We wanted to match up two damaged kitchen cupboard doors for our daughter and son-in-law and we…read morewere not 100% sure that they were from B and Q. We went to the kitchen supply area in store and were greeted by Doug. He asked advice from his colleague who instantly recognised the product and checked to see if they were in stock. We were delighted that they were. Doug brought them out, checked them thoroughly, and happily answered several questions we had about transferring the handles, fitting and hinges etc. We then mentioned that we were looking to refresh our kitchen by replacing the doors and drawers. Doug gave us the planning sheet for measuring up our kitchen, and told us if we needed help or had any question to contact him. He gave us several brochures for ideas and other tips. We came away so impressed with the service we had received and especially by Doug who also told us he had only been at B and Q a short time. We wanted you to know that he and his colleague are a real credit to the company. I am sure that because of the excellent service we received that we will be purchasing the doors and drawers to improve our kitchen at home.

If they don't have what you're looking for at B&Q's flagship Brighton store on Lewes Road, this…read moresmaller branch in Shoreham has a strong selection of everything from nuts, bolts and powertools to light bulbs and lampshades. There's a small selection of plain and flowered wallpapers and a mammoth range of popular and own brand paints. I dropped in earlier to see if they had any matt pink rose for my study and was pleased to see they had about four tins for half price. There was also a special on brushes and - whisper it! - Christmas decorations.

It has everything that I could possibly want for my house. For real! I love everything in there…read more They have amazing stuff from tableware to woodenware, textiles and enamelware, from glassware to tea pots, jugs and mugs on a shop with such a nice decoration and pleasant staff that makes a shopping experience being so good. The shop is really cool, on a building with a lovely colour and all the wonderful things are organized in a neatly and tidy way that makes it even harder to resist. Ok, I couldn't decide on what to buy (luggage restrictions - but good for my wallet, otherwise I would just bought everything!!) so I had to go one second time to check again and buy as much as I could! Thus, two times on the same day and they already knew me! Oh well, is just the way it is, but they were friendly, chatty and their product knowledge is amazing. So, feel free to go around, buy all you need (and what you don't need but there are so many awesome things that is just impossible not to) and try not spending all your money! Totally worth it.

Utility is a fun little shop selling all those household items you didn't realise you needed until…read moreyou walked through the doors. Their philosophy is supplying goods that are both attractive and hard waring, the name of the shop and the idea being drawn from WWII rationing. They have a large range of bakeware, storage pots, utensils, dining ware, aprons and tea towels. Some items even come with explanations in case their use isn't obvious. I came away with a couple of old fashioned preservation bottles and a nifty little device to stop teapots dripping - a highly original Christmas present and lots of fun while the recipient tries to guess the function of said gift! The shop owner is really friendly and loves a chat as you browse. They also have an on-line shop if you're not local but still want to check out what they have to offer.

This is a great shop for DIY enthusiasts nestled in the lovely shopping area in Kemp Town…read more The good thing about this kind of establishment is they are so friendly, you don't feel like a complete muppet when asking for advice on which tools to buy or just for advice on a current project. They have some great bargains in here if you ask or dig deep. I recently bought a Makita drill from there and it came with a good discount.

I looked in on these guys today out of nothing more than passing interest and was rewarded to find…read morethat there is a totally practical and well stocked out hardware store in Kemp town. This is refreshing as, to my knowledge, for years all you were ever to find on St James street and the surrounding area were great cafes and lifestyle shops, the bohemian attitude shunning such practicalities as tools. But now the good people of Kemp town can arm themselves with all they need to take on any DIY or basic home repairs without having to travel across town. As it says in the other write up's of this place the service is flawless. Not like the spotty disinterested teen that may have shown you around BnQ or the burly blokes in the trade centres that seem to be fluent in builder. No these guys seem to have the Kemptown Attitude to running a shop and the knowledge to give you exactly what you need.

I've spent many a Saturday afternoon popping down to Grieves when I've been doing a touch of DIY…read morearound the house. It's wonderful to have something like this just around the corner when you need a particular type of screw, tool or appliance to finish a small project. I've bought new light switches, wood stain, Unibond for tiling the bathroom walls and even cleaning products. The gentleman in here is very friendly and knowledgeable so just ask him if you're not sure what you need.

