Has anyone purchased a kitchen either for a new construction or as part of the renovation? Did you obtain get quotes from multiple vendors or just picked one and went with it? Any specific recommendations?
We are currently thinking to purchase our kitchen from Dick Möbel in Germany (I think they recently also opened up a showroom in Frick AG). Has anyone had experience with them or any other German or Swiss makers that you would recommend?
I bought a kitchen about 2 years ago, it took many hours of my time and I got quotes from 3 kitchen stores. I went with Segmüller for an Alno kitchen, which isn't the cheapest but also not the most expensive. I designed it myself so many many hours of thought and details were put into the project. If you want something to last the next 5 years then an IKEA kitchen is fine, also agree with the point about electrics and water connections. Do this according to the Swiss standard. if you want something to last, put in the thought and the money...
Some person in the future will have an absolutely fab kitchen, seeing as my soon to be ex-husband will keep the house the kitchen is in.....
When we bought our kitchen we got quotes from Swiss and German companies, and found that the german companies always had better prices for the range we were looking at - it's probably still worth getting a quote or two from swiss companies anyway though - if you have the time!
Like Gwendy we spent many hours (days/weeks) thinking about design, funtions - how will we use the kitchen, what's practical for US etc., getting quotes... There is a HUGE range on offer, and alot depends on your budget, how much you use the kitchen etc.
We bought our kitchen from Möbel Beck in Bad Säckingen. The quality of the kitchen is good, but I'm afraid the service wasn't...
If you want any further advice about design ideas, appliances etc let me know and I might be able to help.
It's not just the manufacturer of the Kitchen that's important - but who fits it. (Although you may not get the luxury of this choice)
Renova in Thalwil supplied us with a German Rational Kitchen.
They also supply Swiss Elbau kitchens
The kitchen's great and Renova were superb and come thoroughly recommended. They provide the kind of details of service that get lost with a larger company.
They were very sympathetic to our needs in keeping the costs down but ensuring that we got the perfect kitchen.
My kitchen was installed by a Schreiner (cabinet maker / joiner). Everything was fitted perfectly with cupboards all the way to the ceiling and not just standard sized ones, but smaller ones over the fridge and under the stove.
My father in-law has a Leicht kitchen... and I couldn't agree more with the quality. The kitchen is 15+ years old now but the cabinetry still looks new. We will check out Fust as recommended and do some comparison shopping.
We looked at IKEA too... but their quality quickly pales in comparison to some of other kitchens we saw in other show rooms.
The kitchen will be for our new home. The budget that came with the home purchase is decent (I think) and we are willing to invest more so we get something that lasts.
Which Möbel Dick did you buy it from? The one in Bad Säkingen or Tiengen? Did you get any other quotes from Swiss companies before you end up going with them?
Anyone at Möbel Dick you would recommend specifically if we want to get a consultation appointment?
I once had a kitchen with Forster cabinets. It was something else. The fittings were brilliant. I loved that kitchen, except for the colour, a rather odd choice by the architect. Perhaps that is why the place was unsold and offered for rent.
The appliances were German, Gaggenau. They were amazing too. We had an indoor grill which I loved. That was well before the introduction of steamers, which are great, so do consider gettting one.
My advice is make use of all the space, and do get one big sink. Personally I can't stand the small sink with the mini one next to it, with the custom colander that fits into it which I find useless and awful to clean.
Hej, I can recommend also the IKEA kitchen, they offer a 25 year warranty for kitchens and a 5 year warranty for appliances. Have look at the link below and try out the online kitchen planner .
I put in a new kitchen when I renovated our house 4 years ago...
... and I hate it.
The kitchen is beautiful - but it doesn't work for the way we cook.
The biggest mistake I made was not living in the space before designing the new kitchen. (We bought the house, renovated, and then moved in.) That which made sense in theory or on paper turn out not to work so well in reality.
The thing that causes us most grief is that the kitchen does not accomodate two cooks very well - my husband and I are constantly running into each other. (Not such a good thing when we are each holding sharp knives. )
Assuming we stay in this house another year or two, I'll trash this kitchen and start all over again, concentrating on two-cook traffic patterns - we really need to have two sinks and two distinct prep areas (probably separated by a moat filled with live alligators ).
So - think carefully about who cooks, and how , and spend time walking through your design.
If you want really stylish, go Italian. Check out www.cesar.it It's probably no more expensive than from a Swiss shop though the result can be far more attractive. They're just over the border in Italy.
When I was married we had a radical solution to all the problems of two cooks simultaneously in the kitchen ... only ONE cooked for any meal. We would often both be in the kitchen simultaneously, but only one of us would be cooking while the other drank wine and made encouraging comments.
To clarify, we would both drink wine, but one would do nothing else, while the other drank and cooked