Integrating Technology into a Handmade Kitchen Without It Dating in Five Years
Our handmade kitchens are built to last. Every cabinet, piece of timber, the joinery and the finishes are all designed…
Every kitchen we hand-build is hand-painted, by brush, in the colour or colours you choose. We work with Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Paint & Paper Library, Sanderson, Dulux and Crown, and we can colour-match almost any specification you bring to us.
Any Colour You Like, Hand-Painted by Brush
A hand-painted kitchen ages differently to a factory-sprayed one. The brush-applied finish has depth and slight variation that catches the light over time, and it can be touched up locally if it ever gets damaged. We hand-paint every cabinet in our Essex workshop using premium decorator-grade paints from the major UK suppliers.
Farrow & Ball is our most commonly specified palette — Ammonite, Railings, Hague Blue, Down Pipe, Mizzle, Studio Green, French Gray and Cornforth White are perennial favourites — but we work equally with Little Greene, Paint & Paper Library, Sanderson, Dulux and Crown, and we can colour-match to any reference you bring (a fabric, a tile, a paint swatch from another decorator, even a photograph).
How clients typically choose
- Single colour: the simplest scheme; cabinetry, island and dresser all in one paint
- Two-tone: a darker island against paler perimeter cabinetry, often the most striking option
- Three-tone: perimeter, island and tall larder each in a different but coordinating shade
- Heritage palette: muted greens, off-whites and warm neutrals for classic and traditional Shaker schemes
- Bold accent: a feature island or dresser in Studio Green, Hague Blue or a deep burgundy for confidence
- Soft contemporary: monochrome pairings (Ammonite with Railings, Cornforth with Down Pipe) for modern Shaker and handleless kitchens
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why hand-paint a kitchen rather than spray it?
A brush-applied paint finish has subtle depth and brushmark variation that catches the light beautifully, and it can be touched up locally if it ever gets damaged or scratched. A sprayed finish looks more uniform but is harder to repair: a chip usually requires a full panel re-spray. For a kitchen that ages well over decades, hand-painting is the right choice.
Which Farrow & Ball colours work best in a kitchen?
For perimeter cabinetry our most-specified Farrow & Ball colours are Cornforth White, Ammonite, French Gray, Mizzle and Slipper Satin. For islands and feature pieces: Railings, Hague Blue, Down Pipe, Studio Green and Pelt. The right combination depends on the natural light and the architecture of the room.
Can I supply my own colour or colour-match an existing scheme?
Yes. We routinely colour-match to a fabric, tile, paint swatch, photograph or a sample painted by another decorator. Bring whatever reference you have.
Will the paint chip or scratch?
All hand-painted finishes are vulnerable to chips around heavy-use areas (corners, near the dishwasher, around the bin pull). The advantage of hand-painted cabinetry is that we can touch up local damage easily, and we leave you with a small tin of your colour for future repairs.
How long does the painting stage take?
Hand-painting adds around two to three weeks to the workshop programme. Cabinets are sprayed with primer and undercoat, then brushed with two finish coats. The painting is finished in the workshop before delivery, with minor on-site touch-ups after installation.
Suppliers
Please note, Handmade Kitchen’s use of manufacturer trademarks and trademark devices on this website is only to directly describe
the appliances we are able to source for our customers and we do not intend to imply any connection, affiliation or trading relationship
with the companies concerned. All trademarks and trademark devices remain the property of their respective owners.