Corner units decide how a kitchen actually works: a glass front corner cabinet can turn an awkward dead corner into display storage, but only if the door, carcass and hardware are specified well. When you buy direct from a factory, samples and written proposals carry the specification, so learning to compare them properly protects both the price and the finished look. The notes below follow the way a made-to-measure cabinet order is normally quoted and confirmed.

Compare like for like before you compare prices

Two proposals for the same corner unit can differ by a wide margin and still be fair quotes. The difference usually hides in scope: whether the price covers carcass only or doors, glass, hinges, handles, interior fittings, kick plinth and pack-up drawing; whether the corner is a straight-cut blanking plate or a shaped carcass with rotating baskets; whether glass is clear, low-iron, frosted or tinted; and whether finish is paint, foil, laminate or veneer. Glass front corner cabinets for a project are quoted to project dimensions and finishes, so a comparison sheet that lists each of these items line by line keeps every quotation on the same basis.

What to check on the sample before it is approved

• Frame and glass rebate. Look at the sight line of the glass, the depth of the rebate, and whether the glazing bead mitres cleanly at the corners. A poor mitre is the fastest way to spoil a glass front.
• Glass type and edge treatment. State clear, low-iron, frosted or tinted glass in writing, with polished edges and the glass thickness used in the sample. Note any film or safety layer, and photograph the sample next to a plain white sheet so colour can be judged against the proposal.
• Door square and warp. Stand the sample door upright, check that all four corners sit in one plane, and open and close it on its hinges a dozen times. Hinge fixing plates, cup depth and fixing method should match what will be used in production.
• Finish and colour. Approve the finish under the same light as the kitchen (warm and cool sources), and keep the approved sample as the reference standard for delivery inspection. Record the colour, sheen level and grain direction together with the finish code.
• Interior fittings. If the corner is meant to hold lazy Susan corner cabinets or pull-out carousels, ask for the hardware brand and model on the proposal and, if possible, a sample of the mechanism itself.

What a serious proposal should state

A quote that is worth comparing should include a pack-up drawing of every corner module with overall width, depth and height marked; the carcass material and thickness, plus edge banding; the door construction and finish code; glass specification with thickness and edge detail; hinge and runner brand with loading where it matters; the interior configuration of the corner (blanking plate, adjustable shelf, carousel or pull-out); tolerances for on-site levelling; and the packing method for glass-fronted doors. Any item missing from this list is a question, not a saving.

• Ask whether dimensions are nominal or finished, and how the unit is trimmed to site levels.
• Ask how glass-fronted doors are packed and whether spare glazing is quoted.
• Ask what is excluded: freight, duties, on-site adjustment, replacement of damaged glass.
• Ask for the same corner detail in the alternative L shaped corner cabinets layout, so the layout options can be judged against each other rather than against a single drawing.

Layout options to shortlist for the corner

• Diagonal carcass with glass front. Best when the corner is kept for display glassware or everyday dishes that should stay visible.
• L shaped run with glass front at the return. Suits a working corner where a blanking plate hides the dead space; useful when worktop depth changes along the run.
• U shaped run with glass front to the central bay. Reads as furniture in an open-plan kitchen and works well with tall units closing either end.
• Open shelf corner with glass front to adjacent units. Mixes display and concealed storage, at the cost of more dusting and tidier contents.

Red flags that separate weak bids from good ones

• A price given before any corner drawing exists, or a quote that changes shape between the first and second issue.
• "Glass front" with no glass specification, no thickness, and no note of whether the bead is captured from inside or outside.
• Hinges and runners described by size only, with no brand, model or opening angle.
• A single photo offered in place of a sample, with the sample charged for and not credited against the order.
• Delivery terms that do not mention how glass panels are replaced if broken in transit.

A simple scoring method

Score each supplier on five points: completeness of the proposal, sample quality, clarity of the glass and hardware specification, communication of lead time and exclusions, and price. Weigh specification above price, because a cheap corner unit that needs re-making costs more than a correctly specified one. Keep the approved sample with the signed drawing; both become the acceptance standard when the cabinets arrive, and both make it far easier to resolve a dispute over glass tint, door square or finish sheen.

Getting an accurate quotation

Send the corner dimensions, wall and floor levels, appliance positions, and the finish you want, and ask for two corner layouts drawn on the same sheet. SANTERSON works with project customers on made-to-measure kitchens and built-in furniture, with finish, layout and dimensions specified per project, and with door-to-door delivery coordinated alongside other fixtures for the same fit-out. If you would like corner layouts and a specification sheet checked against your drawings, contact us with your plan and we will quote the glass, doors and hardware on the same basis you can compare with your other bids.