Questions and answers on everything you need to know about Shaker kitchens – materials, design, cost and happiness!
We have chosen to build our kitchens in solid wood because it is both beautiful and durable. With a little love you will have a kitchen that lasts for generations. It is easy to renovate with sandpaper, oil and fresh paint.
We build the frames in pine – a classic in Scandinavian furniture manufacturing. Pine is knot- free, giving a calm and harmonious impression. For the fronts – doors and drawers – we use painted ash, and birch plywood for the panel; these are harder woods and more resistant to wear and tear.
Building solid wood kitchens requires fingerspetzgefuhl (which robots lack). Our carpenters have worked with wood for many years and know how to handle each individual piece to prevent tension. Yes, it costs a bit more, but the result is so much better.
The kitchens are built by hand by skilled craftsmen at our joineries in Lithuania. At present, we cooperate with two companies, both of which are small family businesses with 3-5 carpenters employed.
All timber in our kitchen comes from forests in Lithuania – not far from our joineries.
Linseed oil is environmentally friendly, natural and very beautiful. It has a long -lasting surface and a quick coat of paint will have it looking like new, time after time. We use paint from Selder & Co. Read more about our linseed oil paint: “Varför målar inte alla med linoljefärg?“
“Regular” linseed oil often turns yellow, but not the paint that we use, from Selder & Co. In other linseed oil paints, the beta-carotene in the linseed oil causes the paint to yellow, but in Selder’s paints this disappears in the refining process. However, the color is photochromic, which means that it can yellow in spaces without UV (eg if you were to paint the inside of a kitchen where the doors are usually closed, a certain amount of yellowing would occur). So you do not need to allow for yellowing when choosing the colour you want!
We have selected seven base colors that all agree well with the shaker aesthetic. You can also choose your own color of any NCS code at a small extra cost.
To see what a color will look like in your home, we recommend that you paint a surface in the room where the kitchen will stand. Get the desired shade, find your nearest dealer of Selder’s linseed oil paint: Selder / Retailers
The Shaker movement’s philosophy was to build the kingdom of heaven on Earth. It was a religious movement with two main beliefs: partly that the end of the world was imminent, and partly that it was important to live in an organised manner until then. More info is available: “Om Shaker“
The lack of specific details in Shaker aesthetics – everything is stripped and clean – makes it a timeless style. A shaker kitchen can be mixed up with classic attributes, such as a tongue and groove wall, or more modern materials such as stone worktops and floors. Therefore, a shaker kitchen is right in most homes. It’s particularly common that our kitchens end up in houses and flats that were built in the 1930s or earlier.
It’s true that the shaker style is trendy right now. We are witnessing that. But on the other hand, the style has been around for over 200 years (read more HERE) and it will probably be around for at least another 200. From time to time it will be extra trendy like it is now, but it will never go completely out of date. How do we know that? Well, partly by looking at history, and partly due to the general trend towards sustainability: More and more people think long-term and sustainable, and from that perspective, the shaker style is spot on.
In order for you to be able to plan and visualize your kitchen, we have developed a program so that you can easily draw your kitchen in 3d. It gives you a good overview and allows you test your ideas. If you get stuck and need help you are, of course, welcome to CONTACT US
Yes, our modules can be customized according to your wishes. You can easily change the dimensions directly in the design program. If you deviate from standard measurements, the price of the module increases by about 15%.
We have many different types of worktop cabinets, wall cabinets and open shelving. You will find them and all dimensions, HERE.
Yes and no 🙂 They are screwed into strips, which in turn are screwed into the body of the module, but if you are at all practical you can move these strips using a screwdriver and drill. You can fill the old holes with matches, and then sand down with sandpaper. Brush with a little linseed oil and the hole will become more or less invisible.
The cabinets and drawers are treated with linseed oil on the inside. It is also possible to opt for linseed oil with a white pigment if you want a whiter finish. This costs 7% extra.
There is no right or wrong here. The choice of details determines the style of your kitchen. If you are looking for a pure Shaker style, wooden knobs are probably the right way to go. If you want to create a more classic feel in your kitchen, brass fittings are an alternative. We have a selection of fittings to choose from and you can order from elsewhere too. For more tips and advice, read HERE.
There are so many materials and styles to choose from. Let your taste and your needs determine which worktop you buy. If you want a solid Shaker style, we recommend a worktop of wood – ash and oak are both good alternatives. HERE is an article about various stone worktops.
Yes, you can order different types of plinth at no extra cost. The classic “Shaker plinth” is most common, but we also offer surface-mounted plinths. Other solutions can also work, such as a plain recessed plinth.
Yes, for a small extra cost you can get your kitchen in any paint with an NSC code.
