Glass can bring a popular shaker style kitchen up to date by teaming panelled natural or painted wood doors with glass fronted cupboards, in either a clear or patterned glass finish, will not only create a modern linear effect but will also give a popular kitchen style door a unique twist. Try adding a striking polished finish worktop in granite, composite or laminate, which will complement your glass and reflect the light within your kitchen.

Glass will also enhance your kitchen design by bringing in your own individual statement and will make your kitchen unique and as individual as you are. Niche Kitchens offer glass in any painted colour you can think of; or try a printed zesty patterned glass to bring a white or cream kitchen to life.

Step it up a notch by using a glass worktop and return the glass worktop down the sides of your cupboards with coloured glass end panels to end your run of base cupboards, alternatively create a glass frame around your breakfast bar or island.

Glass reflects and spreads light beautifully, for that extra ‘wow’ factor shine bright white LED lights against a coloured glass splashback, or similarly try coloured LED lights against a white glass splashback and uplift your glass effect. For example if you use a white glass breakfast bar panel under your breakfast bar try coloured down lights under your breakfast bar seating area to reflect the white glass panel and create a wonderful mood lighting, coloured lighting can set the mood; shine red at Christmas and cool blue while entertaining friends or set your remote on rotate and allow your LED lighting to change colour.

Aran Cucine maintain their status as market leaders in design by offering a bespoke glass kitchen door model. Mr & Mrs Thompson of Alderley Edge Cheshire incorporated the Volare Vetro in their kitchen design. The Volare Vetro is their most exquisite painted glass door offering an array of colours with the most beautiful kitchen designs to choose from.

If it’s wood which attracts you, a painted shaker style wood door with natural wood or wood effect worktops are always a winning combination. Alternatively use a dark coloured stone, composite or laminate worktop throughout your kitchen, to contrast your painted wood doors, and incorporate a wooden breakfast bar or island to give your kitchen a new twist.

Introducing wood to a modern kitchen will help soften a contemporary look as wood in varied forms, from bamboo to walnut, offer an ultra modern kitchen a warm influence. Niche Kitchens have recently combined a plain colour white door in a matt finish with a thick wood oak framing framing around a bank of tall column units, Mr and Mrs Fallon of Hale Barnes Cheshire then introduced their same choice of wood on their island and breakfast bar as a ‘over hang’ for their seating area.

For a new take try a ‘wrap-around’ worktop by using your same wooden worktop for side panels at the end of your run of base cupboards, or frame around your island or breakfast bar. A tip for a neater finish is to ensure your end panel joints are mitred, so the linear grain of the wood flows neatly across your worktop and down the corners of your end panels. Why not ‘go chunky’ and have a 60mm solid blocked wood feature island or breakfast bar; a thicker wood feature is perfect for a contemporary look.

Remember it is not always necessary to try and match wood colours or ‘solid wood’ with wood effect finishes, for example if you choose a natural oak flooring try combining this with washed oak or dark oak to contrast the wood within your kitchen and allow your floor and kitchen to stand apart and create a ‘wow’ effect.

Niche Kitchens offer many alternatives during your kitchen design to provide you with a beautiful kitchen. Our Aran Cucine kitchen models offer a very modern square edge 60mm thick laminate worktop in many different wood grain effect finishes, this option offers you the look and feel of wood without the care & maintenance natural wood requires. The Aran Cucine range on display at Niche Kitchens manufacture all cabinets and wood effect worktops with our unique A100 engineered water resistant wood.

A dramatic contrast can transform your kitchen, so add depth and texture to your kitchen design scheme by teaming wooden or wood-effect units
with a chunky ‘bright-white’ engineered granite such as Silestone or an original Dupont Corian worktop which can be moulded to any shape you can create.

The richly coloured linear grain of a natural wood finish looks stunning on flat slab-style doors, and makes a striking contrast to a smooth bright worktop.

Horizontal slim line wall units combined with glazed panels or long handless drawers on a run of base cupboards will accentuate a linear pattern.
When combined with a coloured glass splashback and an integral sink this will complete your sleek minimalistic look whilst still maintaining
individuality and style.

The Niche Kitchens Italian kitchen range Aran Cucine offer all their contemporary models in a variety of wood grain doors which can be teamed with a
matt, metallic or high-gloss smooth slab-style kitchen door in a variety of colours, all of which are offered with a choice of handle or indeed handless.

Then Aran Cucine handless kitchen range enhance your choice of kitchen door with an aluminium, black or white ‘c-channel’. Not only does the c-channel enhance
your kitchen design but it also allows your doors and integrated appliances to open without a handle and with ease – there is no ‘push and pull’ mechanism so
your kitchen cabinet is more durable and looks sleek with a streamline handless effect.

