Lowe’s offers a range of kitchen design tools, including the tile tool for floor plans, Kitchen Planner Hub for planning kitchen renovations, and Kitchen Visualizer for creating dream kitchens with various cabinet colors, styles, countertops, faucets, hardware, backsplash, appliances, and flooring. The app is free and available on iOS and Android devices, as well as in all Lowe’s stores.
To schedule a virtual design appointment, users can select the layout of their kitchen, such as U-shape, L-shape, galley, straight, or build their budget. Lowe’s Virtual Room Designer is another free software that allows users to design a kitchen using a template or create a room from their own specifications.
One of the standout features of Lowe’s kitchen design service is its use of advanced design software, which allows users to see a large, L-shape kitchen and visualize their options. Both Lowe’s and The Home Depot have tried to limit their responsibility in designing and managing kitchen renovations, using Apple Vision Pro’s intuitive input system controlled by a user’s eyes and hands.
In addition to these tools, Lowe’s also provides a virtual room designer, which allows users to design a kitchen using a template or create a room from their own specifications. By working with a Lowe’s kitchen designer, users can create their dream kitchen and save money on renovation costs.
📹 IKEA IS NOT TELLING YOU THIS! (sorry guys)#homedecor #homedesign #interiordesign #ikea
Here is the question… Are IKEA Kitchens worth it!? ♀️ ♀️ Are they worth the cost? The hassle? The time? I’m telling …
Is there a way to design a kitchen online?
RoomSketcher is a user-friendly software designed for the creation of 3D kitchen designs. It enables users to develop a digital representation of their ideal kitchen layout. The software features a set of drag-and-drop tools for the manipulation of walls, windows, and doors, as well as the ability to rapidly construct an accurate floor plan. Additionally, the application enables users to select and modify furnishings, alter their dimensions, experiment with surface treatments, and archive their preferred designs.
How do I make my kitchen look designer?
This article provides six designer-approved tips to make your kitchen look expensive without breaking the bank. These tips include painting with a classic color, paying attention to window treatments, extending cabinets to the ceiling, replacing cabinet hardware, swapping out generic lighting, and adding contrast through an island. By following these tips, you can create a classic kitchen that looks expensive without breaking the bank.
What is the most popular kitchen layout today?
The Island Kitchen, Galley Kitchen, and U-shaped Kitchen are the three most popular kitchen layouts. When designing a new kitchen, it’s crucial to maximize the space visually and functionally, not just by choosing the right colors and finishes. Planning the layout involves optimizing design, critical measurements, and spacing for the space, including locating fridges, cooktops, and ovens, planning benchtop heights, and ensuring adequate spacing between joinery for easy movement between workstations. Choosing the right stools and ensuring the right design can make the process of planning a new kitchen design easy and enjoyable.
How many hours does it take to design a kitchen?
A substantial kitchen project may necessitate a full 40-hour workweek, with the majority of designers investing approximately 20 hours in the design development stage. However, there may be delays in finalizing tasks, such as discussing an extensive array of decorative hardware options with clients, which can span up to two hours.
Is SketchUp good for kitchen design?
The author was recently tasked with renovating a kitchen in Petaluma, California, a beautiful town in the North Bay with turn-of-the-century architecture. They wanted to demonstrate how SketchUp can be used to create a virtual environment for designing the new kitchen without having to drive to the job. SketchUp can be a powerful tool for designing projects, even if they are under the same roof. To model a single room, the author first measures the building environment, then uses the rectangle tool to draw the floor, the offset tool to create the wall thickness, and push/pull the walls up to the ceiling height. This process is applicable to modeling multiple rooms or a whole house.
How much do Lowes kitchen cabinets cost?
Kitchen cabinets can cost between $5, 000 for DIY work with stock cabinets and $40, 000 or more for custom cabinets with professional installation. The cost depends on the design, size, wood type, and installation complexity. Materials like laminate and wood veneer are economical, while woods and acrylics provide a middle ground. Steel cabinets are the most expensive option. The best material for kitchen cabinets depends on your budget and desired fresh look and quality performance.
Laminate offers excellent performance for budget-conscious homeowners, while wood provides natural warmth and classic looks. Steel offers a sleek, modern feel with the performance of wood and laminate options.
Is there an app that I can take a picture of my kitchen and redesign?
Magicplan is an app that enables users to create 2D and 3D floorplans of their current space without drawing or measuring. The app uses augmented reality pointers to mark corners and doors, and then computes the room’s shape and dimensions automatically. Users can manually modify the plan, insert objects, and view it in 3D. The app is available for iOS or Android users and is available for 14 days free, followed by a standard plan for $9. 99 per month.
Can I design an IKEA kitchen online?
IKEA offers a kitchen planner that allows users to design and create their dream kitchen in just a few steps. The planner is online, allowing users to test ideas and bring them to life quickly. However, it is not compatible with mobile devices. The planner provides a step-by-step guide on how to order and install a kitchen, including the steps to take before planning and the steps to follow after planning. The planner is designed to help users make informed decisions about their kitchen design.
