Cost, honestly
What a bespoke kitchen actually costs
I will not publish a headline figure, because a number without a room behind it is meaningless and every studio that quotes one qualifies it later. What I can do is show you exactly how the price is built up, so that when a quotation arrives you can read it rather than trust it.
Where the money goes
The carcass
The boxes nobody sees. Moisture resistant board, edged and machined for the exact hardware being fitted. It is a modest share of the total and the worst place to save, because every other component hangs off it.
The fronts
The largest single variable. Sprayed matte lacquer, real timber veneer laid up to run continuously across a bank of drawers, or fluted and grooved work all sit at very different numbers. A handleless design adds machining and adds hardware.
Stone
Priced by slab, not by metre, so a book-matched island in a dramatic natural stone can cost several times a quartz worktop of the same size. Waterfall ends, mitred edges and integrated drainers each consume more slab.
Hardware
Blum throughout: LEGRABOX drawers, AVENTOS lift systems, BLUMOTION soft close and SERVO-DRIVE where a front has no handle. A meaningful line item, and the one you feel every day.
Appliances
Not part of my quote unless you ask me to procure them, but they shape the joinery. Tall integrated units, wide hobs and extraction routes are decided at drawing stage.
Installation
Done by me, not subcontracted. Levelling, scribing to walls that are never square, and final adjustment of every door and drawer once the room has settled.
What moves the number most
Handleless runs
Beautiful, and more expensive. The reveal has to be machined precisely and the motion has to be assisted so the front opens with a touch.
Continuous grain
Matching veneer across a long run means buying and sequencing more material than the area suggests, and accepting more offcut.
Tall storage
Floor to ceiling joinery costs more per metre than base units, but usually removes the need for a separate pantry.
Reconfiguration
Moving plumbing, gas or extraction is not joinery, but it lands in your budget. It is cheaper to decide this before drawings are signed off.
Lead times
Rushing a stone order or an imported finish is the most expensive way to save a fortnight. Three to five months is a comfortable programme.
The most useful thing you can do before asking anyone for a price is to decide what the room has to do. Two kitchens of identical size, one a handleless island in book-matched stone and the other a quiet galley in veneer, are different commissions with different numbers. Send me your plans and I will tell you where your budget will actually be felt.