My new Howdens Chilcomb Paintable kitchen

Now that my Howdens Chilcomb Paintable kitchen (above) is complete, I thought I’d share my kitchen design journey with you.

I discovered Howdens on Instagram and was instantly drawn to their beautiful kitchens on show. 

Howdens had amazing reviews online.

I also liked the idea of a one stop shop where you can get everything under one roof, from the cabinetry, to worktops, to appliances, fixtures & fittings and flooring.  There was a broad range of choices to suit all tastes and styles.

The piece de resistance was the personalised design service. I was matched up with Joshna, my local Howdens designer. She took the time to research my aesthetic and style, so was always on point with her recommendations when I was unsure.

The whole process was seamless and enjoyable.  I picked the Chilcomb Paintable kitchen range because I’ve always wanted a Shaker style type kitchen but couldn’t find it in a colour that I liked.

The fact that this was a paintable kitchen, meant that I could customise it in my favourite palette.

I colour matched the mint and blush pink from two prints I had at home, before getting the units spray painted.

You could of course, paint the units with a brush or roller too. 

What’s wonderful is that you can change the colours in the future by repainting the doors. Our home is a Victorian terrace house with a beautiful period facade and original features indoors. 

I love using colours and combining contemporary elements with period when decorating my home. 

My new Howdens Chilcomb Paintable kitchen has both that classic period and contemporary feel, so definitely now more in keeping with the rest of my house than my original white kitchen. Here’s what my original kitchen looked like. I had it for over 10 years, so felt it was the right time for an update.

My old kitchen didn’t go to waste, as I sold it on to someone who wanted that style of kitchen. Here’s the “After” again, my Howdens Chilcomb Paintable kitchen.  Such a striking difference don’t you think?

There were lots of must haves for the design of my new kitchen.

 Here’s my Top 10.

1. Modern Shaker style

2. Colour customisable 

3. Central Island with waterfall effect quartz worktop

4. Display dresser units and ample storage

5. Insinkerator 

6. Wine cooler and rack

7. American style fridge freezer

8. Easy to clean wood effect flooring

9. Brushed brass hardware

10. Large sink

 The top 2 points of Shaker style and customisable colours have been discussed above. 

Here are the others: 

Central Island with waterfall effect worktop:

This had been on my wish list for quite some time. I love how it has become the central hub for the family to gather together.The worktop is Howdens Silestone White Marble Quartz.

The waterfall effect gives the island a luxury wow factor and it’s such a robust and hard-wearing surface too. 

Display dresser units and ample storage:My previous kitchen already had storage configured to suit our lifestyle, so many of the original storage positioning and solutions could stay. 

However, I was frustrated with not having any display units to showcase my beautiful crockery, kitchen accessories and cookbooks.

This time round, I knew I wanted some display units that would mimic dresser units to use for display.I picked a pair of glass cabinets from the Chilcomb range, and had them configured to look like dressers, each framing the central island from behind.Although I lost some workspace from the glass cabinets sitting on top of the worktop, I gained it back by having the central island. 

Insinkerator:

An Insinkerator was a must have for my kitchen. I had one in my last kitchen too. It essentially macerates up any unwanted food particles during washing up, preventing the sink from clogging. 

Wine cooler and wine rack:I had a wine cooler in my last kitchen, so this was already a must have for the new kitchen, so we opted for the Lamona Integrated 18 Bottle Wine Cooler.

However, the red wines were previously stored in my basement cupboards.

I felt it was only fair that the red wines similarly get their own display, so we managed to fit in a wooden rack as part of the kitchen cabinetry design. 

American style fridge-freezer:We had one in our previous kitchen, and always seem to have it packed with food.

Now that my husband is working from home and there is the home schooling from lockdowns, fridge space is even more important, so we decided to go for the Beko American Fridge Freezer. 

Easy to clean Wood effect flooring:My original kitchen floor had white tiles. Whilst practical, because it was easy to clean and mop, it did make the room look rather cold and clinical.

I wanted flooring that would add warmth to a space. My first thought was wood flooring; however, I knew having real wood floors would not be practical because it could rot under the exposure to water.

I picked Howdens White Washed Oak Vinyl Flooring because it looked and felt realistic like wood. The best thing is, I can now mop the floor without worry. 

Brushed brass hardware:

My appliances from Howdens are all stainless steel, but I decided to go for brushed brass fittings in the drawer pulls and sink tap to add warmth to the space.

I think many people feel that if they go for stainless steel appliances then they should go for chrome fittings to match.I personally feel mixing rather than matching makes the space look more fun and eclectic.

Large sink:Since we love cooking with the wok, it would be difficult to fit it into a smaller sink.

I think a large sink is a must have luxury in any kitchen so we decided to go for the Lamona Easton XL Single Bowl Sink. I found it difficult to single out one favourite design feature from the 10 above. However, I’d say there are 5 favourites on equal standing: Shaker style, custom colours, central island, display dresser and brushed brass hardware. 

It’s been a pleasure working with Howdens.

Firstly, the ordering process was easy because they had a brilliant catalogue with great product images and ideas.

Secondly, there’s also a wide variety of sizes, colours and finishes to pick from.

The personal kitchen designer service also made everything so easy.

Once I’ve talked through my dream kitchen and submitted measurements, Joshna, my Howdens kitchen designer put my ideas up in a 3D visual.

We had an online consultation, and it was amazing to be able to see how the kitchen would look like before it was built. 

During that 3D consultation, I could add or take away features. She even colour matched the units to my desired colours.

The units on order all arrived promptly, and were perfectly made to the measurements specified.

The total on site prep and build for my kitchen took 2 weeks, which was amazing.

 I’d highly recommend getting a professional builder to install the kitchen.

It was useful to have them do a second measure up to ensure all will fit.

They also advised on solutions for the finer finishing touches, for example, the positioning of switches, wall paints, flooring trims and edges. The builders also helped me address the issue of a gap between my units and the ceiling, which I didn’t want to have.

They advised on building a false wall above the tops of the units which was brilliant and therefore this didn’t detract from the overall design feature of the cabinets. My family absolutely love the kitchen.

We love gathering around the central island where for example, my husband may be food prepping, my son may be doing his homework on his laptop and I would be busy restyling my dresser units for the next photoshoot.

My new Howdens Chilcomb Paintable kitchen has really added quality to our lives. It’s such a light, bright and happy space.