Where can I upload a picture of my kitchen and redesign?
The Roomvo app allows users to visualize their home’s design process by uploading a photo of their room. This allows them to see the impact of their choices on flooring, walls, and countertops. Von Tobel’s Room Visualizer allows users to experiment with different combinations to find the perfect fit for their personal taste. The app also provides realistic visuals of the finished look by populating the space with their chosen designs.
How much does Lowes charge to design a kitchen?
Lowe’s provides complimentary design consultations with the objective of assisting customers in the creation of their ideal kitchen space. Additionally, they provide virtual design and installation assistance. To request a complimentary online video consultation, please complete the requisite form and connect with a kitchen design specialist. The consultation will encompass an examination of the existing kitchen layout, an analysis of style preferences, an investigation of brand preferences, an evaluation of material preferences, and an assessment of color preferences.
📹 Browsing At Lowes #home #upgrade #sumter
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SHE’S BACK GUYS! 💥💥 Here is another review of IKEA, but specifically, KITCHENS… !!! 🍴🍽 Kitchen design is a HUGE deal, so making a decision to use IKEA or not is a big one– make sure to watch this article to see my pros and cons list when considering IKEA for your kitchen design!!! 👏🏻👏🏻 PACKED with helpful info for you guys!!
My husband and I have put IKEA kitchens in our past two renos and will continue to do so. Number one reason is cost (especially during sale). I redid cabinets for $5,000 at the same time a friend was doing hers for $35,000. The hardware was the same, the quality was the same, and ten years later, mine held up better. We also put in white shaker IKEA kitchen in an upscale home and it did not affect the sale price and no one looking at the house ever mentioned or asked about the cabinets. So that’s been my experience. Oh and we assembled it all ourselves.
My REALLY LONG IKEA kitchen experience: My husband and I built an ADU in my grandmother’s yard (after removing a giant pool) to have our own space to care for her as she ages in place with dementia. The open-space concept is 745 sqft of California’s highest standard of “Green Building” and I feel very proud about that. It cost us a pretty penny as we started right with the coming of the pandemic. This is the only way someone in my line of work (Vet ER med/Rescue) will ever come close to owning a home in the Silicon Valley. Stoked! Like everything the last two+ years, half of the kitchen was back-ordered, difficult to restock, hard to schedule, and a giant headache. This meant trips all around the Bay Area to different Ikeas, memorizing the hold music (haunting), patience, and making friends with many Team Members at various stores. -“Pro”-Tip: when asking about in-store stock, have them physically guarantee the item is there by going to the item and touching it. Get names and thank profusely when you show up. Retail is difficult and this can go a long way in making someone’s day (esp these days) The project is DAYS away from the Final (our second final, another “pro” tip–get a pre-emptive final inspection to make a list and check it twice–no surprises this way when everyone is over it) My contractor is a cabinet guy that, shockingly, didn’t flinch when I said I wanted IKEA. He built one ten years ago that looks better now than some of the more costly ones he’s built in the Bay. Now that I have this beautiful, bright, modern, spacious kitchen **that I designed all finished this is what I think: The kitchen department is fantastic. With that being said…. We unfortunately got a newbie and she got the measurements wrong so we had to send back EVERYTHING and start new after MONTHS of waiting for parts. It is also hard to return little items as they make no sense and all look the same. YOU NEED A RECEIPT to RETURN stuff otherwise you are looking through 150 line items by 9 digit number with an worked cust.serv rep after waiting in line for 40 mins only to come home with your weird random kitchen part in hand. twice. Finding the proper receipt after all the returns and single-store purchases and ugh. I still have about 5 kitchen-related items to return and I;’d rather punch myself in the face than go to another IKEA atm. The countertops are legit. The quality and feel of the IKEA Quartz vs the most costly one’s I saw is indistinguishable to my untrained eye. The care and effort the IKEA installers showed whilst working was wonderful. They cleaned, prepped, asked preference questions the entire way, and were obviously very skilled at their craft. It’s stunning. It did take FOREVER to arrive, maybe two months post-cabinets? Worth the wait. Was MUCH more beautiful in person than the sample and the showroom. They also suggested continuing the countertop along the side of the pantry cabinet corner area which is something I’d never have thought about. The countertop wraps up the wall and this made a clean, continuous, modern look. They did it immediately after showing me what it would look like and it didn’t cost me anything. The cabinets were also installed by IKEA builders. These guys were fast! It took one day to build my large kitchen (considering the space) and they were also very professional, clean, and cautious. I have since inspected Every. Single. Thing in my joyous kitchen and it’s all perfect. Not a dent or scratch on any of the high-gloss