Whether you are looking for modern contemporary, retro or traditional shaker style kitchens, we have a variety of kitchen suppliers that cover a vast array of requirements.
Kitchen trends come and go, so we follow the fashions and current styles, offering up to date and ‘on trend’ products.
This doesn’t always mean sleek and modern handleless, it can also mean traditional shaker as well.
Whether your home is Victorian, Edwardian or built in the 60’s or 70’s, we cater for all properties and styles alike.
Modern Handleless
There are various types of handleless kitchen cabinetry, as described below:
- Channel handles: These are metal channel rails that sit behind the doors and are fixed within the carcass of the units. You do not use the handle itself; you use the doors and drawer fronts to open the units that sit in front of the rail, creating a seamless hand space. This is what we call true handleless.
- J Handle: The J profile door has the handle incorporated the full width of the doors and drawers themselves. This is a finger groove in the tops of the doors that creates a ridge for opening.
- Cut in Handles: These come in various styles that are usually grooves/cut out from the doors themselves. This creates a sleek and seamless style and finish to the doors, allowing you to open and close with ease and simplicity.
- Touch Latch: Touch latches are another option that allow you to purchase standard kitchen doors and add a simple push/touch latch behind them. You simply push the doors, allowing them to spring out for access into the units. This simple system looks sleek but cannot be used on items such as fridge/freezers or DW’s and drawers. So, this option is often combined with some handles as well.
- Sensomatic: This is an electronic aid to opening doors and drawers. This allows for a mechanical opening of drawers, with a simple push, each drawer will open out with ease.
With Handles
With so many beautiful handle innovations, handles are back! You can decorate your kitchen and put your own style and stamp on it by choosing a simple kitchen door and placing an ornate or innovative knurled handle to set your own stunning creation. We have many suppliers that offer a huge range of handles, so be creative and inspire yourself.
Traditional Kitchens
Traditional kitchens are usually what we call an ‘In frame’, ‘shaker style’. Shaker is a traditional form of making kitchen cabinets, which consist of a framed style door using traditional mortice and tenon joints. The doors would traditionally be made with hardwood and sit within a hardwood outer frame. The doors are attached to this frame using traditional Butt hinges, creating a sturdy life-long frame and door system. These units were built for longevity, as traditionally you would have these units to last a lifetime. The most popular finish was a painted finish, as these could be rubbed down and painted time and time again.
You can also now have ‘Shaker Style’ kitchens. This is a more modern and simpler version of the original shaker. These are what we call ‘lay on doors’ these doors do not have the additional outer frame they just have the main framed door itself, which is attached to the carcass via a modern Blum hinge system. These doors can either be made with solid timber, or more often for the painted version, they are made using MDF. This material is great for longevity as it does not warp and again, you can rub down and re-paint the kitchen in the future if you want to.
With new innovations and bringing traditional methods into the 21st century the shaker kitchen has moved forward.
You may decide that you want an ‘In frame’ kitchen but find the detail too fussy, so now you can look at the ‘Slab’ in-frame style. This is the same traditional kitchen cabinetry methods but with a simple flat door, creating a sleek and modern feel. It really does bring the two together with style.
Alternatively, if you love the shaker style but do not want handles, you’ll be pleased to know that this has also been dealt with. You can now have a handleless finish using channel handles behind a shaker style door. This again brings the modern innovations working in harmony with the traditional styles.
