Comparing bespoke kitchen design services — what to look for

The hardest part of buying a bespoke kitchen is comparing one designer to the next. A fitted kitchen comes with a parts list and a price. A bespoke kitchen comes with a relationship and a process. The questions below are the ones that separate one from the next.

A surprising number of "bespoke" kitchens are designed by one company and made by another. Both are legitimate, but they are different products. Ask where the cabinets are physically built. Visit if you can. The workshop tells you more than the showroom.

If the designer's team installs the kitchen, the install is their reputation on the line. If a sub-contractor installs, the designer hopes for the best. Ask. Both are common; only one closes the loop.

A first sketch on the back of a measure-up is good. A printed 3D render in the showroom is better. A walk-around CGI of your room with your finishes is best. The design tool tells you the firm's depth.

Eight weeks is not a lead time, it is a number. Ask what changes if you push past it. Will the doors arrive late from the painter? Will the worktop cure properly? Lead time is a process not a deadline.

Free is standard for the first visit. After that the firms diverge. Some charge a refundable deposit before they detail the design; some absorb it. There is no right answer; there is a clear answer one way or the other.

Ten years on cabinetry is common. The detail that matters: who fixes it if a hinge fails in year eight? The original supplier, ideally, with the original carcass dimensions on file. Otherwise it becomes a replacement instead of a repair.

The right designer for your kitchen is the one whose process matches the kitchen you want. If you would like to compare us against another studio, the design visit is free and we will answer every question on the first call.