Experiment with your appliances as most appliance manufacturers offer their range of built-in appliances in bright-white, black or steel. When your appliances
are matched with your handless white, black or aluminium ‘c-channel’ your bank of integrated appliances will enhance the overall linear affect of your kitchen
design beautifully.

If you are thinking of a painted wood traditional kitchen door in your new kitchen design, or a modern lacquered kitchen door in a plain colour, then explore different ways to accent the colour by mixing two different shades and finishes together within your kitchen design, such as a soft cream to contrast a dark wood is a great way to enhance a rich dark colour.
Highlight key area’s of your kitchen; for example if you have a large kitchen, try experimenting with a different colour on a run of tall cupboards, or on a large island. Alternatively add a vibrant statement with a boldly coloured splashback.
For smaller kitchens the sink area or wall-hung units in a contrast shade are a great way to highlight a colour and add a ‘wow factor’ to your kitchen, try using a different painted finish in soft muted tones.
For those who wish for a more traditional feel leave your key area’s as bare wood; by adding natural wood next to painted finishes creates a warm, eye-catching contrast. Another option is to use natural wood handles on coloured painted doors and drawers, this along with a natural wood kitchen cabinet allows the painted door to stand out.
Our Niche Kitchens Showroom displays many ideas using contrasting colours. Our Italian kitchen range Aran Cucine, display contemporary painted doors, which are produced in a high gloss, matt or metallic finish and combine beautifully with a natural wood veneered kitchen door.
Alternatively the Niche Kitchens range of painted doors are offered in their natural European oak finish or a colour of your choice from a large colour pallet in both a contemporary ‘shaker’ style kitchen range and also in some of our more traditional kitchen models.

The reasons are simple, with no better place to start than our history, which began many years ago as Paul, our Kitchen Design Specialist and Director of Niche Kitchens, began with project managing and installing kitchens, lounges and bars in Hilton Hotels and Wimbledon Tennis Courts.
Paul’s diverse experienced background also includes specialised wood working and carpentry, which was so intricate it saw him manufacture templates for Rolls Royce Engines.
Experience and know-how lead him to Domestic Kitchen Installation and Project Management and now, as a Kitchen Design Specialist, teamed with Marie an Interior Designer, your couldn’t be in safer hands.
We believe our kitchen design experience and know-how should be shared so other people can benefit and hopefully achieve their dream kitchen, irregardless of your budget and kitchen size.

Have you thought of ‘Seductive Curves’

Curved units used to be a high-priced designer feature, but now they are out there for everyone to enjoy – whatever your budget. You can use them to create a distinctive island unit or breakfast bar, or simply have some in the centre of a run of units to highlight a key area such as your hob and cooking area.
For those who prefer a less rigid design – curves help soften the look and feel of your kitchen.
Our Niche Kitchens Studio has many curved kitchens on display. Our own ‘Niche Kitchens’ range offers curved doors in many colours and materials and is perfect for those who need to keep to a budget, while our exclusive Italian kitchen range by Aran Cucine offers innovative curved kitchens with an Italian flare in wonderful ‘S’ shaped islands and ‘U’ shaped breakfast bars.

Don’t forget to request our FREE 200 page kitchen brochure.

Niche Kitchens sole focus is to give you design ideas and useful tips to help bring your new kitchen project together. 

Over the past 10 years Niche Kitchens have helped thousands of customers achieve their dream kitchen, we guarantee our kitchen know-how and design & installation experience works.

With all the beautiful kitchen choices on the market, not to mention all the companies out there eager to do business with you, the experience of purchasing a new kitchen can sometimes be a minefield.

Our aim at Niche Kitchens is to simply help you along the way, so let us start with this:  As you’re collecting a large pile of kitchen brochures from different kitchen showrooms you may be feeling a little over whelmed with the choices available to you.  While kitchen brochures display very beautiful kitchens, most of which are photographed in large square rooms, therefore you may be feeling a little disapointed if you don’t have a large square room for your kitchen.

A helpful tip during your kitchen design process would be to gather a few home improvement magazines found in the home and garden section of any magazine stand in most stores and newsagents.  These home improvement magazines show kitchens which have been created for ‘real people’, you could create a scrap book of kitchen design ideas you like, which you have found in these magazines, and give them to your kitchen designer.

Home improvement magazines also contain some very interesting information on kitchens ranging from those fitted by the DIY enthusiast to the most luxury kitchen designs.  Interior designers also give their thoughts and ideas on colour schemes, along with expert advice on the most up to date looks and trends for kitchens.

Don’t forget to request your FREE 200 Page Kitchen Brochure