Perfectly fitted kitchens for £70

Ey up my faithful blogworms, Just recently completed a tricky little install in a weird shaped kitchen...... The advantages of custom sized units is clear for projects like this.

Our customers choice was a kitchen from our Eco2 range, giving us soft close everything and the ability to make units any size we like.

Remember my earlier blog "Small but perfectly formed for a tenner"..... 1 dimension change costs a tenner !

On this kitchen we're fighting round a pillar and under the staircase to upstairs, big beam in the way and the back door opens very close to the end of the run.

The wall unit under the beam is an odd size to ensure a perfect fit, filling the space and giving continuity to the run.

The last base unit on the left is 660mm long, 320mm deep and 720mm high. 2 dimension changes make the unit tuck in nicely, clear the back door ( to the left ) and maximise the use of that space.

The diagonal corner base going under the stairs is squeezed down to 850mm x 850mm to make sure it goes in and a short false wall panel behind it, blocks the slope off nice and square to give a useable section of worktop and a huge storage cupboard in, what would have been, dead space.

As you can see sneaking in at the top right of the picture, the wall unit to the right of the hood ( visible in the picture above ) has been made shorter in height and wider to provide better storage and brought down to level across the bottom so everything still lines through. There is a useable space above it for jars, pots etc.

All the other units used are pretty much standard sizes, so by just bespoke building certain units the rest fall into place and it only costs the tenner for each dimension change on the ones that need it. 

With the few units we made bespoke only costing £70 in total for modifications, you get a kitchen that is perfectly fitted, no space wasted, storage volume maximised and importantly, it looks right when finished and no stupid, unnecessary filler panels panels banged in everywhere because nothing fits properly !!! You can't tell me that's not worth £70 !!

Bespoke done properly is not expensive, very effective and well worth doing. If only all kitchens were done this way .... the Milestone way ... the world would be full of better fitting kitchens but until then, if you want it doing right, we need to talk !!

Modern traditional thinking.

Ey up my faithful blogworms, subtle indicators in the market are giving us the impression that  'old school' kitchens are on their way back in certain quarters. A bit more traditional style and old fashioned values seem to be gathering momentum, so we're having a punt on using those ideas and bringing them into contemporary kitchen furniture.

A bit like this: 

Our display is very new, as you can see, we've not decided on handles yet ! It's not meant to be 'handleless' we're just thinking about what to use.

It's a simple 'wide stile and rail' Shaker door in two shades, Dakar & Olive for a subtle two tone look rather than use two totally different colours.

Bringing back the good old fashioned Belfast sink, always great for washing large pans in that don't fit in your dishwasher, we've found a quartz worktop that has the appearance of a traditional Carrara marble with out the drawbacks of marble being soft and porous but still keeping that certain look.

For us, though, the thing that really pulls it together is the tiling. We've chosen a really old style, seemingly random, mix. A style more in keeping with Victorian kitchens but brand new and a hand made range from Marlborough Tiles called Harlequin. We absolutely love it ! You buy a box of 28 tiles, all different, and mix them as you fit them. 

It's a look that we feel really works as the kitchen units and tops are quite plain in design allowing the tiles to do the work as the 'Wow' Feature. 

It's only been in the showroom window a few days now but we're staggered at the interest being generated by it. Who knows we may have hit a seam here, you do get one every so often that captures the imagination ..... this may just be it !

What do you think ?

From Milestone, it's available everywhere, if this really floats your boat, we'll travel anywhere to either deliver it or deliver & fit it for you, you only have to ask !

Traditionally. Jules

Recycle More Sunscreen

Ey up my faithful blogworms, 

This week, I was searching through my archives for something else when I found this.

If you remember the "Sunscreen" song by Baz Luhrmann that was released as a single in 1999, I thought it would make a great basis for re-writing it as a recycling anthem. It took me absolutely hours to do as songwriting really isn't my bag but came up with the version you see below. 

Must admit I'm really chuffed with what I achieved, here it is, see what you think.

I would love someone to pick this up and let's have a go a recreating the song only using my words instead. No idea how to go about it but I'm hoping someone out there in the blogosphere will and would be willing to give it a go. 

Music has always held the power to get a message across to a larger audience. Recycling and a green lifestyle is potentially more important now than ever before. It would be fab to have an anthem to bring people together. 

Get in touch if you can help, It would make my year !

Jules