Kitchens have developed over the years from a small room tucked away where the lady of the house prepared dinner, to become the most important room in the home; one where the whole family congregate and socialise, where the children play and where parents can entertain friends or sit and relax in an evening.

There are countless ways to ensure that you get the best return from your investment when buying a fitted kitchen, some obvious, some less so. When you enter a kitchen showroom one of the first things that will probably greet you is a salesperson so don’t forget that you’d be paying for that person’s wages. If you can deal direct with the manufacturer and designer then you’re potentially cutting out the cost of sales personnel and possibly that of expensive brand marketing undertaken by chains of retail outlets and DIY sheds. You may also be paying for showrooms that don’t pay their own way !

No longer is the kitchen a basic room just for cooking it’s now a room in which to cook, eat, drink, entertain, socialise and hold family gatherings often with integrated TV and sound-system, mood-setting lighting and furniture, tables, seating and even sofas on which to relax.