Lidstein
The short answer: Kitchen factories do not sell to private customers — but they do sell to companies with factory access. Factory-direct sourcing removes the trade tiers between plant and showroom, whose margins and showroom costs otherwise sit in the retail price — with identical manufacturing quality from the same plant. The prerequisites are a professional survey, proper connections and installation. At Lidstein those are included.
Where does the middleman sit in a kitchen price?
A showroom kitchen price carries more than the furniture: showroom rent and fit-out, sales commissions, advertising and the trade tier's margin. That is legitimate — retail provides consultation and display. But if planning and installation are handled by a specialist company anyway, you still pay for those services when buying through a studio.
How does factory-direct work?
- On-site survey: to the millimetre, including connection positions, wall tolerances and appliance dimensions.
- Planning: interior design and factory engineering align fronts, appliances, worktop and lighting — at Lidstein by Ms Milosevic-Timarac.
- Factory order: production at the manufacturer's plant, typical lead time 4–8 weeks.
- Connections: electrics, water, extraction — by in-house trades, to code, from one team.
- Installation & handover: assembly, alignment, briefing — and one contact if anything needs adjusting later.
When does the route pay off — and when not?
| Criterion | Factory-direct via specialist | Kitchen studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price structure | Factory + planning + installation | Factory + trade tier + showroom |
| Touch & try | Samples and reference projects | Complete display kitchens |
| Connections (water/power) | In-house trades included | Usually separate electrician/plumber |
| Suits | Renovation, conversion, clear ideas | Extensive in-person comparison |
A fair assessment: if you want to compare many kitchens physically, the studio is the right place. If you are renovating, factory-direct gives you kitchen and installation from one team.
Why plan kitchen and renovation together?
The most expensive kitchen mistakes happen before the kitchen: sockets in the wrong place, water connection ten centimetres off, no extraction route. Planned together with the interior fit-out, connections, lighting and floor build-up flow into the works from day one — and installation joins the same schedule. More on planning in our article on interior design by Ms Milosevic-Timarac.
Frequently asked questions
Can private customers buy a kitchen straight from the factory?
Usually not — manufacturers supply trade partners. The route runs through a company with factory access: Lidstein sources kitchens and furniture ex works and covers survey, delivery, installation and the utility connections with its own trades.
Why is factory-direct cheaper?
Between factory and showroom sit trade tiers with their own margin plus showroom, staff and sales costs that flow into the retail price. Factory-direct removes those tiers — with identical manufacturing quality from the same plant.
Who plans the kitchen?
At Lidstein, interior designer Ms Milosevic-Timarac plans together with the manufacturer's engineering team: on-site survey, layout, appliances, fronts and worktops — including electrical and water connections by in-house trades.
What about warranty and complaints?
Your contract partner is the supplying company — warranty and complaints run through them, not an anonymous hotline. At Lidstein that means one contact from planning to adjusting the hinges.
Planning a kitchen?
Send us a floor plan or photos — you will get an honest assessment of what is possible ex works.