Does deVOL offer real value for money?

"I am a firm believer in getting what you pay for and what is worth paying for is quality."

Paul O'Leary - designer and proprietor

deVOL offers a professional designer's view of the varied possibilities of each project. The furniture is truly bespoke, being designed and built to proportions best suited for the given space.

Paul's design ethic: "Many kitchen companies offer a free design service but I would question its value. The salesman's goal is clearly to squeeze in as many bought-in units as will fit. I have a genuine belief in a design ideal and I offer an honest appraisal of my clients' ideas. My goal is a plan that extends beyond the immediate kitchen area to achieve a contemporary living space for enjoying cooking, entertaining and relaxing in beautiful surroundings. I will often recommend alterations to the fabric of the house if I consider there to be major stumbling blocks compromising the ideal.

With regards to the furniture itself, if anything, I try to influence deVOL clients that less is more. Kitchens, especially small ones, need space as well as storage. The style and quality of our furniture is the result of my own personal tastes and a passionate search for perfection. Because of this I have a real affinity with my clients' tastes and expectations.

I am a qualified and experienced designer and my services are available for a fee, usually between £100 and £250 for a kitchen project. To enable prospective clients to assess that this is a sound investment I do offer a free appraisal and estimate of the likely costs. I am quite used to doing this from fairly rough plans."

By using only solid natural timbers we can ensure that our furniture maintains its integrity under the rigours of a lifetime of wear and tear.

All man-made composite materials such as melamine or veneered chipboard, MDF or ply once damaged become very vulnerable to damp and prone to swelling and delaminating. The use of these materials limits the life-span of the cabinet.

Most of deVOL's commissions are for painted cabinets but we regularly make hardwood cabinets that will have an oiled finish. For painted cabinets, deVOL makes the fascias, doors and drawer fronts from Tulipwood and cheeks from Alder, both solid hardwoods which are stable, durable and knot free. This ensures a smooth surface, crisp edges, and moreover that the paint finish does not suffer from resinous knot stains. The interior carcassing is made from cabinetry grade red deal and the work surfaces from granite or solid hardwoods, usually Maple or Cherry. For oiled hardwood cabinets we usually use solid Maple or Cherry for the exterior and Maple or Cherry veneer for the interior but we can also accommodate our clients' preferred timber.

Despite the high cost of these natural timbers we resist using cheaper materials that only appear good value in the short term.

We take great pride in the quality of our cabinetry. Each piece of furniture is built by a qualified experienced cabinet maker using time-honoured carpentry techniques.

In particular the furniture is built from solid timber fascias, cheeks, carcassing, doors, drawers and work tops which are constructed using the following methods.

The fascias are mortice and tenoned

The doors hang on solid brass butt hinges which are rebated into both the fascia and doors

The doors and drawers are flush fitting within the fascia and have a consistently even gap all round

The drawers are of solid box construction with traditional widely spaced dovetails

The solid hardwood worktops are made from the widest timber boards

In short we have adopted every technique that could possibly improve the quality of construction.

The secret to the highest quality finishing is in the base material, preparation and expert application.

We offer lacquered, oiled or painted finishes. An oiled finish adds a certain lustre to beautifully grained hardwoods. It does require regular re-oilings by the owner so we also offer a lacquered finish. The lacquer has a soft sheen, is non-yellowing and provides durable long lasting protection. Cabinets to be painted are built from knot free hardwood and are meticulously prepared, primed and hand painted with even brush strokes following the grain by experienced furniture finishers.

"In my opinion consistently achieving the highest quality in these four key areas (design, materials, construction and finishing) ensures that deVOL clients really do get value for money."