I do love a bit of banter when you walk into a shop and I guess your probably going to get that in…read morea good old fashioned independent decorators merchants. I went into Hove Paints to purchase a tin of basic white gloss to get my doors and skirting boards looking a bit newer and felt like I was in the middle of a sitcom. There was a small gang of rosy cheeked, hairy builders sitting around guzzling tea laughing their heads as they poked fun at the shop manager who, while trying to keep a straight face, was very helpful. They cater for trade and DIY here and they do deliver when you order over a certain amount. I love shops like this though as there's always someone around to give you some advice or crack a good joke!

This shop was recommended to me by Grieves DIY when I was looking to do some redecorating. They're…read morereally friendly in here and if you describe a colour that you have in your head or take a swatch of something you want to match, they're pretty good at doing it, you can choose from hundreds of colours in their colour guides books. The main brands they stock are Macphersons, Sandtex and Crown and they also sell coving packs too.

Useful shop that sells decorating material, such as paint, wallpaper and the like. It's not quite a…read moreDIY store, as it doesn't seem to have power drills and the like, but if you're simply decorating a room in your house, you'll probably find what you need here. The shop has the feel of a cross between a hardware store and a soft furnishings shop. I actually stumbled across Brewers via Google, after a fruitless search for a shade of white paint that only seemed to be available to the trade. Homebase completely failed me, since the barely pubescent Saturday staff weren't exactly the most knowledgeable, but Brewers was listed as a place that dealt in trade colours. After about 30 seconds of looking at paint on the shelves in Brewers, someone spotted my cluelessness and rescued me. He quickly found out what exactly I wanted, despite my vagueness, and gave great advice on what I needed to buy. There was a clear focus on what the customer wants, rather than trying to sell me more than I needed. A nice touch is that while I was waiting for my paint to be mixed up, I was offered a free drink from the vending machine. Ok, it's hardly fresh filter coffee, but it's still much more than you could reasonably expect from a DIY shop. I'm definitely shopping here for my decorating needs from now on, and avoiding Homebase like the plague.

Very mixed experience…read more Initially we were very impressed with Rob's (Colour Republic) knowledge, recommendations and general guidance on our new kitchen. Colour Republic designed the kitchen and ordered the materials but as they were fully booked up for building work, we used a separate builder (again, very pleased with). All of this was very good and we would 100% recommend based on that experience ... ... However ... when it came to the end of the job and a few snagging problems (e.g. fridge/ freezer door handles too long so banging against walls), it was near impossible to get a response from Rob. Despite trying everything emailing, texting, phoning, leaving voicemails etc, I was only successful in getting a response once ... which was an apology for not responding due to a family grievance! It could be argued that the builders should not have fitted the handles although they fitted what was ordered. However, it was the complete lack of response and customer 'after care' that has left a nasty taste after what we thought was a good working relationship. In the end, we simply gave up trying and still have handles that knock against a wall. If Rob wishes to come up with a solution for this we would still be happy to get this sorted and update the mixed review!

I researched five companies and decided that a smallish local firm would have better coordination…read moreand cooperation between the design engineer, the suppliers and the fitters than is likely to be the case with the corporate people. (You do hear horror stories.) There was a small glitch over the starting date due to staff illness, but otherwise everything ran smoothly and efficiently. It's a small house with very little extra space to leave stuff. We were having the walls, ceiling and floor done at the same time - all arranged with B&H Kitchens - but Darren the fitter had everything sorted out without any fuss and a minimum of inconvenience. The standard of work is excellent and we are very pleased with the end result. It's always good when you are dealing with helpful, friendly people, for whom nothing seems like too much trouble. Thanks chaps.

Great service from this company, who we used for our new kitchen in 2013. They designed a fabulous…read morekitchen for us which gave us everything we were looking for and came in at less than the cost we thought it would be. Their installation team were all really reliable and friendly and it was a pleasure to have them in our home. We found that Brighton & Hove Kitchens gave a very personal level of service, as they are a small company. Any niggles were dealt with quickly and we appreciated the time they took to explain everything to us. We would definitely use them again.