Framed Kitchens in Hampshire

Most of the bespoke kitchens that we make are ‘in-frame’, meaning that after making the cabinet ‘boxes’, usually from veneered oak panels, we then construct a frame which is fixed to the box.

Doors are then hinged to the frames. A frame serves several purposes: firstly it stiffens the carcass and gives it added rigidity.

Secondly, it offers a structure to which doors can be hung on butt hinges in the traditional cabinet making manner. Most kitchens in the UK are made without frames, and doors are hung on sprung concealed hinges attached directly to the insides of the carcasses. Sometimes for reasons of budget and sometimes for reasons of design, instead of butt hinges we will use (the highest quality) concealed hinges. This is perfectly acceptable, especially if the correct hinges are used and other detailing is good. But it is not as robust a method as hanging doors on butt hinges within frames.

A third feature of frames is that they act visually as a surround to doors and drawers. We have our own in-house preferences for widths of frames, but sometimes a customer will request a wider or narrower frame and this is no problem. Although a recessed toe-space is usually desirable and makes for a more comfortable work station, we will sometimes continue the frame all the way to the floor. This can give a feel of substance and solidity to the kitchen cabinetry.

Fitting frames around doors and drawers takes more time and is therefore mostly costly than making frame-less kitchens. But it is proper cabinet-making where doors and drawers are fitted with nice, tight gaps – and built to last.

All the kitchens that Craigie Woodworks produce are individual one-off designs. We work all over the South of England and have made bespoke kitchens throughout Hampshire. We have done a lot of work along the M3 corridor around Basingstoke and Winchester, as well as around Andover and Farnborough.

We also design and fit handmade kitchens in South Hampshire, in and around Southampton and Portsmouth.