fronts. The bonus of Ikea’s soft-closing cabinets and drawers as a standard is fantastic. I love my kitchen. I could customize literally every aspect of it to my needs/wants for no extra cost. The options are limitless as they continue to create interesting finishes and textures. Also, you have to go with their sinks unless you want to spend more for custom, but they have a nice apron front/stainless steel variety. My kitchen, hardware, island, and countertops- cost about $11,000. All deep cabinets/pantry are drawers. Plus, we got the task lighting under cabinets IKEA provides and it looks FANCY! I love it. It’s my favorite place in the entire house. Worth every phone call, scream into pillow, and disappointing email about stock. START. EARLY. so you are not waiting like I was! Be ready to PEEL A LOT OF PLASTIC OFF if you get high-gloss. Make it a date with a friend/partner, or throw on a book on tape because it took me 2 days. IKEA kitchens are built to last so HAVE FUN with it and make it yours! <3
I loved my IKEA kitchen. We spent hours in-store and reading every bit of print info IKEA has on every aspect of their kitchens. IKEA offers in-home design appointments and installation in some locations, but we were just outside of their service area, so we had to do the in-store design appointment. We paid for IKEA delivery service (cheap) and hired a contractor to build the cabinets and install. We learned a few things along the way. We ordered oak butcher block countertops – these cannot be shipped. They are not a stock item and customer must pre-pay and pick up from store within 48 hours after the store receives their order. If you don’t pick them up within the allotted time window, they are put into stock and you might have to reorder them. IKEA kitchen planning is done the Swedish way. LOL. The butcher block comes in maximum 8 foot lengths. The kitchen planner did not tell us (and we didn’t know to ask) that the countertop inside corner was going to be a butt joint, not a 45 degree seam. The butt joint would allow us to span a 10 ft section (one 8 ft length plus 2ft width of the abutted section), but if the left and right sections were cut and joined at a 45, they would be 2 feet shorter than what we had planned for. This resulted in an awkward seam somewhere else. The second problem we had was the 45 degree corner seam itself. Our contractor told us he would normally specify the cut when ordering the butcherblock. It’s a big, industrial cut, and requires an industrial saw.
We remodeled our home a couple years ago and chose IKEA for the kitchen. it was a complete gut down to the studs. it turned out AMAZING!!! The quality, cost and availability were phenomenal. Everyone who saw the end result couldn’t believe it was IKEA. Soft close doors, pantry with slide out drawers, hardware, kitchen sink, etc. We would choose to do it again in another home. Definitely a big YES for IKEA!!!
True fact: we’ve worked with architects twice now…and both of them used Ikea cabinets in their own homes. Our current architect installed hers in 2010! They still look great. So that’s all I needed to know when planning our Farmhouse Modern build in the Berkshires of MA starting this April. One thing: if you don’t live close to a store Ikea’s North America on-line third party kitchen design provider Traemand offers really excellent kitchen design and planning. We live only about 20 minutes from an Ikea store however due to Covid Traemand was our only option last year. I cannot say enough good things about Traemand. Theirs is a free service and the end result is complete PDF design package that can either be ordered on line or brought into a store to be ordered. Traemand also has an installer network. And if you decide to use a third party upgrade for cabinets fronts like Lisa shows in her article (we’re doing that we chose SemiHandmade), all you need to do is send the door vendor your Ikea PDF design package and they build a quote from that. So great.
Five years ago I had the Ikea Thailand (where I’m based) redue my entire kitchen. We designed it with the staff and used all my Pinterest board as my muse. The kitchen have a 25 year guarantee so I was impressed and the price was reasonable since I wanted a French country kitchen style which is not typical in this part of the world. After 2 years the paint started to peel from 3 of the top doors so we complained and they told us they would replace them, the covid shutdown meant no ships came into Thailand so the replacement took 5 months —happily they came and replace the doors. A couple of months later a few more doors started to peel so we approached the store and they told us—we will replace the entire kitchen but the process would be about 2 months. We need to remove the damaged kitchen and sent it to Europe and at that time the new kitchen replacement will take 4-5 weeks to install since various parts (all from ikea but sourced from Korea -the countertop and the sink comes from usa. Has been a process and a drama and they finally told us—we will refund ur money (via ikea credit) and let u keep the kitchen which means within a year or two I will have to replace it with another brand. So afrrr all this I would say—don’t buy an ikea kitchen .
5 years in, our white IKEA kitchen is holding up. We decided to put our money in a really beautiful piece of granite for the island, so we weren’t looking for anything fancy on the cabinets. The hardware is great. Spend sone money doing drawers instead of cabinets on the lowers – that is a game changer 🙂 We installed everything ourselves, btw.
