What a Bespoke Kitchen Costs in Australia. A Designer's Guide

I don't build kitchens. I design them. So I can tell you where the money goes.

The first question is almost never really about the number. It's about whether the number will be worth it.

What the making costs. These are what Australian makers charge to build and install. They are not my fees. A full kitchen in standard materials runs $18,000 to $45,000. Fully bespoke joinery, resolved to the millimetre in two pac or timber veneer, typically lands between $45,000 and $90,000, and passes $100,000 with premium materials and integrated appliances. Per linear metre, supplied and installed, expect $1,800 to $3,200 for laminate, $3,200 to $5,500 for two pac, and $4,500 to $7,000 or more for timber. Cabinetry is the largest line in most projects, usually 40 to 50 per cent of the total.

Design and making are separate decisions. Most people meet both costs bundled into one quote, priced by the person doing the building. I sit on the other side of that arrangement. The design is its own piece of work, documented in full, and the documents are yours to take to your chosen maker. The maker prices exactly what is drawn. Makers price uncertainty. A fully resolved drawing set removes it.

The design decides the number. Not the size of the room. The decisions inside it. The finish, the hardware, the internals, and above all the sequence. Layout first. Budget second. A kitchen resolved on paper costs a fraction of one resolved on site.

Where to begin. Not with a quote. With a read on the project. The Initial Conversation is a project strategy session. One focused hour, online. You leave with the decisions that matter now, and the order to make them in. $550 including GST, credited toward any future work with the studio.

Explore the Initial Conversation

Cost data: SteepWood Joinery NSW cost guide 2026; Designer Joinery Sydney price guide 2026; HIA Kitchens and Bathrooms Report.