Top UK Kitchen Companies: What you need to know & how to decide between them
UK kitchen brands - Image: @wrenkitchens
We’re so lucky here in the UK that we have so many lovely kitchen companies to choose from, but it can be really hard to navigate making a choice if you don’t know where to start. Each of them has its own pros and cons, different price ranges, reputations and other things to consider such as warranties. So, as we always want to help guide you through your renovation and home choices, we’re doing the hard work for you.
In this guide, we’re listing DIY Kitchens, IKEA, Howdens, Wren Kitchens, Benchmarx, DeVOL, Neptune and Tom Howley in roughly ascending price order, so, if you have an idea of your budget range then you can jump to the appropriate section.
Read on for the lowdown on the top UK kitchen companies…
DIY Kitchens
We love DIY Kitchens as a British-made, budget-friend option when you’re looking to fit a new kitchen.
They offer over 200 different combinations of door style, colours and finishes so price can be dependent on the choices you make but here are some guide prices to get you started.
Price - The most affordable range costs £917 + VAT which is for a single row of units and Shaker kitchens are £1,050 + VAT for the same run of units. The other 7 ranges follow at a few hundred pounds more. L-shape kitchens start at £1,037 + VAT, U-shape is at £1,500 + VAT and the full U-shape with island starts at £2,070 + VAT.
Delivery - comes in at £99 + VAT for a two-person team
Guarantee - a big plus point, DIY Kitchens offer 25 years across the range.
If you want the lowdown, check out our DIY Kitchens price list.
DIY Kitchens - image: @diykitchens
IKEA
We all know the Scandinavian home chain as being the go-to for low price points, great design and reliable quality, which is what makes their kitchen ranges so popular. Luckily, IKEA base prices on each component so you can pick exactly what you want to suit your budget and taste.
Fitting - IKEA kitchens come flat-packed so you’ll need to consider the cost of fitting on top of your kitchen total. Checkatrade lists the average price of IKEA kitchen installation at £1,500.
Price - As it stands, an average family-sized L-shaped kitchen in a classic shaker style will set you back around £4,400* And a simple single-sided formation costs around £3,800*
*obtained through IKEA quick quoter
Warranty - IKEA actually do really well here, offering a 25 year warranty on their basic METOD range but appliances etc are different so be sure to read the small print.
Learn more about IKEA kitchens pricing works.
Ikea Kitchen - image: @ikeauk
Howdens
We’ve long been fans of Howdens kitchens here at Fifi McGee and they’re a sensible choice for a mid-range quality kitchen.
Unfortunately, they can be mighty hard to find a price for, because, like with Benchmarx (below), Howdens only supplies to the trades so your final price will be made up of the cost of the actual kitchen plus whatever your tradesperson charges for fitting plus the profit they make.
The price your tradesperson will pay for the kitchen you choose will change between regions but the good thing with Howdens is that, if you’re shopping around for quotes, your tradesperson can ask for ‘like for like’ price matching.
Take a look at this post if you’re looking for a Howdens price list.
Howdens kitchen - image: @howdensjoinery
Benchmarx
As with Howdens above, Benchmarx also only supply to the trades so your quote will come from the same basis of ‘cost of kitchen plus fitting plus profit’.
Benchmarx also has varying prices between the 140 different branches, so it’s worth going for the free consultation to determine if the brand is a serious option for you.
What we can tell you is that they’re a mid-range kitchen brand and will roughly come in around the same (emphasis on ‘roughly’) as Howdens to give you an idea to get you started.
Read this is you’re looking for a Benchmarx price list.
Benchmarx kitchen - image: @benchmarxkitchens
Wren Kitchens
Wren is a great mid-range option with a huge variety of styles and appliances to choose from. Unlike Howdens and Benchmarx, you don’t necessarily need to go through tradespeople as they do a direct-to-the-public sales process. Another upside of Wren is the clear pricing, so you can an easy call on whether they’re a contender for your kitchen provider.
Prices - Wren Kitchens have four ranges, each with their own price point, but here are some base figures to use as a gauge:
Vogue Flat Pack - £1,796 (£5,368 with installation)
Infinity - £3,154 (£6,365 with installation)
Infinity Plus - £4,671 (£7,882 with installation)
Wren has also just introduced a new ‘Easy-Fit’ range which looks to be priced between Vogue and Infinity but they aren’t providing it as part of their price estimator just yet.
A large Infinity Plus averages at £14,094.10 with installation just to give you an idea of the span of prices.
Fitting - Wren can also quote on installations which land at £1,877 for an average kitchen for the dry fit only.
Guarantee - Wren offer between 15 and 25 years between their ranges which is pretty impressive.
Take a look at this post for a complete Wren Kitchens price breakdown.
Wren kitchen - image: @wrenkitchen
DeVOL
Although more upmarket, DeVOL kitchens are absolutely beautiful and totally deserving of their price tag. Similar to Neptune and Tom Howley discussed below, DeVOL specialise in traditional wooden shaker kitchens which are beautifully handcrafted and built to last a lifetime.
Luckily, DeVOL publish guide prices on their website so here’s an idea of what you’d be looking at if you have your heart set on one.
Prices - Although price vary between ranges, you can make a solid bet on the £15k-£50k price range with the full classic kitchen going up to £70k.
Here’s the run down of the ranges on offer:
The Real Shaker Kitchen £18k-£50k
The Classic English Kitchen £30k-£70k
The Sebastian Cox £15k-£30k
The Haberdashers Kitchen £30k-£50k
The Design Service is free so you can work with a specialist to get to a figure and design that works for you. The brand also works with great appliance names so you can increase or decrease your price according to what you want.
We’ve written all about DeVOL pricing in this post.
Devol kitchen - image: @devolkitchens
Neptune
Think of Neptune as the crème de la crème of the classic Shaker kitchen. Unlike some of the other brands in this guide, Neptune don’t stipulate prices for each component, so it can be a little more difficult to figure out if it might be in your price range. Instead, you work with a dedicated design specialist to realise the kitchen of your dreams and go from there.
Prices - Initial design appointments are free, so you can figure out if it’s a contender without paying anything.
The ‘full design service’ costs £350 which involves an in-person consultation, professional measuring and digital modelling.
As a guide, cabinets alone will start around £8k. A (very) rough idea of price range for cabinets, appliances and the other essentials is around £25k-£50k.
Warranty - This is one of the biggest green flags for Neptune as they offer a lifetime warranty.
Read all about Neptune kitchens costs and more.
Neptune kitchen - image: @neptunehomeofficial
Tom Howley
Much like Neptune, Tom Howley quintessentially British, they work with swish appliance brands and use the best woods for their cabinets so the price point is on the higher end of the scale. Tom Howley don’t do prices based on components, they work on the overall kitchen as it’s a bespoke service.
Prices - The base price that your quote will be built off is £30k but you can expect this to be significantly higher once appliances and design etc are added on. If you have a healthy chunk of budget to play with, then Tom Howley tends to come in at around £60k-£80k total.
Warranty - Tom Howley work with a 10 year warranty across all of their kitchens. Although this is a little shorter than some competitors, the quality speaks for itself and you know it’s a kitchen-for-life kind of investment.
Get the lowdown on Tom Howley kitchen ranges and costs.
Tom Howley Kitchen - @tomhowleykitchens
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