Overseas Kitchen Projects FAQs
20th June 2024
Here at deVOL we specialise in beautiful, traditional English kitchens, but we send our furniture all over the world, in fact, we’ve now completed projects in 26 countries! In the last 35 years, we think we’ve honed our process to make working anywhere on the globe pretty seamless, so we thought we’d answer a few of our most asked questions…
I don’t live in the UK, can I have a kitchen?
Yes, absolutely! We’re happy to send our furniture and accessories all over the world. Wherever possible we prefer to carry out our design appointments face-to-face, but if this isn’t feasible for you we’re more than happy to meet on Zoom, the phone, or simply via email. Over the last few years, our team has become real experts at remote design, and these types of projects have always been successful. We do charge a small design fee for projects outside mainland UK, but this amount will be deducted from the balance of your kitchen order.
Can you install my overseas kitchen?
For overseas projects, we do ask that you find a local team to install your furniture. Your cupboards will be delivered with a very detailed installation guide, and if you or your fitters have a question, we’re only a phone call away.
Will you provide the worktops as well as the cupboards?
As a general rule, we don’t provide worktops for international projects. Countertops tend to be very large, but also quite fragile and so incur a high price, and risk, when being shipped. They also need to be templated in situ, which requires a local team. However, your designer will talk you through all the different options and make recommendations based on your design. Once you’ve both decided on a material our designers will provide the dimensions for you to give to your stonemason or worktop provider, if you choose a local stone yard you might also be able to visit in person and pick your slab.
It is worth mentioning that there are a few exceptions to this rule. Certain materials, like copper and timber, are made here in the deVOL workshops and, size permitting, can be shipped as part of a freestanding piece of furniture or a simple kitchen island.
Do you supply appliances for overseas projects?
Due to the different specifications required on a country-to-country basis, we only supply appliances for projects in the UK. As with worktops, our designers are always happy to advise on brands and models, but we’ve found it just makes more sense to source these items in the country you’re ordering from.
What about VAT and import duties?
No UK VAT is charged on any overseas orders which we dispatch, however, if you are organising your own collection from our workshops we do charge VAT. This amount can be refunded if we receive specific proof of the furniture arriving on-site within three months of the items leaving our site.
In terms of import taxes, you will have to pay your own country’s VAT/duties on the value of the order. For most places, we will be able to organise this for you as part of our delivery service and include these costs in your order. There are a few locations where you must pay this charge directly to your local government, but this is something our team can confirm for you during the design process.
What is the lead time for a kitchen abroad?
This will depend on the size of your kitchen and the number of bespoke elements, but we generally say about 3-5 months for your furniture to be ready. It is important to note though, that shipping can add a substantial amount of time to this process, and this will vary depending on your location. International shipping can take as little as a few days, or as long as a few months, so do check with your deVOL designer to make sure your timeline accounts for this.
How do I get started?
If you’re interested in chatting to one of our designers about your kitchen, the best thing to do is head to our ‘Design Service’ page. We’ve listed everything we’ll need to get you booked in for a consultation.
If you have any questions we haven’t answered here, you can contact our design team at enquiries@devolkitchens.co.uk and our team would be happy to chat through our whole process with you.
