Kitchen Chronicles Part Two – I'm comparing high street vs online suppliers to see just how far smart choices (and a little patience) can stretch a budget

Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on decorating a home to suit a busy family life while sticking to your aesthetic values, too. See the rest of her articles here.

The kitchen mission moves forward, and my hunt for the dream continues… along with the ongoing challenge of convincing my husband Tom that renovating is the smartest move. But we live in hope.

In my quest for home happiness, I wanted to share what I’ve learned so far. I initially started this article as a pros and cons list, but realised that kind of info is easy to find elsewhere. Instead, I rolled up my sleeves: I booked appointments, made countless phone calls, played with online design software, and spoke directly with the companies themselves. I’ve done the legwork, visited showrooms, had online design meetings, and even mapped out kitchen layouts for my own space to give you a realistic sense of pricing, customer service and overall options across the companies featured.

So here it is… my analysis of high street versus online kitchen companies, showing how each one might suit different styles, budgets, and needs.

IKEA: Stylish Kitchens Without the Hefty Price Tag

IKEA is a favourite for stylish, budget-friendly kitchens, with versatile designs that suit modern or classic spaces. Between showrooms, online 3D planners, and kitchen specialists, it’s easy to bring your vision to life – plus, there’s an optional installation service if you’d rather skip the assembly.

For my current kitchen plans, I used IKEA’s online planner tool to design and cost the kitchen itself. A LERHYTTAN black shaker kitchen would cost around £6,500 based on units only, excluding fitting, worktops, appliances, and white goods. Using the online software it’s fairly straightforward to use and customise, though you still need to factor in items like plinths, fittings, and finishing touches. That said, having previously walked into an IKEA store with a kitchen plan scribbled on the back of a takeaway packet for a previous home design, I can vouch for their excellent in-store support. Somehow the planning assistant was able to translate my rough sketch, add all the necessary items, and arrange delivery for the very next day - the customer service is pretty impressive!

And t’s important to remember the trade-offs. IKEA cabinets are primarily made from coated MDF rather than real wood, and while functional, there’s limited scope for bespoke colours or custom cabinet sizes. There are also no door samples, so you’ll need to see the ranges in-store unless you purchase a full door. Over time, IKEA materials can show wear more quickly compared to higher-end alternatives, and finishes are understandably more limited than fully bespoke kitchens.

My Conclusion

Ultimately, IKEA is a smart choice if you want a stylish, functional kitchen on a budget and are happy to accept a few compromises on customisation and long-term durability. It’s speedy, affordable, and versatile, perfect for those who want a balance of style and practicality without the bespoke price tag.

Personally IKEA isn’t the right fit at the moment because we need durability, flexibility, and long-lasting quality as our family grows.

Magnet: High-Street Showroom Experience

Magnet is one of the UK’s most established kitchen high street brands, offering a wide range of styles from Shaker to contemporary, with plenty of options for colours, handles, and layouts.

For this one, I visited a local Magnet showroom, which is an advantage as you can see some of the ranges in person, feel the materials, and discuss plans. I had a lovely design assistant who went through the basics with me, however I did have to wait while she designed the layout, which was largely based on the ideas I brought along, so there wasn’t much creative input from the Magnet side itself.

The kitchen design we came up with combined the Reed (a mid range kitchen) and Brunswick (a core / standard range) with costs coming in around £28,500. This is for units only, excluding fitting, worktops, appliances, and white goods.

My Conclusion

One of the main advantages of Magnet is the full-service offering. They tie in with worktop and appliance companies, and you can even book installation through Magnet’s professional team, making it easier to get the whole project handled in one place. But! Although the ranges are marketed as ‘wood’, most are actually veneer. This can look great, but isn’t as durable or repairable as solid wood. Customisation is limited, there’s no paint-matching service, and overall, the price feels high for the quality and finish you get.

So bearing this in mind, Magnet wouldn’t be my top choice. While the showroom experience is helpful and convenient, I’m looking for a kitchen that offers more flexibility, bespoke options, and long-lasting quality.

Smile Kitchens: High-Quality Online Experience

Smile Kitchens is a UK-based company specialising in high-quality, made-to-order kitchens. Operating entirely online, they focus on bespoke design, solid timber doors, and personalised support, making it possible to create a luxury kitchen from the comfort of your sofa.

After stumbling upon Smile on Instagram, I worked closely with the amazing Corinne from the Smile team over several Zoom design appointments and via email and I found the process really enjoyable. As my role as a designer it suited me being able to get involved in the design creation from the start. I was sent a full sample box with several different door and colour options, design amendments are unlimited, and the level of personal support throughout was amazing. It genuinely feels like a tailored, one-on-one experience with someone who really gets the personal needs of you and your family set up.

For my kitchen using the Vård range (which is one of the top spec kitchens) the kitchen would cost around £18,500 for the units (cost based on units only – excludes fitting, worktops, appliances, and white goods). The solid shaker-style timber doors are painted to a luxury finish, and they allow you to add worktops, handles, accessories, and even tie in ordering through AO.com, making it possible to manage the entire kitchen in one place.