Hey Lisa! Big fan of your website 🙂 as an interior designer! I used to work as an interior designer in IKEA, I do not recommend their worktops, there always have been a lot of complaints about the durability of the worktops. I would recommend getting the base and fronts from METOD and outsource the countertops! 🙂 best of luck! Keep going, you are literally glowing <3
I did an Ikea kitchen 10 years ago in our lake house and it held up great. We are remodeling that house again and I looked to Ikea and Semihandmade. I also had a local custom cabinet builder quote. By the time I added cabinets from Ikea (my Kitchen is a fairly small galley kitchen with no uppers) and Semihandmade fronts (even during their 20% off sale!) and Ikea installation -it was almost $4000 more than the cost of custom cabinets (unpainted, but it won’t cost anywhere close to $4K to have them painted). I was shocked. Even if I took off the cost of having Ikea install (around $1500) and did them ourselves I still came out ahead doing custom cabinetry. I think Ikea is great and I will definitely use them for my closet redo – but when you more than double the cost of fronts with another company it just didn’t add up for me.
I’m a homeowner — not a professional designer — but I’ll pretend to be one on Lisa’s website. Done a few whole house renovations over the years and installed a new kitchen seven years ago. I worked with a kitchen designer and it was the best investment. He recommended features I didn’t know I needed or wanted. Examples: a raised dishwasher flush with the bar height counter to reduce bending over to load or unload (wait till you’re older and this will make sense); electrical outlets installed horizontal instead of vertical and close to the counter; upper cabinet doors that raise up on piano hinges instead of opening out; drawers instead of deep base cabinets. Working with a professional kitchen designer was the best money I spent, especially if you intend to “age in place.”
I went to see a Southern Living Idea House in 2009, a million dollar townhouse in a small town. The design team installed an IKEA kitchen and it was fabulous! The way you put the components together is what gives it a custom look. This townhouse had all either custom or Circa lighting and they could have used any custom kitchen. I was surprised and a little shocked at how good it looked, and their warranty is very good. Thanks for this article Lisa— it proves that budget and good taste are not mutually exclusive!
We are about to start demo on our six figure kitchen remodel and using IKEA cabinets. I am beyond pumped for the IKEA cabinets part of it, I mean, okay, I am pumped for the 48″ range too, but being able to FINALLY have all drawers in my kitchen? Heaven! Being able to change my mind about how a cabinet should function and just ordering new interior fittings online? Heaven! Getting tired of the cabinet fronts and easily being able to order replacements? Heaven! I am not the least bit worried about them bringing the value of the house down since we are doing custom fronts.
Dear Ms. Lisa, THANK YOU!! – Your well of insights & experience seems boundless! A great “PRO” for your subscribers to know about Ikea is REPLACEMENTS: Easily buy & replace a door face should it become scratched/damaged, for low cost. (As a builder, we’d recommend clients buy an ‘extra’ of each drawer/door face size and store them as damage insurance, and to have on hand later should Ikea change that style/line.) Also, for a new look in the future, one can readily replace All Cabinet Faces for relatively low cost (not with LUX brands, e.g., Boffi…), since Ikea sizes and hardware remain relatively interchangeable. A notable “con” for your subscribers may be cabinet sizing. Ikea has a good variety but with limits; they don’t custom size cabinetry. (Ex., Glass-Door cabinets are available in 15, 18, 30 and 36 inches wide but not 24″ wide – a common standard width.) Your third party “hacker” manufacturers often can solve such needs should they arise. Looking forward to your next articles !
The contractor we had over yesterday to look at our space for a quote asked me if I was into custom or open to cabinets from IKEA, Home Depot, or the like, and I immediately gave him two thumbs up. In fact. I’m into the idea of using a PAX storage closet in my kitchen for my small appliances, vacuum, broom/dustpan, and apron. Currently, they are just laying about and it looks like dookie. It’s not grown up over here at all.
First you are fab! I feel like I should be paying for this website, so much info! Ok, I have an IKEA Kitchen AND WOULD NOT TRADE IT FOR THE WORLD! Customer service was top notch. I went with measurements and they helped me design. I also used an IKEA kitchen in my apartment in NYC. Beauty and storage is on point. I have so much storage in my cabinets and all the organizational components make life easy and you want to be in your kitchen cooking. I designed my kitchen with light wood and some glass fronts to highlight my collector pottery pieces. So pretty. In NYC I did free standing and took it with me when I left! Brilliant. Go for it. You will not be disappointed.
I had an Ikea kitchen installed 10 years ago. It looks as fresh today as it did at the time of installation. I’m not a DIY person. When the GC went to install the Ikea kitchen, their first time, they had a difficult time in understanding the directions and what went where. I walked into the mess and within three hours we had the complete kitchen installed. As I said, I’m no genius at this stuff but the Ikea instructions were, at least to me, easy peasy.
