Custom kitchen Dubai: cost, materials and build process

A custom kitchen in Dubai costs between AED 2,200 and AED 10,000 per linear metre of cabinetry, depending on the carcass board, door finish and worktop. This guide gives you the real AED bands, the materials that survive Dubai humidity, and how a 3 to 5 week build runs from survey to install.

Why work with Crafty Clare decoration design LLC

• Turnkey interior design and fit-out delivered under one roof in Jebel Ali
• Own joinery workshop, so every cabinet is built in-house
• In-house design, joinery and installation teams, no subcontracted fitting
• Free on-site measurement across Dubai before you commit
• Itemised fixed quotation issued before any deposit
• Serving Jebel Ali, Dubai and the wider UAE

What custom actually means vs imported modular boxes

Custom means the carcass is cut to your wall, not to a catalogue width. Imported modular kitchens arrive in fixed box sizes, so the fitter closes the gaps with filler panels and you lose usable space at corners, bulkheads and service recesses.

Custom joinery wins when the room is not square, when the ceiling bulkhead drops lower on one side, when a tall fridge or built-in oven has to sit inside a specific run, or when the kitchen has to match wardrobes and TV units elsewhere in the apartment. A bespoke kitchen in Dubai also lets you move the extractor duct, hide the DEWA points behind a removable panel, and build drawers around the sink trap instead of boarding it off.

Imported modular is cheaper and faster when your room is genuinely standard. Most Dubai apartments and villas are not, which is why so many kitchens end up with 80mm of filler on each side. Custom work also keeps the design consistent with the rest of the interior design and fit-out services in the property.

Custom kitchen cost in Dubai: AED price bands

Expect AED 2,200 to AED 3,000 per linear metre at the budget end, AED 3,800 to AED 5,500 mid range, and AED 6,500 to AED 10,000 or more for premium cabinetry.

Build level	Carcass and doors	Per linear metre
Budget	16mm particle board, melamine doors, 0.4mm PVC edge, standard hinges	AED 2,200 to AED 3,000
Mid range	18mm marine ply carcass, HDF doors with 2-pack lacquer or veneer, 2mm ABS edge, branded soft-close	AED 3,800 to AED 5,500
Premium	Marine ply or blockboard, veneer or solid timber face, hand-finished lacquer, premium drawer systems	AED 6,500 to AED 10,000 plus

Worktops add to that, priced per linear metre installed:

• Engineered quartz, 20mm: AED 700 to AED 1,200
• Honed marble: AED 1,000 to AED 2,000, and it needs sealing
• Solid surface: AED 1,200 to AED 1,800
• Porcelain slab, 12mm: AED 1,500 to AED 2,500

As whole kitchens, an L-shaped run of about 5 linear metres lands at AED 14,000 to AED 18,000 on a budget spec, AED 22,000 to AED 32,000 mid range and AED 40,000 to AED 60,000 premium. A U-shaped apartment kitchen of about 7 linear metres is typically AED 32,000 to AED 45,000 at mid range. All figures exclude appliances, sink, tap and 5% VAT.

Worked example: a 3.2m custom kitchen in a Dubai Marina apartment, mid range specification.

• Marine ply carcass, 18mm, edged both sides: 3.2 lm at AED 1,150 = AED 3,680
• Doors and drawer fronts, HDF with 2-pack lacquer: 3.2 lm at AED 1,450 = AED 4,640
• Quartz worktop, 20mm with upstand and cut-outs: 3.4 lm at AED 1,000 = AED 3,400
• Soft-close hinges and tandem runners, 14 units: AED 1,850
• Plinth, fillers, cornice, sink and tap cut-outs: AED 900
• Installation, levelling, sealing and snagging: AED 2,200
• Total: AED 16,670, or about AED 5,200 per linear metre, before appliances, sink, tap and VAT

Change the doors to veneer and the worktop to honed marble and the same run moves to roughly AED 21,000. That is the honest answer to any custom kitchen cost Dubai question: the door face and the worktop decide the number, not the size alone.

Materials that survive Dubai humidity

Use 18mm marine ply or moisture-resistant MDF for carcasses, HDF doors with 2-pack lacquer, and 2mm ABS edge banding. That combination handles summer humidity and the moisture that builds up under a sink.

• Carcass: 18mm marine ply with a melamine or laminate inner face in sink and dishwasher units. Particle board swells the first time a slow leak goes unnoticed for a week.
• Doors: HDF with two-pack polyurethane lacquer is the default for a bespoke kitchen Dubai project. Satin and matte finishes hide fingerprints. Veneer gives real grain but must be sealed on all six edges. High gloss acrylic shows every mark.
• Edge banding: 2mm ABS, machine glued and trimmed. Most water damage starts at a failed 0.4mm iron-on edge.
• Hardware: Blum Clip Top hinges with Legrabox or Tandembox runners, Hettich Sensys, or Hafele equivalents. Ask for model numbers in writing, because soft-close is often listed but not supplied.
• Plinth: aluminium or PVC, never MDF sitting on a wet floor.
• Silicone: neutral cure, anti-mould, on every wet joint.
• Worktops: quartz copes with heat and daily cleaning. Marble is porous, stains easily next to a sink and needs resealing every 12 to 18 months.

