Ideas

Choosing the right kitchen appliances is essential for functionality, efficiency, durability, safety, energy efficiency, and most definitely aesthetics. Taking the time to research and select appliances that align with your needs and preferences can greatly enhance your cooking experience and overall satisfaction in your kitchen.

Several years ago we decided to invest in a boiling water tap for the Birkwood staff kitchen. It’s a compact space and not only did we want to neaten things up but we really wanted to minimise the time we all spent waiting for the kettle to boil (there’s always work to be done!). We spent a reasonable amount and installed a (non-Quooker) unit which looked nice. It did the job and let us get on with work just as we had intended.

You may already have a good idea of what worktop you would like in your new kitchen but if not, we can help advise on what might work best for your lifestyle and space.

This is our signature under-hob cabinetry found in many of our birch plywood kitchens. Rather than our kitchens being comprised solely of standard cabinets screwed together in a row, the ‘multi-unit’ offers a larger cabinet offering an asymmetric variety of drawers both big and wee, and a small cupboard beneath the hob.

When we’re designing our cabinetry, our overarching goal is to make something beautiful that will last for generations, not just a few years. Many of our clients tell us they’re building, moving to or living in their forever home and are keen to find bespoke furniture that won’t need replacing a few years down the line.

Out of all the places that you could go to choose your new kitchen, you might find that the experience here at Birkwood is a little different to the norm. We are first and foremost a cabinet making workshop and as such we don’t have a lavish showroom with besuited sales staff ready to draw up a new kitchen for you there and then.

We’re quite proud of our plywood jointing techniques, you won’t see any standard Butt Joints in our cabinets. There is no more basic wood joinery than a butt joint. A butt joint is nothing more than one piece of wood butting into another, usually at a right angle. The butt joint is an easy joint to assemble, but the problem is that it's a pretty weak joint since it's often just glued together using a small surface area. We prefer to see these joints used in wall framing on construction sites rather than in cabinet-making, as can be seen in some other plywood kitchens and furniture

Our clients tell us the most enjoyable yet hardest parts of planning their kitchen is the final colour selection. Perhaps there’s far too much choice, but it’s good to have so many hues at our disposal, it keeps things unique. Colour choice and placement is ultimately your decision, though we will guide you.

Plywood is frequently associated with chipboard as a low-cost, rough and imperfect substitute for chunky, solid timber. However plywood is in fact a genuine wood product, made by layering together thin sheets of birch veneer.