Ask three companies to quote a kitchen in Dubai and you can easily get three numbers that differ by a factor of four. That is not because two of them are trying it on. It is because “a kitchen” is not one product, and most quotes do not describe the same thing.
Here is what actually moves the price, in roughly the order it matters, and how to compare quotes so you are comparing like with like.
What actually drives the cost
1. The fronts, not the boxes
Carcasses vary less than people expect. The doors and drawer fronts are where the money goes. Matt lacquer in a bespoke colour, real wood veneer with matched grain across a run, or a fluted or textured face all cost multiples of a standard melamine front. Handleless designs add cost again, because the tolerances have to be tighter and the mechanism does the work a handle used to.
2. The worktop
Frequently the single largest line after the fronts, and the one most often left vague in quotes. Material, thickness, edge detail and how many mitred returns you want all change the figure substantially. A waterfall island edge is not a small upgrade.
3. Appliances
Often 20 to 30 per cent of a kitchen budget, and almost entirely under your control. This is the easiest place to adjust a project without touching the design — and the easiest place for a quote to look cheap by assuming entry-level equipment.
4. Ironmongery and internals
Soft-close everything, internal drawers within drawers, pull-out larders, corner mechanisms, integrated bins and drawer lighting. Individually modest, collectively significant. They are also what makes a kitchen feel expensive day to day, long after the finish has stopped being noticed.
5. The island
Islands cost more per metre than runs against a wall — finished on all sides, often carrying services, and usually with the most visible worktop detail in the room.
6. Site conditions
Villa walls in the UAE are rarely square and services are rarely where the drawings say. Scribing, filler panels and adjusting for out-of-plumb blockwork is real work. A quote produced without a site survey is a guess.
What quotes leave out — check every one of these
- Worktop material and thickness, named specifically, with edge detail.
- Appliance make and model, not “appliances included”.
- Splashback — often excluded entirely.
- Lighting under and inside cabinets, and who wires it.
- Plumbing and electrical adjustments, and whether they are yours or theirs.
- Removal and disposal of an existing kitchen.
- Delivery, installation and snagging, and how long after installation snags are still covered.
- Ironmongery brand — “soft close” without a name means nothing.
Two quotes that both say “luxury fitted kitchen” can differ by more than the price of a car once these are filled in. Ask every company to price the same written specification, and the comparison becomes straightforward.
Lead time is part of the price, even when it is not on the quote
Premium kitchens are made in Italy and Europe, and that is exactly why they are worth having — but it means the programme is governed by a production slot and a shipping window, not by how quickly anyone wants to work. A quote that does not state a lead time is incomplete.
The expensive part is a change after the order is placed. A filler that is 4mm out, a door that needs easing, a handle changed after you have seen it in the room — once a kitchen has left the factory, that is a new order and another crossing, not an afternoon’s work.
Which is why the survey and the specification matter more here than anywhere else. We measure the room properly, agree every detail in writing before the order goes in, and hold the programme against the delivery date — so the lead time is planned around rather than discovered.
How to get a number you can rely on
- Have the room surveyed. Anything quoted from a floor plan alone will move.
- Write the specification down — fronts, worktop, appliances, ironmongery — and issue the same document to everyone.
- Ask what is excluded. The answer tells you more than the total.
- Ask to see the finish in daylight. Matt lacquer, veneer and stone all look different from a screen or a small sample.
- Ask who installs it. A well-made kitchen fitted badly is a badly made kitchen.
Get it priced properly
Bring your plans to our Experience Centre in Dubai Hills and we will price your actual room rather than a floor plan — and tell you where the money is going. Request a quote, or look at wardrobes and furniture while you are here.