Lisa, I am an architect, and have never done interiors. However, you are explaining it all to me, I understand you perfectly. You are enthusiastic without being over the top and your voice and pronunciation are very pleasant to hear (that is important since I am binge perusal). My only complaint is that I love when you flash an example but it is only a split second, could you flash them for a full second or maybe even two? I stop and have to pause the pic, but it is often hard to find. Now at least 30 vids later, there as not been one point you make that I disagree or don’t see exactly what you mean. You are a treasure and I thank you. Maybe the one that you say in a small space to have walls, trim, floor, ceiling all the same light color paint? I have all tan walls and trim, but I think it makes more sense to have the floor a little darker and white ceiling white keeps the room from looking boxy. Am I mistaken? BTW, you really do have THE BEST article editor of any website that I have ever seen. Congrats.
I got a complete ikea kitchen in November 2020 and I love it!! Every kitchen studio sent us away telling us our budget (6.000€) is way too low. HA! We paid 4000€ at Ikea + 1000€ for the handyman we hired seperately!! 🙂 I am Happy every time I enter the kitchen. But we needed to switch out the focet/faucet (?) and switch to a non-ikea one. Obv. a 20-30.000€ kitchen is probably of better quality and lasts a life Long. But our kitchen will at least last 15 years 🙂 you see: i am excited for the article 🙂
We have just installed the black ikea. Love it, all bells and whistles, glass cabinets, all soft closing hardware, lighting even in the drawers. Cost us half of the cheapest HD option. Boxes are made in the USA, hardware in Switzerland, fronts in Hungary. We got it delivered but installed it ourselves. It is not hard. Hiring an installer would cost us a lot, and no way you need that. There are wonderful articles, like Kody’s website, that go through it. I assembled all boxes while perusal tv, and my DH installed them. We only had professional counter installers, the rest we did completely by ourselves. My hubby is a mathematician, not a GC 🙂 all while homeschooling 2 elementary school kids and working full time. I would absolutely recommend ikea kitchen, it blows any competition out of water, and then it’s compatible, of course, with all their kutchen organization products 😉
Hi Lisa, great article! We are an interior design firm from Sydney. Been doing custom kitchens ever since we started. Tried an Ikea kitchen for the very first time for our office kitchen as an experiment and found out a small design hiccup with their carcass. The carcass that holds the fully integrated dishwasher is not strong enough to sustain the weight of the 40mm thick stone benchtop. The weight of the stone will make the carcass to distort after a few month into using, causing the dishwasher door panel to rub against the side walls when operating. We ended up trimming the door narrower either side to end the scratching of the surfaces. Whoever is planing on doing their Ikea kitchen please remember to insert two colour matching filler pieces on each side of the dishwasher for extra support. Otherwise it is a great kitchen price and functionality wise.
Oh! Can we talk wainscoting? I have a very specific question, but maybe you can use it in a more generic way. My kitchen is not large and is mostly open to my living room. It was built w/ a peninsula counter(standard depth counters) w/ an elevated breakfast bar on the living room side. The open end of the peninsula holds the dishwasher at about a 45 degree angle. I ordered new countertops yesterday so today I got to work tearing down the bar and tearing out the angled end so I will have one height and a straight line peninsula (80×40) On the living room side I’m thinking about installing wainscoting panels on the back side, which is the living room side. I want it to look more integrated, as if the framed wall behind the lower cabinets is the back side of a single piece of furniture. The wall on this side has an additional ~4ft section of wall going to the ceiling (there are uppers on the kitchen side). Should I take the paneling all the way down the wall or only on the 80″ of peninsula section? And what other options could I do/would you suggest?
Thank you! This was so informative! My husband and I are toying with the idea of gutting and redoing the kitchen/ dining area in our current (but not forever) home. I’m going to convince him to go with Ikea so that we can create a custom designer look for a fraction of the cost… hello resale value!!
I bought an Ikea kitchen in my previous home. My DIY tip is, stay organized, do not unpack more than one box at a time. I assembled all the cabinets myself, and hired a carpenter to install them. Be aware though.. This was back in 2012, I was going back for some new drawer fronts, as they swell up and looked horrible after a couple of years. No, it was not covered by the warranty, as it was the drawers close to the dishwasher.. And guess what, that line of kitchen had discontinued, and I had to order them. After a few months, I was enquiring about them, and they said sorry, they could not replace the fronts, so, I was doing the old fashioned way sanding and painting.
Ah wow, I love your articles, Lisa and at 4:08, you are showcasing the kitchen cabinets I chose! I combined them with a Moroccan (or south Spanish) style tile backsplash and I chose a black countertop and bigger black handles. It looks really nice and the black countertop doesn’t get too many spots showing, which is great! I really recommend IKEA’s products, it’s also nice to combine them with a few personal pieces from a local artist or a few more luxury pieces and voala! Magic 🙂
I’ve had my IKEA kitchen for 13 yrs now. Still looks unused and we are a family of five. I renovate my basement right now and I am going to put in a IKEA kitchens for the washing room. They have a series called ENHET made for just that. Not as many options to pick from, but they are made too last longer in a damped room like a washing room.
