Schüller Gala Kitchen

Gala is a genuine high-gloss lacquer, not a gloss laminate, and the difference is immediately visible. A lacquered gloss front is built up in layers and polished, so the reflection has depth to it and the colour appears to sit below the surface rather than on it. Next to a gloss foil it looks like the difference between glass and plastic, which is why Gala sits at price group 6 while Uni Gloss sits at price group 1.

Five colours are offered: Crystal White, Seashell White, Brilliant White, Pebble Grey and Sand Grey. A tight, deliberately pale palette, because that is where a true lacquer gloss earns its money. In a large open-plan room with a good roof light, gloss white lacquer does something no matt can: it takes the light from above and spreads it back into the room, so the kitchen appears to recede rather than occupy the space. In a tall Victorian room it also relates to the polished plaster and painted joinery in a way matt does not.

Gala is available handled or handleless. For a gloss kitchen we usually steer towards handles or a grip rail rather than push-to-open, since the point of a polished lacquer is the unbroken reflection and keeping hands off the door face preserves it. Care is simple: a microfibre cloth and a non-abrasive cleaner, never a scouring pad. Well looked after, a lacquered gloss front holds its finish for the lifetime of the kitchen. Rigid built cabinets delivered fully assembled, soft-close hardware and the 5 year Schueller guarantee.