FAQs
Our venture started 10 years ago with just one man and his van. Since then, we’ve evolved into an organisation passionate about delivering the highest quality bespoke kitchens to customers across the UK. Our dedication to sustainability in Bristol and beyond has been present at every step. You can read the full story on our About Us page, where you’ll also learn more about the Sustainable Kitchens ethos. Honest Living Limited (trading as Sustainable Kitchens) is a limited company registered in England and Wales. 07162846 VAT Number: GB992073304. Registered address: Unit D4, Avondale Works, Woodland Way, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 1PA.
We welcome projects located across the country. Our most regular clients are based in the South West, Somerset, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds as well as within London, Wales, and the Midlands. Unsurprisingly, a great deal of our work is based in Bristol, our home town. We conduct visits to your home before we begin the process and will happily welcome you to our showroom as often as you like. We are members of Sustainable Workspaces based in London and have a meeting room in London to have a consultation and run through designs if that suits.
We say our kitchens start from £25,000 – Most of the kitchens you see on our website are usually between £25,000-£40,000 due to appliances and worktop costs. Whilst we take care of the full project, you may already have existing applances which would lower the cost. We offer full service, including worktops, appliances, final measures, delivery. installation and aftercare. Our Honest Kitchens start from around £7,000 for cabinetry only.
Every kitchen comes with a 30 year warranty as standard. Clients will need to register their appliances for warranties.
The Sustainable Kitchens workshop is in Kingswood, North East Bristol. Unit D4, Avondale Works, Woodland Way BS15 1PA We are members of Sustainable Workspaces based in London, 25 Lavingdon Street, SE1 0NZ. We have a space available in which we can present our designs and talk through your project in person to service London and surrounds.
We offer other cabinetry such as alcove storage, wardrobes, home offices, boot rooms… If you have a project in mind, get in touch and we we’d be happy to put together a design and solution for your storage needs.
EBespoke means that it is designed and built to fit perfectly and to suit you and your home. We are not selecting from standard cabinets and using filler panels at the end of each run. Our talented designers will come up with something uniquely you and we will make each cabinet exactly the right size to fit perfectly in the space it was designed for.
A typical project takes around 4-6 weeks from the point that we begin building your kitchen to when we begin our installation. The design process prior to this depends on your specifications and revisions required. The installation itself will take 1 week but if you have natural stone or concrete worktops then we will return 2 weeks later to install the worktops. Please be aware that we do have a 3 to 6 month lead time.
We use Farrow & Ball paints. They utilise water-based, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints which are eco-friendly and have a low odour. We spray three coats of paint and hand paint everything upon fitting. We also offer exposed plywood as an alternative to paint.
Who are Sustainable Kitchens?
Where are you based?
What guarantees do I get?
Do you work outside the Bristol area?
What sort of prices are your kitchens?
Do you do other cabinetry besides kitchens?
What do you mean by “bespoke”?
How long will it take to complete the job?
What colour and paints can you use? Do you offer unpainted wood?
Can you supply my appliances for me?
Yes. During the design process we’ll discuss your appliance needs, you can stipulate your exact specifications or we can suggest ideas based on your design and kitchen. When you work with us, we’ll give you exclusive access to better pricing on appliances (as well as suggest the perfect appliances for your needs – appliance integration really is key to a well-designed kitchen).
We can supply the same high quality cabinets to suit you. Please take a look at our sister company Honest Kitchens product range at www.honestkitchens.co.uk Here we provide standard sized cabinetry, using the same sustainable materials and processes, with a customisable approach with you sourcing the appliances, wortops and installation.
We love a challenge. We believe that if you’re looking to commission a bespoke kitchen it should be exactly that. It should be bespoke to your needs, your lifestyle and your home. Do you live in an traditional home but would like a cutting-edge modern look that blends in with the wonky flagstones? We can design, craft and install beautiful furniture that perfectly fits your brief. Our design team will work directly with you to grow your ideas from your mind to reality in a wholly sustainable way. We pride ourselves on our accommodating service, our highly flexible nature and a design service that is tailored to you, including remote consultations if you require. We can meet at a time to suit you and as much as you require until you are completely satisfied and thrilled with your design. To learn more about our bespoke design service visit our dedicated page.
We’re not lenders or financial advisors so we can’t offer you advice. However, we’ve put together a starting point for your research into financing your new kitchen here.
You can expect the absolute best in terms of service, craftsmanship and product. Right from the very beginning of your journey with Sustainable Kitchens we deliver the highest quality, and we strongly believe that quality is deeper than the façade. Our cabinets are constructed using the highest quality solid Birch plywood. The doors are made with sustainable solid Oak and are finished by hand with eco-friendly paint. The drawers within your units are completed with traditional dovetail joints and crafted from Oak or Birch with thick plywood bases. Finally, the drawers sit on the best quality under-mount, full extension, soft-close drawer runners that you’ll find in any kitchen. The doors to your cabinets will hang on beautiful, robust brass hinges that close using our own design of Maple encased magnets. These provide a clever and pleasing soft-close finish. The Birch shelves sit on stainless steel pins that fit tightly into stainless steel inserts. Thanks to this design you’re guaranteed a cabinet that won’t become loose or unsteady over a lifetime’s use.
