FROM MATFORD DINER TO DREAM KITCHENS: 10 YEARS OF EXETER KITCHEN STORE

The menu has changed quite a bit since 2016.

If you remember the Matford Diner, you might remember our building looking rather different. Before the kitchen displays moved in, this was somewhere people came for a bite to eat.

In 2016, we gave it a completely new purpose, transforming the former diner into Exeter Kitchen Store. Our aim was simple: to bring affordable, high-quality British kitchens to Exeter and the surrounding areas, with the added bonus of being made locally.

Ten years later, we’re celebrating a decade of doing exactly that. Different kind of kitchen. Same familiar Exeter spot.

A New Chapter for the Matford Diner

Turning a former diner into a kitchen showroom was quite the change of direction. But it gave us the opportunity to create somewhere people could explore ideas for their own homes, see kitchens up close and get a proper feel for what they liked.

Because choosing a new kitchen is a big decision. Photographs are a great place to start, but there’s nothing quite like opening the drawers, comparing finishes and imagining how it could all work in your home.

Our Exeter kitchen showroom brought that experience together with a clear belief: a beautiful, well-made kitchen shouldn’t have to come with an eye-watering price tag.

That was the thinking behind EKS in 2016. It still is today.

British Kitchens, Made Locally

From the beginning, locally made British kitchens have been at the heart of Exeter Kitchen Store.

For us, being local is about more than where our showroom happens to be. It’s about offering kitchens made here in Devon to people living in Exeter and the surrounding communities.

If you’re planning a kitchen renovation in Devon, it’s good to know that you don’t have to look far to find quality British-made cabinetry. It’s right here on your doorstep.

And there’s something rather satisfying about choosing a locally made kitchen for a local home.

Affordable Kitchens That Work for Real Life

A kitchen has a lot to put up with.

The breakfast rush. The washing-up nobody volunteered for. The “quick dinner” that somehow uses every pan in the house. And the guests who always end up in the kitchen, however comfortable the sofa is.

That’s why our focus has always been on real kitchens for real homes.

Of course, you want your kitchen to look good. But it also needs to make everyday life easier, with a layout that makes sense, storage for the things you actually use and finishes you’ll enjoy living with.

Affordable kitchen design shouldn’t mean forgetting any of that. It means making thoughtful choices that bring together the look, practicality and quality you want at a price that works for you.

Ten Years of Exeter Kitchen Store, Thanks to You

An anniversary like this is about more than a date on the calendar.

It’s about everyone who has walked through our doors, trusted us with their kitchen plans, recommended EKS to a friend or popped in to see what became of the old diner.

To our customers, our team and the local community: thank you for being part of the Exeter Kitchen Store story.

We’re proud to have spent the past decade helping people bring their kitchen ideas to life. From our beginnings in 2016 to our tenth birthday in 2026, the aim has stayed the same: affordable, high-quality, locally made British kitchens.

Come and See What’s Cooking

Thinking about a new kitchen in Exeter or the surrounding area? Come and explore our showroom, get a feel for the finishes and talk to us about what you have in mind.

You’ll find Exeter Kitchen Store at 10 Trusham Road, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8QH.

And if you knew the building in its Matford Diner days, we’d love to hear your memories.

We can’t offer you the old menu, but we can help you find a kitchen worth staying in for.