Adding handles to a handleless kitchen

Rosa_Damascena

It's a good sized kitchen and clearly an investment for previous owners. Many would be envious!

I'm not a fan of gloss nor handle-less kitchens, but I would live with it for a year at least before making any grand plans. If you're desperate for a change you can de-clutter the surfaces and change the wall colour as Doozer has suggested. 

Silvertabby

Rosa_Damascena said:

It's a good sized kitchen and clearly an investment for previous owners. Many would be envious!

I'm not a fan of gloss nor handle-less kitchens, but I would live with it for a year at least before making any grand plans. If you're desperate for a change you can de-clutter the surfaces and change the wall colour as Doozer has suggested. 

This.  If you feel that you can't live with the kitchen as it is, you certainly won't be able to live with it if you bodge the handle fitting/painting.  

GDB2222

My daughter got some replacement doors made by one of the specialist firms - about £30 each.   Do you know what make the kitchen is?

twopenny

You could buy a door handle or two and blue tac them on to see what the effect is.
I'd put them closer to the edge by a tad than you'd normally do but if you have some to experiment with that will answer.
I think you could get away with it. 
I'd prefer handles in a kitchen as I'm in and out in a hurry often.

mountainMJ

Thanks for all your comments. It's a Howdens kitchen. I'm getting someone to quote replacing the doors soon so hopefully that will be useful too

Rosa_Damascena

mountainMJ said:

Thanks for all your comments. It's a Howdens kitchen. I'm getting someone to quote replacing the doors soon so hopefully that will be useful too

How is it you've got funds to spare after a recent move? Do you have some MSE trick we need to know about?

d0nkeyk0ng

Doozergirl said:

I get it though, but in honestly I'd use my interior design skills to improve what is around the kitchen.  The stark white contradicts the very creaminess of the kitchen.   I'd soften it up, use a soft but colourful tile to tile both the backsplashes and *all* of the window wall to the door.  I'd include removing the stainless splashback in that.  It allows your tiles to start to talk as much as the units, if not more. 

I'd repaint using some sort of light pastel and include the ceilings so the lightwell walls can have a lovely warm colour to them, or wallpaper would work really well. 

 

Perhaps I should employ an interior designer. SWMBO gets overloaded with stuff from youtube, pinterest, instagram etc and becomes indecisive.

Doozergirl

d0nkeyk0ng said:

Doozergirl said:

I get it though, but in honestly I'd use my interior design skills to improve what is around the kitchen.  The stark white contradicts the very creaminess of the kitchen.   I'd soften it up, use a soft but colourful tile to tile both the backsplashes and *all* of the window wall to the door.  I'd include removing the stainless splashback in that.  It allows your tiles to start to talk as much as the units, if not more. 

I'd repaint using some sort of light pastel and include the ceilings so the lightwell walls can have a lovely warm colour to them, or wallpaper would work really well. 

 

Perhaps I should employ an interior designer. SWMBO gets overloaded with stuff from youtube, pinterest, instagram etc and becomes indecisive.

That wouldn't be a bad thing at all.  Seems a shame to spend time and money on new doors etc.   A full height end panel is something like £200 on its own - you could do a lot collectively  to the room for the price of doors, which is where of the value is.    What you have isn't offensive, it just isn't a very interesting room right now.  

FreeBear

plumb1_2 said:

Ya painting would be a time consuming job and imo never look good.
Have you thought about vinyl wrapping it ?

Having lived with vinyl wrap for 4 years, it is OK for a quick make-over. I'm finding the stuff is peeling back where it is subjected to heat (each side of the oven & above a plinth heater).

plumb1_2

FreeBear said:

Having lived with vinyl wrap for 4 years, it is OK for a quick make-over. I'm finding the stuff is peeling back where it is subjected to heat (each side of the oven & above a plinth heater).

I agree but far better than a diy Paint job. With the op having to change 20+ doors will be expensive.
I’ve just fitted a bog standard kitchen 7 units plus appliances from howdens £2k in a house going up for sale. Prices have gone up a lot.