Kitchens are our real specialism. We’re experienced at working with any layout and we always deliver the highest quality end product and a space that you can love. We’ll speak to you to learn what you use your kitchen for, and to understand what appliances are central to your daily life. You might have a quirky collection of teapots but are stumped how to display them; we can help you with that. Maybe you need to have quick access to your evening wine; we’ve got a solution ready for you. That said, we are first and foremost a joinery company and we can turn our hands to many projects. We’ve crafted alcove cabinetry and shelving, indoor and outdoor furniture. We can even replicate our kitchens for the avid cooks to be in the family with mini-me kitchens.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation defines sustainable forest management as “The stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems”.
We have been trading as Honest Living and then as Sustainable Kitchens since 2008; Honest Living became a limited company in 2010. (Please note that the company name since incorporation to July 2018 was It Woodwork and has since changed to Honest Living). Learn more in our About section.
Yes. Our VAT number is GB992073304 and our company number is 7162846.
Once your kitchen is fully installed you’ll receive a handover pack containing a maintenance guide and all information on the relevant warranties for your appliances as well as some other goodies to keep your kitchen spick & span. All of our kitchens are made with real wood. As such, there is always the chance that there will be some movement as the wood acclimatises to your home. This is natural process depending on the temperature and climate of your space. If this happens and you notice changes then get in touch and we will come and make the necessary adjustments free of charge.
Historically we have used an oil such as Danish or teak oil. These are natural products and do provide good protection against water, but they do require regular maintenance and tending to. Nowadays, we use a product known as Hardwax oil. This is a totally natural and eco-friendly product that offers a lot more protection than oil. In the first instance we apply a primer that soaks deep into the timber of your worktop, and then add several coats of the hard, waxy top coat that forms a water protective barrier. This also really enhances the natural colour, texture and grain of the wood. As with all hardwood worktops you’ll need to maintain the wax finish and take care of it. Don’t worry, we’ll provide all the tips and product information that you’ll need to keep it as good as new for a lifetime to come.
We’re a design house, so we create beautiful kitchens that aren’t limited by specific styles. That said, we often find our clients requesting one of three different kitchens styles:
- Shaker – There is an inset panel on the front of the cabinet doors which are set within a frame
- Flat Panel – The cabinet doors have a flat front panel
- Molding – Shaker style with intricate beading
Yes. We offer exposed plywood cabinets within a plywood frame.
While we do some overlay kitchens, we also believe that the true value of our high quality kitchens lies in the in-frame designs we most frequently offer our clients. Working this way allows us to use the best fixtures and fittings, giving you the highest standard; though if you’d prefer an overlay, we’ll certainly create that with you.
We use solid wood for all of our kitchens. The carcasses are made of birch plywood and the doors and frames are made of solid oak or birch plywood dependant on which style you choose.
We only use timber and sheet materials which are deemed to be ethical and which carry certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) who promote sustainably managed forests worldwide. We do not use any tropical hardwoods.Through our partnership with the Avon Woodland Trust we are helping to replant the UK’s native woodland and prevent any further loss of this ancient resource. The Sustainable Kitchens tree dedication scheme ensures the planting and maintaining of trees with every kitchen we make.
The most sustainable kitchen worktop that we offer is oak, which can be stained to the colour of your choice. We also offer stainless steel, copper, granite and various stones.
Photography
Because it’s so light and airy, photographers love to use our space. So far, we’ve hosted photoshoots for:
Cookery It probably won’t surprise you that our showroom, as a fully-functioning kitchen, is often used for cookery events. Recipe demonstrations, tasting sessions and product launches all benefit from the boost of being hosted in such a high-quality space. If you’re hosting an event and wondering about hiring a chef, we’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Bristol has no shortage of amazing chefs and we frequently work with the best of them. If you don’t see what you need there, drop us a line: we should be able to sort that for you. Evening Events We’ll happily host an out-of-hours event for you and your clients. Previous events that we’ve hosted include:
Because it’s so light and airy, photographers love to use our space. So far, we’ve hosted photoshoots for:
- Recipe and Cookbook product and production shots
- Cutlery and Crockery
- Cookery Product launches
- Homeware products
- Clothing
Cookery It probably won’t surprise you that our showroom, as a fully-functioning kitchen, is often used for cookery events. Recipe demonstrations, tasting sessions and product launches all benefit from the boost of being hosted in such a high-quality space. If you’re hosting an event and wondering about hiring a chef, we’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Bristol has no shortage of amazing chefs and we frequently work with the best of them. If you don’t see what you need there, drop us a line: we should be able to sort that for you. Evening Events We’ll happily host an out-of-hours event for you and your clients. Previous events that we’ve hosted include:
- Press junkets
- Announcements
- Networking
- Product launches
- And many more…