When you buy a ready-made kitchen set, you can save in this case only by participating in some promotions and receiving a discount from the seller. If you order a set from a trusted company, then you have a much better chance of purchasing an excellent kitchen at the most profitable price. At the same time, the advantage is also the opportunity to think through all the details down to the smallest detail, create your own design, and select the materials you like.
General recommendations
1. Most manufacturers calculate the cost per linear meter of each set, and this is what customers focus on when choosing. Keep in mind that this price includes the cheapest “filling” of cabinets and fittings. If you want to install closers on the doors, and include a dish drainer and bottle holder in the contents, the cost will immediately jump up. Compare prices for the final configurations that interest you.
2. Use any online planner to draw your ideal custom kitchen design. Don't look at the budget, let this really be the headset of your dreams. If the cost of the “ideal” does not match the real possibilities, think about what you can sacrifice by making the project cheaper? Observe yourself from the outside while cooking: what items do you use most often? How many storage systems do you need for your artillery of plates and cutlery? What is more important to you: spectacular facades or ergonomics of the workplace?
3. If you have the maximum price for a set, choose a kitchen that costs 80-85% of it. The remaining amount will go towards delivery and assembly (and this is on average 7-10% of the final cost in the market), as well as unforeseen minor expenses.
Next, let's look at the visual component
Material for manufacturing facades and their design
In order to save a lot and at the same time not lose the quality of furniture, you can refuse such a material as natural wood, because facades made of MDF are very inexpensive, but also quite durable and easy to use. But the most budget-friendly options for kitchen furniture will be modules made of chipboard and covered with PVC film. Most manufacturers make no difference in the quality of premium headsets and budget models, and both options help provide you with a multi-year warranty of use, but in any case you will have to pay extra for the excellent quality of the products.
If glass doors and inserts, frames made of polished aluminum and beautiful stained glass windows are not important to you, then you can order simple monolithic doors in different colors so that the kitchen does not seem monotonous and dull. For aesthetics and to significantly reduce the cost of the set, it is necessary to add open facades and shelves - they will help give the overall appearance of the kitchen a rather stylish look.
Quality characteristics of the tabletop
In addition, there will be a noticeable difference in price if you replace expensive materials with cheaper, similar ones, but to different extents.
If you like stone countertops, but don’t have a lot of money, then an excellent option would be a countertop made of artificial stone, which will not be inferior in quality to its natural counterpart.
To save money when ordering a kitchen set, you should not choose solid wood, metal or glass - although such materials are quite original and have a stylish appearance, they are very demanding to care for and use, and will not please you with their cost.
There is also an option to install a tabletop made of MDF - during operation they were able to show themselves even better than wood and glass, and at the same time there is a large model range with a huge number of textures and colors.
It is important to pay special attention to the ends - no chips or cracks are allowed, and they must also be completely sealed. If moisture gets inside, it means that the countertop will quickly fail - the material begins to swell, deform, and it will simply be impossible to eliminate such a defect in the material.
In Europe at the moment, the most popular material remains laminate and its compact analogue, which can imitate all types of artificial and natural stone, wood and other materials. It is of excellent quality, pleasant to the touch, much cheaper and unpretentious to use.
Now a little about the fittings - they must be made of sufficiently durable and high-quality material, because otherwise this can become a big problem for the buyer when using the unit in the kitchen. Also, when purchasing, you should pay attention to the fact that the drawers move smoothly, the doors close quietly and softly, and you definitely shouldn’t skimp on this.
Naturally, this does not mean that you should buy only the most expensive options; you just need to make sure what the quality of the fittings is and choose a standard and acceptable set for yourself. When everything is put in its functional place, it will be almost impossible to distinguish at a glance whether it is ordinary factory stamping or whether it is handmade.
By the way, don’t forget about such an element as an organizer. If you don’t know what this is, this is a special module for storing small items. With the help of special organizers, your kitchen drawers will always be orderly and clean. Special stands for bottles, trays of different sizes, liners and dividers will help make everyday life in the kitchen much easier, but this does not mean that such a purchase will be very expensive - there are very budget options. It will be enough to buy plastic analogues instead of wooden and metal ones, and this will not cause serious damage to your family budget.
Don't be fooled by big discounts
4. Many “experts” recommend purchasing headsets at retail sample sales. Indeed, you can get a discount of -50% or 60% on a kitchen from the exhibition. But I will warn you against such purchases. If we are talking about a headset in the middle price category (and especially “economy”), then its body in 99% of cases will be made of laminated chipboard. There is nothing critical about this - the material has long established itself as practical and at the same time inexpensive. The main disadvantage of laminated boards is their instability to frequent assembly. In places where the fittings are attached, chips may crumble, which means the structure will lose its original reliability.
5. Sellers often offer discounts and promotions for custom kitchens. Be careful: the “reduced” price may be a marketing ploy. In any case, estimate the final cost of your project.
Tips: How to save money on a new kitchen
- Try to purchase furniture of standard sizes, it costs less.
- If you can’t decide what to choose: one large cabinet or two small ones, then stick to the first option, it is much more economical.
- Avoid corner elements, inserts and bends - they rarely affect functionality, but significantly increase the price of the kitchen.
- Give preference to standard cabinet doors, as they are the most familiar and inexpensive. Doors that open upwards are significantly more expensive.
