Glossy kitchens - cupboard curtains

[idun]

Gluestick mentioned glossy kitchens on another thread and made me think of french friends we visited a few weeks ago on our last visit, AND a photo I saw of a french kitchen yesterday.

Yesterday I was looking at carrelage on french web sites and one showed what I thought, lovely tiles, and all the kitchen base cupboards were curtained.

I used to know quite a lot of people in France,with curtains instead of doors, certainly not my cup of tea, at all.

And these french friends have just had a new glossy kitchen put in. Really really bright and glossy, it is. She said to me that they had changed it, as the old one was oak, which as I knew, doesn't last, it goes rotten, and these new doors in MDF will last far longer, said as if it were the written in stone, and I knew better than to say anything at all to the contrary.

They are happy and that is what counts.

 

[Chancer]

Curtains are usually because the landlord has just provided the required minimum basic meuble sous évier without even doors! They then buy carcasses which are cheap and add curtains which they can take with them when they move.

 

I have glossy black kitchens in the first flats, look great in the photos and look great when guests arrive so they do the job I wanted but they are awfull to keep clean, just a change in the angle of the sun shows all the smears you have made cleaning. Luckily so few people actually use the kitchens despite them being my USP.

 

Foil covered mdf doors dont last 10 seconds, even if there is not a kettle underneath the foil covering can shrink back, its especially true of the glossy ones.

 

Oak going rotten, my ar5e, I have renovated 400 year old oak lych gates and only had to replace the bottom rail where water had been sitting in the mortises, I bet they got really shafted on the price of an installed kitchen, I have known people pay 30% of the value of their French hovel for a very basic cheap fitted kitchen, the ones with the curtains are the smart ones.

[Gluestick]

Old Oak goes rotten? Oh dear oohh dear me! Perhaps we ought to advise the trustee for HMS Victory?

Perhaps I had better replace all the old oak beams in the house with MDF, then?[:-))]

Just hope the water doesn't hit the MDF and blow it as it does on nasty kitchen units.

France has loads of oak trees still. That's why it is a commonly used native hardwood.

Nothing looks better to me than Oak, (or if one can afford it, or has just won the Euro Lottery!) Walnut or even Mahogany kitchen units: nothing will last longer, either.

Problem today is people are bored quickly and this constant makeover fetish is a symptom of troubled minds and spirits and the constant fruitless drive to seek some form of fulfilment, I believe.

[Chancer]

I dont like oak when it darkens with age, I should of course because it is a noble wood and we should revere its age just as enlightened societies revere the wisdom of their elders.

I believe that once a beautifull piece of oak furniture has been "relooked" then it has been despoiled, especially the current scabby chic "upcycling" (how I hate that word" trend on the TV.

I use liming wax which does a really good job of lightening dark woods whilst retaining and enhancing their character.

[lindal1000]

We were looking at the Brico shed kitchens the other day for the rental property that we in the process of acquiring, and compared to what was available 5 years ago it's really come on. Similar range to B & Q and comparable with Ikea prices (I don't know the current B&Q prices to compare). Fitted kitchens do seem to have finally taken off in France, and, as in UK, the cost seems to be in the fitting and installation, which pretty much doubles or triples the cost.

As to wood or MDF..If you want your kitchen to last 25 years or more, then solid oak hand built cupboards will probably do the trick but you might be fed up with the look by then!

[idun]

Strangely my friends husband is an engineer, an old fashioned industrial engineer who kept things very important things working, who can, as some can, turn his hand to anything at all. I suspect that all this was to make to the lady of the house happy and nothing else, as they had had the old one, hand made oak, for well over 30 years.

Curtains were never just landlords in my old village. I knew plenty of people who had curtained cupboards, buying that 'provencial' fabric from the market to re do it from time to time. Tiled work surfaces and curtains, not my cup of tea.

Strangely my old neighbours have redone their home, all really really modern, (wish they had said they were ridding themselves of a couple of bits of oak furniture which were not that 'french look' and highly original). And the only room not done is the oak kitchen, but I would imagine that it may be by the next time I am back, or maybe not.

[Chancer]

Spot on Lindal.

 

My gloss black ones were second hand on E-bay about 5 years ago, they were as new and less than a year old, being changed for the next "must have" look, I paid too much but managed to make 2 large kitchens for the studios, I was peeved to see Brico-depot selling them soon after but I got the couple of extra doors I needed from them and they are good quality as far as any of them can be.

 

The last phase I used dirt cheap Polish kitchens from E-bay, they cost £250 a pop, the addition of a €99 decent oak worktop and some laminate flooring as a credence and they look superb.

 

[IMG]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/jr7man/Coquelicotel/Appartement%204/CIMG3336_zpsy7n7uyl0.jpg[/IMG]

 

[IMG]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/jr7man/Coquelicotel/Appartement%204/CIMG3350_zpshzkieg7z.jpg[/IMG]

 

[IMG]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/jr7man/Coquelicotel/Appartement%204/CIMG3339_zpsrnnppo0l.jpg[/IMG]

 

The worktops I tried varnishing the rear face first and they turned almost black [:(] so after some experimentation I used a white coloured varnish which was then rubbed off leaving it in the grain like a liming wax and then a second coat of a clear varnish, they look like bleached driftwood now and havn't darkened, I am very very pleased with the result, shame it has taken so long to learn.