Love my ikea kitchen cabinets. They’re 9 years old now and still look great. I have the shaker white. My awesome quartzite countertop is also from there. I purchased it all during their 20% off sale. I don’t know if they still have that sale but it’s a great savings. Because of the savings I splurged on fabulous backsplash tile.
We love our Ikea kitchen which is now about 7 years old but very current with white upper cabinets and gray base cabinets and white marble counters. Although we installed the removable Ikea baseboards, I removed them each time I mopped. Then I left them off permanently, the stainless steel legs are barely visible, but cool. Now the irobot is docked under one of base cabinets and keeps the floors clean. No crud along baseboards! With the dock hidden, no one trips over it. We don’t miss the baseboards either. Reminds us of our Italian Kitchen when we were stationed there with the Navy. Visitors are amazed we did the kitchen ourselves. When we bought our home we gutted the 70’s kitchen and lived with it gutted for 5 years for several reasons. One of which was I wanted a modern kitchen and all the local kitchen designers wanted to give me a colonial or country kitchen. Over that 5 years, my ideas changed and were hone to my specific desires and needs in a functional kitchen because I cook a lot. When we decided to go with Ikea. We drove 3 hours to the Washington DC Ikea but did not lug the big stuff home. IKEA delivery is so inexpensive. They delivered everything for $250 bucks. My husband and teens easily put everything together, yes many parts but kids who played with legos can do this, and we installed them. YouTube articles helped and my husband is pretty handy. I hired a local stone company to measure and install our marble countertops and the stainless steel sink( bought from Houzz vender) We shopped during a January sale, spent $7600 at Ikea including everything from cabinets to hardware and undermount led lights and the cute stainless steel bars and containers that hang on tiled backsplash.
We thought we had our Ikea cabinets in the bag, so to speak, since we used the software and designed out kitchen cabinets in our tiny u-shaped kitchen. Only to find out that we were using the UK website and found out, when we used the U.S. site, that they don’t have the smaller corner cabinets. Who knew that 24-33 inch wide corner cabinets were so difficult to find?
We’ve lived in our house for almost a year, and as far as we know the kitchen hasn’t been touched for at least a decade. The fitted parts are all from IKEA, and the veneer? coating? on the door fronts and drawer fronts is neither heat proof nor waterproof and stains with all good and drinks. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen, and makes it SO HARD for us as tenants to keep it clean and in good condition!
Wonderful information! People wait and live in ugly so this is great information I’m passing on! It’s Interesting we’ve lived in Montecito California an area between SantaBarbara and Summerland for decades from 900k to 32 million I’ve seen every gorgeous kitchen that can be visualized under the sun and implemented… what’s so interesting is some friends with the most over the top kitchens don’t really cook 👩🍳 they have mostly take out delivery 😂 So, for the rest of us the functionality of normal type functions of family life this IKEA kitchen still gives you super inspiration to really cook and stay on a normal budget for real living families! You can have glamor on a budget and be so much happier.. trust me! 🍒🍎🍷🥂🍽🍓
Here in Germany Ikea kitchens are also affordable. We bought ours in 2009 when we moved to a diffent appartment. Now last year we moved again up north and took our kitchen with us (it is normal in Germany to do this). So we just bought new countertops for our old kitchen of eleven years and it really looks like new. I love Ikea and we use it for everything. Only downside is they sometimes change some sizes or features, so you need to be aware that some design lines might not always be available in the future. In our case they changed the size of the kitchen cabinets from 2009, so new cabinets would not match the old ones, fortunately we only needed one that we kind of hacked and put on one corner with the older ones.
I got an IKEA kitchen TWICE (had a house fire unfortunately). I love it. The combination of the online planner and the helpful kitchen rep in store made it super easy to plan. The cost was significantly less than other quotes I got. I got mine originally during the kitchen event which meant even more savings. Also, I was able to return parts I didn’t need afterwards. Additionally, there’s a lot more custom options than many other cabinet makers that don’t cost you an arm and a leg. Granted, I know they use MDF but honestly, I find my cabinets much easier to keep clean than my old wood ones. I would say I’d recommend letting one of their installers do it if you can afford to. The first time around they did an excellent job. Second time, my contractor did it. It looks good but he struggled initially. I got a decent amount of cabinets and they come in a ton of boxes. The Ikea installers did everything in about 3 days n that was only because they accidentally drilled through a pipe.
My husband and I just bought a new house and updated the main floor. We ripped out the kitchen and had a consult with ikea for a new one, who then should order everything for us. A WARNING FOR CANADIAN BUYERS*** that stock is extremely low in basically all the ikea’s across Canada. We consulted and ordered in December 2020 and even to this day (end of Feb) we are still having major issues with getting items we need, and ikea is messing up a lot of orders at the moment with the backlog. They ship from Europe to US to Canada, so the US probably doesn’t have as much of a stock issue. I love my items from them and the consult process was very smooth, just a warning that until trade and border issues lift due to covid, you MIGHT want to hold off this project or use a Canadian company. I have now paid about 400CAD more for wood counters I wanted because I had to buy them elsewhere, and I’ve had to change the sizes of cabinets to suit was what was in stock.