From a creative point of view a real highlight for me is their extensive colour offerings. Alongside their standard colour range and the ability to colour match, Smile Kitchens recently collaborated with Dominic Skinner to launch The Colours Behind the Smile, a series of five limited-edition collections showcasing vibrant, bold, and unique shades. I haven’t seen many kitchen companies showcase personality and colour in this way before.

The main drawback is that Smile Kitchens don't have physical showrooms, which can make it harder for some people to visualise the finished kitchen. You also need to measure your space yourself and coordinate with an external kitchen fitter, leaving some room for error. The process requires more upfront planning, and there’s no company representative to come and double-check the space size itself.

My Conclusion

Overall, if you can get your head around not being able to see examples of kitchen ranges in a showroom, Smile Kitchens is a strong option. Actual samples and a highly collaborative design process, including 3D renders and video visualisations, make it easy to bring your kitchen to life. For anyone willing to embrace the online approach, with high-quality finishes at a reasonable price point it’s a really strong choice.

For me, Smile Kitchens seem like a really strong option. The quality, flexibility, and personal support make it feel like a luxury, bespoke kitchen, but with the convenience and efficiency of an online service. It’s a strong contender.

Elevating IKEA with Naked Doors

If you’re open to a hybrid approach then using IKEA Metod on the inside with something more luxurious on the outside could be the option for you. Using a company that makes doors for standard IKEA carcasses can be a clever solution to a higher quality and more bespoke kitchen. Having used Naked Doors in our last kitchen renovation, I wanted to explore pairing IKEA units with external doors and trims to achieve a more bespoke, high-end look without the full bespoke price tag.

Naked Doors provides made-to-order cabinet fronts that turn standard units into bespoke, high-quality kitchens. With a wide range of styles, finishes, and colours, their doors are solidly built and highly customisable and they offer an online or showroom process.

For my kitchen, this combination would cost around £15,300: approximately £3,000 for the IKEA Method carcasses plus around £12,300 for Painted Shaker and Glazed Fronts doors - based on units only and excluding fitting, worktops, appliances, and white goods.

Naked Doors are great when it comes to design flexibility. Their doors use solid hardwood frames with veneered panels or solid oak for glazed doors, giving a robust, high-quality feel. The online planner and sample ordering system make it easier to visualise your kitchen and nail the colour and style choices before committing. While they have fewer physical showrooms (two in London and one in Norfolk), their system guides you through the design process and helps reduce the usual headaches that can come with mixing two suppliers. I used the online planning tool to design the kitchen and spoke with a team member about the process and support, including the option to send your brief to a design assistant who can turn it into a full plan with a detailed cost breakdown.

Though this approach isn’t without its challenges. It can be a bit fiddly, and success depends on accurate measurements, good installer coordination, and careful planning around lead times. Costs can also add up once everything is combined, so it’s worth being realistic about your budget. Other companies like Plykea, Superfront, and Cut My also offer doors to fit standard IKEA or Howdens carcasses, giving more options if you want a similar approach.

My Conclusion

Overall, I think this hybrid route is a smart way to create a luxury finish for less. Naked Doors blends bespoke craftsmanship with the convenience of online ordering, offering a more flexible, higher-quality option than IKEA alone… but it does require a bit of time, effort and planning to pull it off successfully.

From my perspective, this hybrid approach with Naked Doors is really tempting and a strong option, but being time poor as it is, I would need to weigh the extra effort, coordination, and cost before committing.

Howdens: Reliable Trade Quality

Howdens is a well-established name in the kitchen market, known for its trade-only model and solid, reliable cabinetry. While you can’t buy directly as a customer, your builder or fitter can source and design the kitchen through a local depot, which can make the process smooth if you already have someone you trust managing your project.

I spoke to the team at my local Howdens to explore my options. Because I have an interiors business I’m able to go directly to them and visit the local branch to see the options. For my kitchen, based on the Ilfracombe range, the cost comes to around £21,000 for units only, excluding fitting, worktops, appliances, and white goods. The Ilfracombe range is one of the more premium ranges and offers a classic, painted shaker design that feels durable and timeless, with a good range of colours and finishes to choose from. The quality of the carcasses is solid, and the finish is robust compared to some other high-street options.

The key benefit of Howdens is convenience. They hold stock locally across the country, meaning lead times are quick, and if anything needs replacing or adjusting, it’s easy to get parts through the depot. However, as everything runs through your tradesperson, you have less direct involvement in the design and quoting stages, and the final cost often depends on your tradesperson’s trade discount and markup.

My Conclusion

Overall, Howdens offers dependable quality and efficiency, but you’re relying on your tradesperson to get the details right. There’s less control over the design process, and costs can vary depending on trade discounts. That said, if you have a good contractor you trust, it’s a really solid option.

In my view, it’s a dependable choice with good quality and a fast turnaround — definitely a contender.

In the end, choosing the right kitchen brand really depends on how you like to work and what matters most for you personally, whether it’s budget, flexibility, design input, or hands-on service. Each option has its strengths, from the convenience of high-street showrooms to the creativity and value of online specialists. For me, it’s about finding that balance between quality, personalisation, and practicality… the sweet spot where design meets everyday life.

So the question is which supplier will I be going with? And more importantly, will Tom buy into my vision? Stay tuned to find out soon.