In-frame and timber kitchens

On an in-frame kitchen each cabinet has a solid face frame, and the doors and drawers sit inside it, flush with the front. It is how traditional furniture was made, and it gives a kitchen depth, shadow lines and a solid feel you notice as soon as you open a door. Most of our in-frame kitchens are painted timber, so you still see the grain through the paint.

Traditional looks, modern kitchen

Traditional kitchens take their cues from Victorian, Edwardian and farmhouse kitchens: panelled doors, mantels over the cooker, glazed dressers, decorative plinths and cornice. We keep all of that, and hide the modern parts. Integrated fridges, dishwashers and ovens go behind matching doors, so you get the character without giving up anything you need. We also supply range cookers, hobs and sinks designed to suit traditional kitchens.

Doors and finishes

• Shaker, panelled and slab doors, set in a frame or fitted as standard
• Stained or oiled wood, painted timber and vinyl finishes
• Two-tone schemes, such as a dark island with lighter wall units
• Colour matching to any RAL or BS paint colour
• Glazed doors with internal lighting, open shelving and decorative posts

Solid painted timber has a long-term advantage: when you fancy a change, the kitchen can be repainted rather than replaced. We also offer painted ash in-frame ranges from Kitchen Stori [CONFIRM: still supplied?], such as Belgravia, which has a solid ash frame and veneered ash centre panel with the grain still visible.

In-frame kitchens we have fitted

• Ormskirk: midnight blue and ivory solid timber in-frame, with a bevelled-edge granite island, a mantel with hidden extractor and double doors into a hidden utility room
• Woolton: timber in-frame kitchen for a new-build home, designed with the builders, with columns on the island corners and plinths top and bottom to echo the skirting and cornice
• Liverpool: in-frame kitchen in Shell and graphite with a marble-topped island, a bespoke dining booth, a false chimney breast and bronze art-deco handles
• Liverpool: off-white and sage green in-frame kitchen with a split-level granite island, lambs tongue skirting and a range cooker under a roof lantern

Details that make it

In-frame kitchens reward attention to detail: skirting and plinths that carry on around the room, newel posts on island corners, panelling on island backs, spice nooks beside the hob. Because our workshop builds the carcasses, we can make the unusual pieces these kitchens need, such as housings for American fridge freezers, dining booths and tables, and full-height pantries. For worktops, granite, marble and oak are the usual partners. See our worktops page.

There is a timber kitchen on display in our showroom. If you like the shaker look but want a lower price, our shaker kitchens are a good place to start.