Before & After
Louise is no stranger to a big project. Having bought her house just a year ago as a full-scale renovation, she knew from the outset that every room needed work. The property had been in the same hands for over 50 years and was untouched in that time by the previous owners. From the floors to the roof, there was very little that didn’t need some TLC.
As with many renovators, one of her main priorities was the kitchen. With her background in visual merchandising and interiors, Louise had a clear vision for what the heart of the home could be, but finding a kitchen that offered both quality and value wasn’t easy… until she came across Rehome.
Search a world of possibilities
A quick online search by Louise opened up a world of possibilities, and she, like many others, was pleasantly surprised by the range of pre-loved and ex-display kitchens available to suit every style, size and budget. Among the many listings, one kitchen stood out. A beautiful ex-display John Lewis shaker kitchen, originally worth £14,000, available for just £5,999. The design and craftsmanship spoke for themselves, and with her eye for detail, Louise knew she could make it work.
“I came across Rehome on Google. There was a vast range of kitchens and budgets to suit all. The Rehome team were very helpful. I viewed the kitchen before buying it.”
Seeing it in person confirmed her designer instincts. We often recommend viewing prior to buying, to give you assurance- plus, we can arrange either in-person or virtual viewings, for convenience.
How Louise saved £4,000
Louise purchased the kitchen, and what was a great deal got even greater when her offer of £4,000 got accepted. Rehome dealt with all of the back and forth with the showroom, as well as arranging dismantle and delivery, so that Louise could focus on planning the reconfiguration. The Rehome delivery team, who are Which? Trusted Trader certified, dismantled the kitchen with care and provided her with detailed guidance. “The delivery team who actually dismantled the kitchen gave me detailed instructions to help with reconfiguring.” From there, Louise took the reins. She produced “a scaled optimum layout drawing” and collaborated with a skilled carpenter to bring the plan to life. This is something else that we recommend buyers to do in advance of purchasing the kitchen. Drawing a layout or making cut outs of units and rearranging them is a great way to envisage the kitchen in your space and check that the units will work where you want them to.
A bespoke kitchen
While the original kitchen didn’t include appliances, Louise sourced her own to suit the space. She also added thoughtful touches to make the kitchen feel bespoke. This included “a solid wooden breakfast bar and wine rack supplied by a local kitchen company”. They also employed a skilled handyman to cut the Quartz. Even with these changes and updates, the savings they made by buying through Rehome still outweighed what it would have cost them to buy high street. They also gave a pre-owned kitchen a new lease of life and shopped more sustainably. Their kitchen really does go to show that no one would ever know the kitchens were pre-owned, as it looks so fresh in her space.
To bring it all together, she carefully matched the colour of the kitchen to finish the look. “I took an off cut of plinth to Brewers so that I could colour match, to then paint the tongue and groove panelling and the extra pieces of plinth and cornice above the glass cabinet.” The result is a kitchen that feels cohesive and completely her own, while maintaining the elegance and quality of the original ex-display. All of this without the original price tag.
The entire process took just a couple of months, from the first viewing to the completed installation. And the outcome has exceeded all of Louise and her family’s expectations. “I absolutely love my finished kitchen and to know that I saved a huge amount of money in the process just adds to the wow factor we have created in our family home.”
Louise has already shared her experience with others. “I have already recommended to friends and our builder,” she says, and with a utility room currently being built, she’s already on the lookout for her next Rehome find.
Thanks to some thoughtful planning, a good eye for design and the willingness to invest in quality, Louise has created a kitchen that combines style, function and value in a way that few high street options could match.
