Hey design-lovers,

"We'd love to have you make our new kitchen,

but we don't know if we can afford it.

How much does an H. Miller Bros. kitchen cost?"

It's a great question, and a tricky one to give a definitive answer to, as all our projects are different, and we tailor our service to what our clients need and want. So, I've put together some info on the different types of projects we take on, and the sorts of budgets each comes out at. Hopefully this helps to give you a better idea of if we’d be a good fit for you and your project.

..............

When we’re approached about a project, we find that people tend to fall into one of three categories. Category 1 is clients who are looking for the very best in all aspects with no compromises, from the best quality appliances, natural stone worktops, and beautiful hardwood cabinetry designed from the ground up just for them. It’s the equivalent of haute couture in fashion – a genuine original. Other clients fall in a second category, where they want fantastic quality and beautiful design, but they’re keen to have us customise one of our signature kitchen designs to their space. The equivalent here would be a tailored suit, where you selected a style, and it was made-to-measure. The final category is where the client is looking for the cabinetry only, and they intend to take care of the appliances, worktop installation, and services themselves. Here, and I may be straining the metaphor, the suit would still be tailored and of the highest quality, but you might choose to supply shirt and tie yourself.

You’re probably thinking, ‘this is all very interesting, but how do I know which category I’m in if I don’t know how much each category costs’. It’s a good point, and so I’ve given a minimum budget from where each category starts. Here’s the deep dive…..

Category 1: The genuinely original.

This is our top-end service, where we take care of everything, and you can sit back and relax.

Available from £70k, including design, making, appliances, worktops, installation, and vat.

Clients here are looking for the very best quality in hardwoods and materials, top-end appliances, and natural stone worktops, within a design that is created, amended and honed just for them. The result is a kitchen project that is truly unique and personal to them, and designed without compromise. The projects we make in this category tend to include…..

• An in-dept briefing and design process that’s centred around you, your personal sense of style, and the way you want to use your space. We’ll work collaboratively with you to hone and amend the initial design until it’s perfect and works just the way you want.

• You get the opportunity to utilise more unusual timbers, like olive-ash, pippy oak or British elm, that will make the project really special and unusual. There will usually be a large proportion of solid hardwood in the cabinetry. The detailing of the timber work and appliance integration will be more complex and involved, and the techniques we use to make the cabinetry will be of the fine-furniture-making variety. We can also incorporate special finishes and one-off details like bespoke brass metalwork, reeded glass, or shoji paper, to make the design truly unique.

• Fitted cabinetry may be only one element of these designs, with things like doors to other spaces, stand-alone furniture, and bespoke hanging lights and shelving made to tie in with the kitchen design. These additional elements might align with the kitchen cabinetry in ways that create amazing interior environments that are simply not available using off-the-shelf options.

• Within this category, you get truly bespoke storage, with the drawers in your kitchen made with bespoke linings for your personal items, like special coffee or baking drawers, and accessories such as knife blocks, dividers and small ingredient storage made in hardwood to match your kitchen, and in just the size you need.

• The worktops in these kitchens tend to be natural stone, maybe marble, granite or quartzite, with special finishes like leathering or honing, and they might be used not only on the horizontal work surfaces but also to clad walls, in book-matched slabs, or for the insides of pantry cabinets, creating a kitchen with a richness and texture that’s discernible.  

• The appliances that are integrated into the design will be at the very premium end, and we might specify brands like Miele, Fisher & Paykel, Bora, and Gaggenau. You might also choose to include that dream appliance you’ve always coveted, like a wine cooler, meat agers, or an Aga.

• You might want cabinetry that’s very tall, or accessed by a library ladder, or have niches or alcoves lined with wood panelling, textures, or seating, to create a holistic design encompassing the whole living area rather than a single room. 

• We'll commission, co-ordinate, and manage the electrical, plumbing and gas engineers who will connect your new kitchen to your existing utilities, and take the strain off your shoulders so the installation process is a joy rather than an chore.  

Want to see an example of a category 1 ‘genuinely original’ kitchen? Click here to learn more about our Saitama kitchen, where British elm was used to create a modern Japanese inspired kitchen and living area, with beautiful furniture making joints, and unique details.