 

 

[Chancer]

Do you recognise the sink? [;-)]

 

Our mutual French friend told me that he saw these same kitchens somewhere on a French web-site for the same or even less money but he cant recall where, some googling should find them if you are interested, they are superb quality for the money.

[idun]

LOL Lindal, I have knickers over 25 years old. In fact I have quite a lot of things far older than that. When I buy I rarely sicken of things. I don't usually impulse buy though, but think about what I can live with, what I like, but am comfy with.

The nearest thing I am going to buy that is close to an impulse buy is a one of Lucy Pittaway's Tour de Yorkshire prints, which evokes memories for me as well as making me smile.

[idun]

Chancer.......... a man who can turn his hand to anything and brilliantly well!

[lindal1000]

I do Chance. Good to see nothing going to waste. Like the kitchen..we probably won't do anything quite so well equipped!

[Chancer]

Clearly you wont be putting in all the appliances that my rentals need but the basic kitchen has the wow! factor and is cheap enough to throw away at the end of a rental if it is not looked after, they do glossy ones as well!!

 

Just the addition of the panes of glass in the upper cupboards, the light oak and wenge combination and the light oak inserts on the lower units make it stand out, it actually comes with 2 Sonoma Oak (stratifié) worktops included in the price, it is intended to be used with an évier à poser and an inset stand-alone cooker, you could fit the former (there are some really cheap but decent ones in France) and leave the space for the tenants own cooker.

[alittlebitfrench]

I don't like built in Kitchens personally. Well not in an old house.

At our last house I built our kitchen out of Beton Celulaire and yes IDUN there was a little curtain under the sink.

Looked very nice too thank you.

In the house we live in now our kitchen has freestanding furniture from DVOL kitchens. The best buy we have ever made as we have moved the kitchen into three different rooms now and it may not stop there.

Easy to set up and move about and looks the part.

If we ever sell the house the kitchen units will come with us.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="idun"]LOL Lindal, I have knickers over 25 years old. In fact I have quite a lot of things far older than that. When I buy I rarely sicken of things. I don't usually impulse buy though, but think about what I can live with, what I like, but am comfy with.

The nearest thing I am going to buy that is close to an impulse buy is a one of Lucy Pittaway's Tour de Yorkshire prints, which evokes memories for me as well as making me smile.

[/quote]

I have solid leather shoes which are now, 45 years old. Problem now, is finding a real "snob" to repair them. I am a great believer in the US saying, "If it aint broke, why fix it?"

A particular hero was the late Victor Kiam (Remmington Razor - "I liked the razor so much I bought the company!").

A very wealthy man I saw an interview; he was asked by the interviewer "Mr Kiam, I understand you have a car, a Cadillac, which has covered 200,000 miles. is this true?"

"Nope!" said Kiam " Not true at all: it has now covered 225,000 miles!"

"But you are wealthy: why not buy say a Rolls Royce?"

"My wife asks me the same question: I answer how many years have we been married? She answers " 35!" Well, I say, I am not about to trade you in either!"

"I don't need a Rolls Royce and Gold Chains to know I am successful!"

How very true...

[idun]

My french friends have all their kitchen cuboards with curtains, not just the evier. AND as I said, not my cup of tea. If we all liked the same things, it would be an odd old world.

I have not always had  a fitted kitchen when we were poor I bought garage metal  shelving units for my kitchen, which I happily lived with for 4 years.The evier cupboard was a proper cupboard though.

 I bake far too much to not have a fitted kitchen with a big one piece work surface. It is the only practical thing as far as I am concerned, and best on my budget is MDF, tiles, beurk wouldn't fancy kneading my bread with the grouting being there, and wood, well, prefer MDF or would have marble if I could afford it. My friend buys individual units, very expensive, but she hardly cooks and never bakes these days.

[lindal1000]

Chancer can you send a link to the kitchens?

ALBOF...We are going to carry out an experiment with the rental properties? They are both old houses but nothing special, and we are going to do them in a very modern style with fitted kitchens. We'll see if it puts people off renting or if it's a selling point.

[alittlebitfrench]

Interesting experiment Lindal.

OH showed me a delux old gîte type place in the wonderful city of Amboise the other day. More aimed at Americans than the British market. It is just down the road from us. She is trying to convince me to do the same.

It was a beton celliure built in kitchen with a curtain and a carrelage work surface.

It did really look the part. I reckon it would have cost 200 euros to build. But you have to like Brico to that type of thing.

[Chancer]

I think you are really on the rightb track Lindal, think of what our mutual friend does and how he always gets good reliable tenants who pay a premium with never any empty periods.

 

I found the kitchens not so long ago, available at Cdiscount and one of the others, they dont mix and match the styles like the UK importer who was a very helpfull Polish guy, great lady on the end of the phone as well.

 

Blimey I found the manufacturers this time!

http://kalwaria-pl.all.biz/fr/cuisine-pamela-24mb-fonctionnelle-et-simple-g267362#.V7CG0mdJlLM

 

If you negotiate with them for a delivery to France then I need one more!

 

http://www.cdiscount.com/maison/meubles-mobilier/junona-cuisine-complete-2m40-avec-eclairage-led/f-117600304-k22junona240dso.html#mpos=1|cd

 

 

[AnOther]

Got curtains under my kitchen worktops, OH wanted it thus and I think they are very practical, not everybody wants the same thing [:D]