I went with my son to IKEA Brooklyn when he was upgrading one wall of cabinets in his small NYC apartment. The installer spent most of his labor cost time putting it together. A year later here are my thoughts. The cabinets or just OK. One of the hinges pulled out and I had to glue it in as the manufactured wood had stripped out. The kitchen faucet is awful. Buy a REAL faucet from a known brand that will work longer and is reparable. The IKEA brand was not. The refrigerator had an issue of not being balanced and the door kept falling open. I tried to adjust it and still could not get it to work. They outsource their repair business and the customer service is nonexistent. They don’t have to be nice. Luckily as a retired dad I could sit around all day and wait for him to show up. He did fix it. He had to take the doors totally off. Bottom line, in a city like Manhattan, it is the only reasonable $$ option. Anywhere else, look elsewhere.
I worked as a kitchen designer for Ikea for years. Many designers use at least the bases/frames for very expensive and “custom” projects and the clients can’t tell the difference. The only downside is the pre set sizes with the frames. However most customers get hung up on the fact that they don’t sell some obscure size or style of cabinet that they clearly saw from a custom kitchen on Pinterest. Literally such a major cost saver if you don’t want to spend $30-60k on a Reno.
I still love the look of “regular” cabinetry. Especially since I’m in a Cabinetry class right now at college. It’s so nice to see how much work goes in. I would definitely splurge if I could. But I do love the budget options and playability. I feel like I would definitely need those inserts at all times
LOVE your articles!! Definitely looked into every single one for our home renos! We just built our kitchen, the BIG CON this year was that we ordered late November and due to backlogs on the SEKTION we only built it early May (while rest of it was in the house waiting). They advised on 2 weeks delay and it took 5 months.
I agree with everything you said. We went with the slick white flat very modern fronts. We were concerned about their durability and faddishness. We decided that if a front scratched we could easily afford to replace it. After 4 years they still look great. We were also concerned about the “faddishness” or ultra-modern glossy cabinets at the time of resale. When the time comes to sell, if our realtor advises us to go more traditional, it would be simple and affordable to swap out for a new style. We could even reuse the hinges and upgraded cabinet pulls. I suspect that even I had an unlimited budget I would have chosen IKEA.
After I bought my house, I found mold in my kitchen that none of the inspectors had seen. Since I was brand new to the work force and didn’t have much money to throw around, I spent most of it on the floor, drywall, and plumbing replacements. All good there. What really shocked me is that my cheap Ikea kitchen still looks and functions almost like brand new five years later. No hinges or drawers broken; no cabinet fronts dinged; even the laminate countertops are still the out of the box color. I do agree that a major con can be the self-install, but that will also be your major money saver. Get a team of people who pay attention to details, and assembly line it. With myself, my dad, brother in law, and uncle mine was set up in a day and ready to go.
IKEA in Sweden partner up with contractors you can choose to hire, and then you get the exact help you need and don’t need to get in touch with both plumbers, electricians an carpenters, they got it covered! Don’t they have that in the us? Oh yeah, and you also can have everything shipped and carried inside for you 😊 I’m getting my new Ikea kitchen in 2 weeks! So exited!
Good article that I found most of the way through my planning process for my Ikea kitchen. A few notes, though – you’re absolutely correct that their website is garbage. It’s essentially unusable even for the simplest things. Secondly, and more important – the kitchen designer planning tool is now gone unless you go into a store. This caught me by surprise as I had been working on this for 2 months. Now I’m stuck.
I’m doing a merger with Metod, Enhet, reused, built- in and a huge dose of patience. I go back and forth in the program many, many times before I make the purchase. Measurements are key and I want to have the best available cabinets possible. But I love mixing materials and m husband and I love throwing down walls and installing new stuff. Whatever it’s tiles, closets, stairs etc. it’s magic to experience the success of getting stuff right and by doing stuff ourselves. It’s satisfying and gratifying. I did not know that I was so good at construction and designing before I had two floors to play with 🤪🤣😀
Was just at the Paramus, NJ store and they no longer have planners in store. Everything is done on line and I am a little nervous about that plus there is a 6 month wait for some cabinets and their components. Never the less I have my heart set on IKEA cabinets because they are one of the few companies that offer 15″ depth inside their upper wall cabinets, most are 11 or 12″. We’re doing our retirement kitchen and have to do a lot of switching around because they no longer offer the 20″ base cabinet so we have to see how to deal with an 18″ one instead. Enjoyed your article and appreciated your recommendations.