Category 2: The signature design.

The greatest hits of the H. Miller Bros, portfolio, customised to your exact requirements.

Available from £40k, including design, making, appliances, worktops, installation, and vat.

Clients who want one of our signature designs are looking for beautiful quality cabinetry that will last a generation, made of solid wood and hardwood-veneered panels, and with premium appliances, and lovely stone worktops. We start with one of our signature designs, and then work with you to create a layout that we can customise to your needs.  The result is a kitchen project that’s a joy to live in and use, is as functional as it is beautiful, and incorporates high-quality appliances, and marble or quartz worktops. The projects we make in this category tend to include…..

• One of our signature designs, with a layout to fit perfectly within your space, and customisations so that it works just the way you want.

• The kitchen can be made in solid hardwood and hardwood veneered panels in premium species such as oak, cherry, or maple. The quality is just the same as in our category 1 kitchens, with detailing that’s less time-consuming to make.

• Solid hardwood will be used to make the handles and pulls, as well as other high-ware parts such as exposed corners and kick-plates, so you can feel assured that the quality will last a generation.

• The worktops might be a premium quartz-stone like Caesarstone or Silestone, or a natural marble like a veined Carrara. The backsplashes might extend above the worktops, and incorporate plug sockets or a shelf for frequently used ingredients.

• The appliances will be high-quality brands like Bosch, Smeg, Neff or Siemens, and many of our clients choose to add that special appliance like a Miele steam oven, a Bora downdraft hob, or American Style fridge-freezer by Fisher & Paykel.

• We’ll make a beautiful cutlery drawer, and another drawer lined for utensils and knives in your kitchen, and you can add other linings, such as peg drawers for pots and tableware, if you’d like.

• The cabinetry in our signature designs tend to be a maximum of 2.1m tall, as this reduces complexities in delivery, access, and installation. 

• We’ll often include LED task lighting hidden in the underside of wall cabinets, that’s dimmable, ultra-efficient, and makes the space both practical and warm.

• We’ll give you a services coordination drawings, so that your electrical and plumbing/gas engineers will know where services need to be routed to, and what sockets and switches need to be installed, so you’re not left stuck in the middle passing messages.   

Want to see an example of a category 2 ‘signature design’ kitchen? Click here to see our mid-century kitchen, made in a lovely rich iroko, and featuring an island with a record player. The design is a contemporary, mid-century inspired design that was perfect for this growing family.

Category 3: the cabinetry-only option

A little bit of us, a little bit of you, and greater than the sum of its parts.

Available from £22k inc vat, where we design and make your cabinetry, and deliver it anywhere in the UK

We get lots of calls from developers, architects, and interior designers, who want the beautiful design and long-lasting quality of our cabinetry, but already have tradespeople on site who are able to install the kitchen and are comfortable coordinate worktops and integrate appliances. The projects we make in this category tend to include…..

• One of our signature designs, with a layout to fit perfectly within your space.

• The cabinetry will be made in the same solid hardwood and hardwood veneered panels as the rest of the projects we make, in premium species such as oak, cherry, or maple.

• Solid hardwood will be used to make the handles and pulls, as well as other high-ware parts such as exposed corners and kick-plates, so you can feel assured that the quality will last a generation.

• The cabinetry will be fully packed and protected so it arrives in perfect condition.

• A set of installation drawings will be included, so your installer has all the information they need to complete the fit.

Want to see an example of a category 3 kitchen, where we supplied the woodwork, and the client took care of the installation themselves? Click here to see our Modern Walnut Dresser kitchen. This contemporary, crafted aesthetic sat perfectly within a new build extension.

As you’ve probably guessed from the above, we don’t pigeonhole ourselves or our clients into one price point or spec. We work with clients who love design, want a kitchen lovely crafted in wood, where the quality will last a generation, and who have a sense of personal tyle that they want to come through in the finished design. 

I this sounds like what you’ve been looking for, then let’s talk! You can book a quick chat with me here….

Thanks for reading,

Cheers

Hugh