- It is cheaper to buy household appliances in electronics stores; they often have promotions and sales. Buying it in the same showroom where you buy a kitchen is in most cases not economical.
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Simplify
7. The simpler the layout and filling, the cheaper the kitchen will be. The most affordable option is a direct headset. The corner one will cost more, but it will be more functional and roomy.
8. The upper tier of a set with hinged facades will cost much less than horizontal doors with folding upward mechanisms. The same does not apply to the lower tier, if you compare the hinged facades and drawers. Although, it should be noted, the latter are much more spacious and convenient when it comes to storing dishes.
9. Play with the width and placement of cabinets. A module with one hinged door costs less than one with two. A 60 cm wide module costs less than two 30 cm modules. Perhaps by combining or swapping several elements, you will get an option that is optimal in terms of ergonomics and cost.
10. We should also talk about wall cabinets. Many manufacturers offer to make them “into the ceiling”. Yes, this is an excellent solution - in essence, you get a mezzanine where you can put away everything that you don’t want to keep at hand. It will be especially relevant for small spaces, where in the kitchen every centimeter of space counts. At the same time, standard height cabinets will cost you 15-20% less.
11. Wall-mounted structures with blind doors are often replaced today with shelving shelves. A good opportunity to save money and a great decorative touch.
12. If we are talking about an L-shaped kitchen, replace the corner pentagonal element with two regular ones connected at an angle of 90 degrees.
13. An element often used in sets is an end module with open shelves or a facade beveled at 45 degrees. Radial systems will cost significantly more than direct ones.
Kitchen planning
Design is the first stage from which work on a headset usually begins. To avoid unnecessary expenses, at this stage you need to think through all the details and determine what is really needed in the kitchen. You can first draw up a project without taking into account the budget, providing in it everything you want, and then analyze it and remove what is unnecessary.
The help of a designer will be useful in drawing up a kitchen set project. A specialist will be able to offer inexpensive alternatives or advise what can be avoided without compromising convenience.
It’s worth planning your furniture in advance. This is especially important if redevelopment will be carried out - in this case, you can calculate it so as to create a set of standard elements. Many factories make ready-made kitchen modules of standard dimensions, which are usually cheaper than furniture of non-standard sizes.
Sets of simple configurations cost less than furniture of complex shapes. The simplest option is a linear layout. Depending on the area of the room, you can arrange the cabinets in one, two or three lines. Unlike corner modules, such configurations do not require the installation of carousels and other complex fittings.
You can also save on buying a kitchen by abandoning high hanging cabinets under the ceiling. Instead, you can order sections of standard height, and if there is not enough space in them, add simple open shelves. Such a storage system is not only significantly cheaper, but also often more convenient and helps to visually relieve the upper part of the room.
Save on facades and countertops
14. The most budget option is blank facades, smooth and without milling.
15. Doors made of laminated chipboard will be the cheapest. Calculate several options, because you can combine: the lower tier is made of chipboard in plastic, the upper one is made of MDF with enamel, etc.
16. PVC film can be a worthy alternative to expensive coatings (acrylic or enamel). Yes, it won’t give “that same” mirror effect, but it will look respectable.
17. Facades made of solid wood and MDF with veneer are practically indistinguishable in appearance. Only you (and your budget) will know the difference.
18. Let's talk separately about glasses. As a rule, inexpensive headsets do not have them, so we will talk about the middle price category. Manufacturers today offer the classic transparent version, as well as tinted glass and lacobel (painted on one side). Transparent will be cheaper, but the contents of the module will always be visible. The matte surface will “mask” the mess.
19. Kitchen modules from budget sets do not have a solid countertop - each element has its own. There is an opinion that this is inconvenient, and water gets into the cracks between the modules. But it is enough to install special “connectors”, and the problem will be solved.
20. A budget option for a solid table top is 26 mm thick chipboard, covered with a moisture-resistant film. A little more expensive, but more practical and much more presentable.
Tabletops
Countertops made of artificial stone can significantly increase the budget, especially if there are many work surfaces. The price will be even higher if complex shaped elements are needed, with supports, grooves or other additions.
To save on kitchen work surfaces, you can replace artificial stone with postforming. These countertops are made from a chipboard base lined with plastic. In addition to the affordable price, they have several more advantages:
- Durable cladding: high-quality plastic is used for finishing, which is difficult to scratch.
- Moisture resistance: the plastic coating protects the base well from getting wet.
- Heat resistance: you can place hot dishes on the kitchen countertops.
- Possibility of manufacturing countertops of complex shapes and joining elements to each other. If the joints are properly processed, they look neat and do not allow water to pass through.
- Hygienic: the smooth surface is easy to clean and does not absorb grease and other dirt.
Choose fittings wisely
21. Even at the design stage, select 2-3 drawers that you will open and close most often. The fittings on them should be the most reliable. You can save some money on rarely used boxes.
22. Equip metal boxes (expensive guides on drawers) in the deepest compartments - in them you will store heavy pots, pans, etc. For low drawers, ordinary roller guides are also suitable.
23. Separately, it is worth mentioning the roof rails and handles. If German or Italian fittings do not fit into the budget, replace them with Russian analog ones. A galvanic protective coating is required! Chinese pens painted with paint fade, scratch and peel over time.
