You see the term ‘soft close’ everywhere when you’re looking for a new kitchen, but what does it actually mean? In short, it refers to the hinges on the doors and the runners on the drawers. A soft close mechanism is designed to catch the door or drawer in its final few inches of travel and gently, quietly guide it shut. No more slamming doors or rattling drawers.

But here’s the thing most people don’t realise: not all soft close systems are created equal. There’s a huge difference in quality between the cheap, unbranded components used by many high-street retailers and the high-end hardware we use. At SJB, we include genuine Blum soft close hinges and drawers as standard in all our rigid built kitchen cabinets. It’s not an expensive upgrade; it’s a core part of our quality promise.

Spend any time in the kitchen industry and you’ll hear the name Blum. They’re an Austrian company, and for decades they’ve been the undisputed leader for hinges, drawer systems, and lift mechanisms. They are, quite simply, the best in the business. Their products are known for incredible reliability, a silky-smooth feel, and clever design features. They are the benchmark against which all other hardware is measured.

While other companies might try to save a few quid by using cheaper, often Chinese-made, copies, we know it’s a false economy. The moving parts of your kitchen are used thousands of times a year. You need them to last.

So what’s the actual difference? Cheaper soft close systems often rely on basic, leaky pistons or flimsy plastic parts. They might work for a few months, but soon they lose their damping effect, leading to doors that slam shut or drawers that feel stiff and clunky. They simply aren’t built to withstand the daily rigours of a family kitchen.

Blum systems are different. They are precision-engineered with high-quality steel components and a sophisticated damping mechanism that’s designed and tested for over 200,000 uses. That’s a lifetime of use. The result is a beautifully smooth, controlled, and silent closing action, every single time. It’s a small detail that makes a huge difference to the overall feel and quality of your kitchen.

A kitchen is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your home. That’s why we believe in using the best possible components from the start. We build our cabinets from high-quality 18mm Egger board with solid 18mm backs, and we fit them with the best hardware as standard. We use Blum’s CLIP top hinges with integrated soft close and their Antaro drawer boxes on all our kitchens.

We don’t believe in upselling you on the basics. Quality shouldn’t be an optional extra. Alongside Blum, we also use other leading German hardware brands like Hafele and Kesseböhmer for specialist storage solutions like larder pull-outs and corner units, ensuring every part of your kitchen is built to last. For more information on our products, visit our main kitchen advice page.