Well, liquids and dirt should always be wiped off as soon as possible. The kitchens are painted with linseed oil paint, which in itself is durable, but should not come into contact with alkaline (basic) substances, such as soap because this will dissolve the paint. A lightly moistened microfibre cloth works for most things. If not you can use a mild detergent.
No more than a “regular” kitchen of mdf and plastic. Spills and stains should, of course, be wiped off as quickly as possible so that they don’t get ingrained. The greatest advantage of a solid wood kitchen is that it can be renovated many times.Wear and tear occurring over the years can be sanded, oiled and re-painted. With a little TLC your solid wood kitchen will last a long time.
How you clean your worktop depends on what it is made of. Always wipe off spills and stains immediately. Wooden worktops benefit by being oiled in, limestone can be treated with linseed oil soap and stainless steel surfaces just need water and detergent. Cabinets painted with linseed oil paint should be cleaned with a mild detergent that has a low or neutral pH value. The Ph value can be seen on the packaging. Do not use soft soap for painted surfaces.
Of course! Feel free to email or call us. We are on hand if you need help along the way. You will find our contact info HERE. You can also book a meeting with us in Malmö, or visit one of our retailers.
Here are a few ideas to try 🙂 Take a look through some of your more expensive investments and see if there is anything you can compare your new kitchen with, for example::
“Darling, now we have spent a lot of money on a new walk-in closet / car / holiday / golf clubs / renovating our bathroom – doesn’t it seem reasonable to invest a similar amount on our new kitchen where we spend so much time together?” You can argue that a solid wood Shaker kitchen is a good investment because it lasts for generations. In addition, the kitchen will raise the value of your home, according to this EXPERIENCED BROKER.
We have put together a short video describing the whole process from start to finish – watch it HERE.
We give a full five year guarantee that is valid from the time you ordered your kitchen. Read more about the terms HERE.
Read all about our guarantee here: “Warranty and manufacturing info“.
From pressing the order button (read: paid the down payment of 50% of the total cost) to delivery, it usually takes between 8 – 12 weeks.
No, it comes in ready-made modules that just need to be installed into your kitchen space. The drawers and doors are all in place, and everything is painted. If you wish, we can also pre-drill for your handles / knobs.
If you are careful and have a little DIY experience then installing your kitchen yourself should not be a problem. Otherwise, we recommend that you get some carpenters in. You should extimate about two days for two people to install the kitchen. HERE is a video to give you some idea of the process.
There are a couple of ways of dealing with vague dimensions. If you know in advance that you are uncertain about some of the dimensions, then we can “build in” safety margins in the form of pass pieces, both on sideways and and upwards. These pass pieces will be oversized, so that they can be be sawn to the exact size in conjunction with installation.
If you discover that the measurements that you gave are wrong, it is usually possible to correct this. For example, the construction of our worktops, with a separate mounted frame, means that excess materials can be cut off without changing the function, and it is often possible to add extra pieces if necessary.
If the worst comes to the worst and the dimensions are completely wrong, we will simply have to replace the cabinets that are wrong and make new ones. We will do all we can to make sure that the process is as smooth and pain free as possible.
You can either measure your kitchen by hand with a folding ruler or with a laser meter. Don’t forget to double check each measurement to reduce the risk of complications later.
It depends on size, design and details. If you draw up your kitchen in our design program, you will be able to make an approximate estimation of the cost. A “normal” kitchen usually costa about €15,000. A smaller kitchen usually costs around €6,000 – €10,000, and a larger kitchen can cost from €25,000 upwards.
These prices include all cabinets and shelving, but not worktops, appliances, mixers, etc.
We cover shipping costs within mainland Sweden for kitchens over €7,000. For transportation to the islands, and to other countries, there will be additional shipping costs.
When you have accepted your quote you will receive an invoice for the entire amount. You pay 50% as a down payment. When this is paid, the carpentry starts working on your order.
Yes, 50% of the amount is down payment and paid in advance. Only when the down payment is paid will we start working on your kitchen.
Our kitchens are built by hand. Achieving the high quality we strive for, simply takes a lot of time. Our kitchens are not for everyone, but for those who appreciate quality craftmanship and see their kitchen as along term investment.
A hand built kitchen could cost the earth but our rational modular system keeps prices down. Everything is carefully planned and, thanks to that, we save a lot of time and money in the manufacturing process.
Yes, we believe that it can! A beautiful kitchen with good functionality feels harmonious – plenty of studies show the connection between design and well-being. Colour and shape have a great impact on our psyche. In addition, good design lasts longer, and can be inherited by future generations. Just knowing that makes you happy!
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