How To – Page 3 – Fitted Doors

Whether you’re getting a brand new fully fitted kitchen or a stylish makeover with made-to-measure replacement doors, your new kitchen will be a sizeable investment, one that means you’ll need to take time to make the right decision.

One of the hardest choices is deciding on the style of kitchen doors you want to install. With so many on the marketplace nowadays, it seems like the choices are endless. With recent manufacturing processes coming a long way, it’s possible to get practically any look, style or colour you like without blowing the budget. With so much choice on offer, where do you start?

By following this guide, you should be able to make an easier decision through a simple process of elimination and of course, personal preference!

Replacement Traditional Kitchen Doors with Existing Worktop

Existing Worktops & Hardware

If you do not plan to change the worktops, this will hugely influence the type of doors that will either compliment or clash with the existing counter. Older melamine worktops tend to cheapen the final finish, so if you can stretch the budget to replace them, got for it as this will give you far more options. Quartz overlays are a great way to improve existing worktops dramatically and do not cost the earth.

If however you only want change the doors, make sure the style and doors colours you pick work in harmony with the countertop pattern and colour. An older traditional style kitchen cannot be transformed into a sleek modern glossy design if the countertop simply doesn’t fit the style.

Likewise, if the worktops are a plain white, cream or beige tone, going bold won’t look good at all. Find a door that is essentially a more contemporary version of the style that you previously had – one that is timeless, simple and elegant.

White Kitchen Doors with Terracotta Tiles Still Looks Fabulous. Image credit: Decoist

Existing Floors & Tiling

Many homeowners forget just how much impact flooring has on the final finish in a kitchen. Some of the older lino’s date very quickly and rarely look good in any type of kitchen, especially if they’re in poor condition.

Ceramic or porcelain tiles are more timeless and with careful colour and style choices, can help to compliment the finished look. If you have classic terracotta tiles then you’ll be surprised how many colour choices work. A classic white shaker kitchen looks great contrasting against the tiled floor, as does natural wood grain or even greys or sage greens. Country style or traditional doors tend to work best here. Flat glossy doors simply do not belong with terracotta tiles.

If your flooring is more neutral in colour then consider yourself lucky as your door style options are far more broad.

Going Brightly Coloured in the Kitchen May be a Mistake. Image credit: Lavie Senior

Existing Colour Scheme

If you are going to change your kitchen doors, surely a fresh coat of paint is in order right? If not, choose your doors carefully.

Neutral coloured walls such as whites, greys or pale pastel shades should work with most styles as they are less likely to clash but if your walls are bright or have rich tones, you want to find a door style and colour to compliment the existing decorating. But really, if you are going to invest in new kitchen doors, surely a little extra expense on paint and a few hours of your time is well worth the investment in giving your kitchen the fresh lease of life is deserves?

A Beautiful Character Kitchen for a Cottage. Image credit: Character Cottages

Age of Property

It should go without saying that any kitchen you install should compliment the era and style of property you own. A quaint country cottage deserves a country style kitchen whilst a modern city apartment must have a contemporary kitchen for entertaining and impressing guests.

When it comes to your home and its age, there’s no special secret formula when it comes to kitchen style choice. Square pegs don’t fit in round holes, so go for a door style that befits your home. Trying to force a style into a space that doesn’t belong simply won’t work.

A Dark Kitchen in a Badly Lit Room Doesn’t Work. Image credit: Daily Mail

Interior Lighting

One common mistake homeowners make is a lack of consideration for the lighting in the kitchen area, whether natural or artificial. The style of doors you choose can impact how light reflects around the room so make sure you choose a door style and colour that reacts to the light in the room correctly.

A brightly lit kitchen might feel too bright if everything is white or fitted out with garish colours, on glossy flat doors. Oppositely, a dark and dingy kitchen will desperately need as much light it can get so avoid dark colours and flat painted doors that will only absorb light and make the whole room feel dark and small.

What You Like

At the end of the day, it’s your kitchen so have what you like!

One way of seeing how your kitchen may look is to have a specialist designer produce a 3D render of your kitchen, just to give you a better idea of how the space will look when finished. By doing so, you’ll instantly be abel to visualise the space and make an informed decision as to whether the doors styles you’ve chosen will work wonders or be a potential disaster.

7 Simple Ways to Transform any Tired Kitchen

No matter the size of your budget, the cost of replacing an entirely brand new kitchen is a sizeable investment. When you take into consideration to cost of the units, not to mention worktops, professional fitting plus necessary electrical and plumbing work, the final bill can reach well in excess of five figures. Money most people do not have to spend.

