Customise Your Kitchen Cabinets With Bespoke Fronts By Naked Doors
On my Instagram and under my Pinterest board 'Kitchen Inspo', I had been collecting up and re-gramming these amazing images of kitchens - such as the one below of the most amazing baby blue kitchen with polished gold handles. It looks so good, right? You'd instantly think it was a completely bespoke, designer-led kitchen costing you 25k plus.
Photo credit: Megan Taylor Photography. Kitchen cabinet door and drawer fronts provided by Naked Doors as part of a project by Nimtim Architects
I also posted on social media this picture below of this beautiful deep green kitchen with a gold splash back. The circular holes are so interesting - they make the design look so contemporary, as well as doing away with the need for handles. I also love that you can see a different colour through the holes to the colour of the cabinets.
So you know, I file these images away under 'inspirational', something to drool over in one 'kitchen-porn' interior folder, rather than thinking that they are something achievable for someone like me. Yet, I actually got this one totally wrong. Those green units above with the hole-handles, and that stunning baby blue one, you can actually buy those cabinet doors and drawer fronts as single items from a company called Naked Doors. The concept of Naked Doors is that they sell good quality replacement cabinet doors and drawer fronts for your existing kitchen units.
On this blog I often bang on about how to cleverly change your kitchen design rather than replace it. The reason for this is that I know how much it costs to completely replace a kitchen, even a small one, and I see people all the time living with kitchens that they hate just because they cannot update to 'new'.
In my old house the kitchen was a disaster. The cabinet doors were water-stained, rotten and hanging off the carcass frames. A new coat of paint and updating the handles was just not going to cut it. The problem was I only had about a grand to spend, and I knew the walls of the old building were warped, so even buying a flat-pack cheap new kitchen would cause a load of issues. The cabinet carcasses were actually structurally fine, just old, and you couldn't even really see them - it was the doors that were the issue. One day my friend's brother popped over, who was a builder, and he told me I could replace just my cabinet doors. This was a total revelation to me as I didn't even know you could do anything like that. He took the measurements and then the following week returned and fit new doors. The kitchen was given a completely new lease of life - it was one of the best things I've ever done - the problem was the doors were just cheap melamine in a country-cream shaker style, not stylish, nor on-trend, but Naked Doors are revolutionising all that.
Naked Doors offer luxurious bespoke solid hardwood cabinet doors and drawers to upgrade your kitchen so it looks more DeVol than dreadful. Manufactured to customer measurements, you can choose a wood finish such as Oak or Walnut, or get it painted to your exact colour choice from a paint chart.
A lot of us go for a IKEA kitchen these days - and why not? House prices are crazy, even managing to own your own home is a feat in itself, why spend more than you need? Yet if you are more design inclined, having the same kitchen as everyone else doesn't appeal - which is where Naked Doors can step in as they actually make kitchen cabinet door fronts the exact size of IKEA units! Genius! You just purchase your base units from IKEA then select your doors from Naked Doors. With prices starting £52 (ex VAT) per door, this is such a budget way of getting a designer-look kitchen.
But can I just come back how good Naked Doors cabinet fronts actually look?? This is what drew me to the company in the first place, before I even knew that they were a budget-friendly kitchen company. The door options below are all designs that can be fitted onto METOD IKEA units and can be customized in your preferred colour.
I just love the Cloud Front design, which is my absolute favourite. I'd team this cabinet front with touches of marble and gold throughout the kitchen to create a glamorous yet feminine look:
The tumbler glass is by Sainsburys Home. Wall light: Tom Dixon. Gold tap: Taps 4 Less. Plate: John Lewis. Marble Box & bar set: M&S. Teapot: Fornasetti via Amara.
The Rhombus Front has an on-trend geometric pattern. If I was to choose it in this slightly pinky-grey colourway I'd complement it with clean-lined fixtures and fittings in white and very light, dusky pinks and purples:
White tap by Appliance House. Geometric clock by Cult Furniture. Whisk by Normann Copenhagen via Amara. Lampshade by Vita Copenhagen. Pestle & Morter: Skagerak via Amara. Bin: Brabantia. Bump Jug: Tom Dixon.
Made and spray-painted in Norfolk, Naked Doors pride themselves on the quality of the materials used. By using real oak and walnut, rather than the market standard of chipboard and tulipwood, the finished result is what gives Naked Doors the edge over other replacement door manufacturers. Why not see for yourself? If you are in the Norfolk area, Naked Doors offer factory tours to clients, or alternatively just pop in and take a peek at their showroom.
I'm a big believer in doing things yourself to save money, but I do understand the concern people have over not getting in the professionals to just sort it all out. However, to purchase a Naked Door all you need to do is measure your existing cabinet door. You can even measure where your hinge holes will go, and Naked Doors will drill these for you. All you need to do is then unscrew your old doors with a screwdriver, then screw the Naked Door on!
Create a calming, Scandi kitchen with a Walnut Ladbroke Cabinet Door:
Wall light by Old School Electric via Amara. Casserole dish: Ikea. Tray by Skagerak via Skandium. Mug: LSA International. Kettle: Muuto . Dish: Serax.
For a more masculine, contemporary look try a Painted Shaker Door in navy blue:
Wall light: Anglepoise. Tumblers: Littala. Cutlery: A by Amara. Chair: Ikea. Timer: HAY. Tap: via Olif.
I love it, I think the whole concept is amazing. To get more inspiration about what you can do with a Naked Door head on over and follow their Instagram account, Twitter or Facebook to see what others have done in their home with a Naked Door.
What Naked Door is your favourite? Have you ever thought about just changing your cabinet doors? Let me know in the comments section below...
* This post is a collaboration with Naked Doors, but as you can tell from the article I love the company and wanted to write about them on the blog! All lifestyle shots are © Naked Doors except where credited otherwise. The mood boards are © Melanie Lissack Interiors.