The same Jebel Ali workshop cuts and finishes bedroom joinery, so kitchen and bedroom units match.

Built in our own Jebel Ali workshop

We design, build and install from our own joinery workshop in Jebel Ali, so nothing sits in a queue behind a third party. One team surveys the room, draws it, cuts it, finishes it and fits it.

The workshop runs a panel saw and edge bander for carcass work, a spray booth for lacquer curing, and a dry assembly area where every unit is built once before it reaches your kitchen. If a door is damaged on site, we remake it in the workshop rather than waiting eight weeks on a shipment from Europe. That is why kitchen joinery Dubai clients often quote 8 to 12 weeks for imported carcasses while our lead time stays at 3 to 5 weeks. You can see finished runs in our custom kitchen and joinery projects.

Display niches and reception joinery built to the same drawings as the kitchen.

Process and timeline: 3 to 5 weeks from survey to install

A standard kitchen takes three to five weeks end to end. Here is the sequence we follow.

1. Free survey, 45 to 60 minutes. Walls measured at three heights, plumbing and DEWA points checked, appliance sizes and door swing confirmed, service recess noted.
2. 3D design and itemised quotation in 3 to 5 working days, with revisions until the layout is right.
3. 50% deposit and workshop build, 2 to 3 weeks. Cutting, edge banding, lacquer curing and dry assembly.
4. Delivery and installation, 3 to 5 days. Carcass levelled and fixed first, then the worktop is templated and fitted, never the other way round.
5. Snagging walkthrough and handover, with the balance due on completion.

Slippage usually comes from four things: a worktop template that is taken before the carcasses are levelled, building management that has not booked the service lift or the noisy work hours, a client changing the appliance model after the carcass is cut, and structural changes that need approval. You can start the clock with a book a free kitchen measurement in Dubai visit.

Villa vs apartment kitchens in Dubai

Villa kitchens usually mean longer runs and layout changes. Apartment kitchens are usually re-fits inside fixed service recesses with building rules attached.

In a villa, the constraint is services. Moving a sink or hob means new water, drainage and DEWA points, and any structural change needs municipality approval. Pantry runs and outdoor kitchen units add metres quickly, which is why villa budgets climb faster than owners expect.

In a tower, the kitchen sits inside a service recess with water and drainage already fixed. A re-fit of an existing kitchen in a Dubai Marina or JLT apartment needs a landlord NOC, building management approval, a work permit, a lift booking and strict noise hours, often 9am to 5pm on weekdays. You rarely move the sink. Any structural change needs DET approval and most towers refuse it outright, so confirm the rules before you order a single panel.

Five questions to ask a kitchen fit-out company in Dubai

Compare three quotes only when they are built on the same specification, because the cheapest figure is usually the one missing installation, silicone and VAT. Ask these five questions and put the answers in the contract.

1. What board is the carcass made from, what thickness, and what exactly is the door face?
2. Which hinge and runner brand and model are quoted, and is soft-close included in the price?
3. Is the worktop templated after the cabinets are installed, and how thick is the slab?
4. Are delivery, installation, sealing and snagging inside the quoted figure, and what deposit is expected?
5. What is the warranty period, and who returns for the after-sales visit?

For more on layouts, joinery and finishes, read more interior design and joinery guides for Dubai.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a custom kitchen cost in Dubai?

Cabinetry runs from about AED 2,200 to AED 3,000 per linear metre at the budget end, AED 3,800 to AED 5,500 mid range, and AED 6,500 to AED 10,000 plus for premium work. A 5 linear metre L-shaped kitchen with marine ply carcasses, lacquered doors and a quartz worktop typically lands between AED 22,000 and AED 32,000. Those figures exclude appliances, sink, tap and 5% VAT.

Is a bespoke kitchen cheaper than an imported modular kitchen in Dubai?

Not always on paper. Imported modular boxes can be cheaper per unit, but you still pay shipping, duty and the filler panels needed to close the gaps. Bespoke joinery made in Dubai usually competes on total installed cost once the room is out of square or the bulkhead and appliances force changes. Lead time is also shorter, 3 to 5 weeks instead of 8 to 12.

How long does a custom kitchen take in Dubai from order to install?

Three to five weeks end to end for a standard apartment or villa kitchen. Design and quoting take 3 to 5 working days, workshop build takes 2 to 3 weeks, and installation runs 3 to 5 days on site. Quartz or marble worktops can add a week if the fabricator is busy.

Do I need approval to change a kitchen in a Dubai apartment?

Yes in most towers. You need a landlord NOC and building management approval, plus a work permit, lift booking and adherence to the building noise hours. Water and drainage sit in a fixed service recess, so moving a sink is usually not allowed. Structural changes require DET approval and most towers will not grant it.

Which worktop is better for a Dubai kitchen, quartz or marble?

Quartz for everyday use. It is non porous, handles heat and cleaning products, and costs about AED 700 to AED 1,200 per linear metre installed. Marble looks warmer but stains, scratches and needs resealing every 12 to 18 months, so keep it off the sink run and use it where it can be seen.

Do you offer free measurement in Dubai?

Yes. We measure on site free of charge across Dubai, including Jebel Ali, and you receive an itemised quotation after the survey. Bring your appliance model numbers and any building rules to the visit so the drawing is right the first time.