In most cases, the existing kitchen is reasonably functional but feels outdated, tired and most likely damaged and deteriorated from excessive use over many years. Do not despair however, as there are numerous ways to give your kitchen a new lease of life without breaking the bank.

A Simple Change of Hardware Can Transform Any Kitchen. Image credit: (http://ukskydivers.com/kitchen-cabinets-handles.html/kitchen-cabinets-handles-superb-home-decoration-ideas-with-kitchen-cabinets-handles-kitchen-zinc-alloy-cabinet) UK Skydivers

Update Your Hardware

Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can make a difference. You may find that the actual doors in your kitchen still look reasonably good yet the hardware is dated, old fashioned and showing signs of age.

By changing the hardware to compliment the existing doors, you will be surprised just how much this will give the kitchen a different look. By tossing away old fashioned brass, wooden knobs or handles and replacing them with more modern chrome or brushed nickel hardware, any kitchen will look a million dollars.

To complete the simple makeover, try replacing the hinges to brand new soft closing mechanisms and suddenly, you have a kitchen you can love again – all on a shoestring budget.

Repainting Kitchen Cupboards Will Bring Them Back to Life. Image credit: Pinterest

Repaint the Doors & Drawers

Most DIY stores now stock specialist paints to recolour kitchen cabinet doors. It’s a little bit of a messy job but if you have the means and patience, repainted kitchen doors and drawers will look practically brand new with a lick of paint.

By choosing a simple colour palette such as whites, greys or pale creams, you can virtually make any style of doors look as though it was purchased last week. And the great thing is, its very quick and cheap to achieve.

Replacing the Doors Looks Like a Newly Fitted Kitchen. Image credit: BA Kitchens

Replace the Doors & Drawers

If your doors are badly damaged and are ready for the scrap heap, your next best option is to replace just the doors and drawer fronts, rather than the entire units. Again, this route costs a lot less than you may think and by replacing the doors, you can literally make your kitchen look as though it was professionally refitted.

What this option does is gives you infinite options without interfering with the existing kitchen, so there’s no mess and no hassle. You don’t even need to empty the cupboards!

You can go from having an old fashioned, outdated kitchen to a modern, sleek design in no time at all. Or you can stick to your preferred styles whether traditional, country or contemporary and have a kitchen that feels just a little bit more up-to-date than before.

Quartz Overlay Gives An Expensive Looking Finish.

Change the Worktops

Sometimes your kitchen units aren’t the main cause of the kitchen feeling dated and unloved. Cheaper laminate worktops can start to peel away and chip with age and over time, this will start to look so bad that the final kitchen feels like it’s been neglected for a considerable time.

Nowadays, you can replace worktops by using cost effective quartz overlays which look stunning and will make any kitchen look incredible. Quartz is a man-made material that is hard and looks as good as granite, at times better and will remove the cheapness that laminate worktops tend to achieve.

This change alone can transform a kitchen and really bring it back to life!

A Subway Tile Backsplash is Cost Effective & Modern. Image credit: HGTV

Fit a New Backsplash

Old tiles that have discoloured over time will always cheapen and date the finished look of your kitchen. But with a small investment in some good quality tiles, you can give it a big lift.

Lower cost options such as subway tiles are very popular as they look great in practically any kitchen and with their timeless design, won’t date like some trends from the past. Choose tiles that compliment or contrast in colour with your cabinets and worktops and you’ll be onto a winning formula that will make your kitchen pop.

Simple Contrasting Colours Will Make Any Kitchen Pop. Image credit: Designing Idea

Repaint the Walls

When’s the last time you actually gave your kitchen a fresh coat of paint? If it was several years, then it’s time to get the paint rollers and trays to the ready!

A fresh coat of paint will do wonders to your kitchen and by choosing the right colours, will bring it back to life for sure. If your cabinets are light such as white or pale grey, perhaps choose a wall colour that is darker to contrast with the units and make them really jump out. Don’t go crazy with colour. Stick to a simple palette with just a few shades and your kitchen will achieve a look that is coherent and will last for many years.

A Fully Refurbished Modern Kitchen. Image credit: The Blooming Hydrangea

All of the Above

If you have the means, try any or all of the above suggestions and you will undoubtedly take your kitchen from the dark ages into the modern era. All of these suggestions require a little elbow grease and some expense but overall, they are a far cheaper route than replacing your kitchen entirely and will achieve the exact same results.

Category: How To

How to choose the right style doors for your kitchen