right door style or colour, what you get behind the door is equally important. A good cabinet structure that does not cut corners provides the strength, stability, and durability needed to support heavy worktops, daily wear, and long-term storage. 

Door and kitchen manufacturers offer a variety of base materials, finishes, and construction types. The differences between identical looking doors from different manufacturers can be highly noticeable to us, but are often completely invisible to the untrained eye. 

Further considerations include how structural variations affect a door's weight, durability, overall appearance, and price. To ensure the highest standards, we have analysed, tried, and tested many options to find the perfect balance of quality and affordability. 

There is a lot to consider. It is not just about getting the layout right, but ensuring that the functionality works both now and in the future. During the lifespan of a kitchen, those functional needs can change, so it is important to take this into consideration. Key aspects to evaluate include:

• Natural light and ventilation: Positioning of windows and doors.
• The human aspect: Designing layout orientation to face family or guests while eating.
• The working triangle: Optimizing the distance between the sink, refrigerator, and stovetop.
• Safety and workspace: Ensuring sufficient worktop space near hot food removal areas and managing hob pan handles.
• Ventilation: Meeting proper extraction requirements.
• Structural constraints: Accommodating floor or ceiling rafters, moving services, and making structural adjustments.
• Utilities: Upgrading electrical systems for appliance needs and handling utility upgrades.
• Finishing touches: Factoring in component cabinet trims.

Yes. Different drawer runners have different weight capacities, and there is a vast difference in their cost, mechanism, and functionality. Because there are several component manufacturers, the quality and capability of hinge types and drawer runners vary greatly. Since we are not tied to a single brand, we have sourced the best quality components and pull-out options. You would be surprised by the manufacturing differences in a component as simple as an integrated bin. 

Yes. Unfortunately, the kitchen design industry is neither regulated nor does it require formal accreditations. As a result, poor designs and faulty safety features enter the market, leading to spaces that do not function correctly. This lack of regulation is also why costly and time consuming issues often arise on site during installation.

Our expertise comes from training and managing numerous aspiring designers. Additionally, working closely with tradespeople both, professionally and personally, has given us in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges and pitfalls that installers face.

This extensive experience enables us to create designs that are both beautiful and cost effective by being highly resourceful with cabinets and materials. Human expertise matters greatly when designing a kitchen because we can verify physical constraints, navigate building regulations, and optimize real world workflows. Furthermore, it allows us to take precise on site measurements and spot hidden issues, such as the positioning of existing doors and windows, appliance clearance requirements, and layout safety rules.

From a practical perspective, understanding and balancing design goals with actual material and labour costs is a fine art.

Island "Pinch Point" issues.

Islands can create tight walkways. Clearance between opposing counter tops need to be comfortably sufficient.

Door and drawer collisions.

In a forced layout, appliance doors frequently block entryways or crash into adjacent corner cabinet corner cabinet handles when opening simultaneously.

Ignoring the "Working Triangle".

Blindly placing the sink, refrigerator, and hob, cooker, oven based on another home's\floor plan can completely disrupt your workflow. This forces you to walk long, awkward distances or cross high-traffic pathways just to cook a basic meal.

Missing landing pads.

Showroom designs often prioritise seamless, unbroken lines over practical use. When replicated incorrectly, people find they have no counter top space directly next to the stove or refrigerator to set down heavy groceries quickly or burning hot pans.

Ignoring utility connections.

Forcing a design from another place usually means trying to relocate plumbing, gas lines, or heavy ventilation extraction hood systems. If the room's existing infrastructure can't easily support these, retrofitting becomes immensely expensive or results in weak ventilation and bad drainage.

Fighting natural light.

A kitchen layout that looks bright and airy in an east-facing room with massive windows will often feel dark and clinical if dropped into a north facing room with limited light.

Form over function storage.

Copying a minimalist aesthetic that relies heavily on open shelving or glass cabinets often backfires. Unless you maintain a museum-level organisation, it quickly turns into cluttered, high-maintenance chaos.

Hidden costs?

Electrics moved or upgraded. 

Some modern appliances require bigger cabling and even an upgrade to the fuse board. 

Preparation of walls, floors, and ceilings need to be accounted for. 

A common misconception - cabinets will hide the majority of the wall. 

Wall units may need extra fixings to accommodate weight capabilities.

Splashbacks need relatively flat surfaces. 

Tiled flooring requires sub-floor levelling. 

Concrete floors can be problematic, limiting where you place appliances, extraction, and sinks. Planning requirements and architect involvement pushes the price up.

Always worth speaking with experienced designers like ourselves early on in your project to take advice on all things relating to your new project.