Tip. Do not buy white cabinets from ikea (not the metal white – but the “wood looking” ones UNLESS you want nicotine yellow cabinets within 10 years. The resin / glaze they use (at least for mine) turned yellow after 6-8 years. Nothing could correct the yellowing other than painting. Some cabinets barely yellowed – and some were very yellow. This wasn’t due to sun exposure either. (The fronts will be from different lots – so the resin will age differently over time) Just thought I’d mention. I Absolutely love them other than that.
We put an IKEA kitchen into a vacation home we built ourselves. Cost was a major factor driving me to IKEA. I used the planning tool which was brilliant. I love the kitchen and it still looks great. Two suggestions: consider investing in the IKEA Westinghouse dishwasher that accepts a front panel that matches the cabinets (very high end look) and install their pull-out base cabinets for trash bins (I have two side by side base pull-outs located away from the sink for garbage and recycling – best idea ever). Their two-bowl porcelain farm sink is fabulous. Seems expensive but worth it. Also, I originally left one wall free for open shelving, a chair etc. but after a few years I realized I needed a bit more storage. I was able to install a standard IKEA Billy bookcase about 11″ deep with 4 doors in the same brown black colour and similar Shaker profile as the kitchen cupboards so the unit blends in yet still stands on its own.
My husband and I have installed 3 ikea kitchens over the years. The first one was in our own home and wasnt too big and im somewhat handy so we decided to tackle it ourselves. It was super straight forward and the repetitive nature of the assembly it makes it easier. After installing that kitchen we ended up doing 2 more in our rental property ourselves and it’s definitely the type of thing where once you do it once and get the hang of their little system, you’re able to do it again and again like no big deal!
Hi, so, is WOOD CABINETS coming back in? been debating whether to paint or not, they are not top of the line but I do know once I paint them it would be a MAJOR JOB to strip off, sand and then restain the wood color back on….. Thank you. How to find an editor like you have, she’s great! I do articles but need to find someone. Thanks in advance
Missed 1 Con. Ikea cabinets are MDF, which is 1 step up from particle board. MDF is fine tor shelving or closet organizers… but not that great for kitchen cabinets. 1 water leak and they’re toast. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. My kitchen cabinetry will be 1/2 inch furniture grade birch. They’ll last 80+ years.
The only issue with particular board is humidity this is a key factor for many homeowener regardless if the cabinets are home depot ikea… particular board will degree over the years… if you experience humidy insiee your kitchen bathroom plese get a dehumidifier…. btw even the italian luxury cabinet or the euro ones are particular board…. at least plywood stand better… but in usa are so expensive
Great article as always Lisa thank you ! Im so glad im not the only one who finds Ikea online super awkward … your solution is my take away tip of the day ! Im in the process of choosing a kitchen ….its not as fun as i thought would be and I’m overwhelmed by the decisions I have to make …oh boo hoo sucks to be me right ?! 🤣 love your website !💕
I’m glad you addressed the Cons – especially installation. I’ve heard horror stories about trying to do the DIY, not only kitchens but the closet system as well (yes, I have friends with 10 thumbs🤣🤣🤣). I’m assuming one would hire the installation right at Ikea(?). Thank you for your wonderful articles.
I would love to shop at IKEA, BUT, there is not one anywhere near me! I wish they would come to Louisiana! I hear shipping is horrendously expensive and I can’t actually see what I would like to buy. If you have any influence with them, please suggest a store in mid south Louisiana!! 😁. ( I know you can’t really do this)
I recently installed my third IKEA kitchen (moved a lot and bought a new condo). I am very happy with the products. What I really love is that I can make changes myself. They are very adaptable. I presently live in Germany where homes are normally rented without kitchens (really. just plugs and pipes in the wall), so I have moved and resold several. I highly recommend them. Here in Berlin, you can book a professional through IKEA to measure everything and these measurements go to IKEA. It will all fit, guaranteed. And the selection of fittings is excellent: easy close drawers, apothecary drawers, handles, trays, dividers, etc. I strongly suggest that anyone looking to build or renovate their kitchen consider this product.
Live in a Mobilehome, very small kitchen. IKEA all the way using all drawers unit. I hate to have to bend down and reach on the far corner of a shelf, with the IKEA solution a drawer comes out and you reach everything without any problem, from pots and pans to cutlery, etc. The pantry is a pull-out cabinet. Just brilliant, easy to clean to top it up. Also used the farmer style double sink from IKEA. looks great.
In 2017 we decided to redo our kitchen. We thought we might go with Ikea, mostly due to the price point. We thought we should compare the price to custom millwork on our small footprint kitchen. Imagine our amazement when we found out the custom kitchen was only 500 dollars more than the Ikea kitchen – plus they designed it and built it onsite. There is NO comparison between an Ikea kitchen and the beautiful kitchen we ended up with. I am so glad we shopped around!
In my opinion, you skipped right over the biggest con, which is the fact that all of their kitchen cabinetry is made of particle board. Particle board isn’t made to last. Give it a handful of years, and your cupboards will be peeling and looking horrible, and then you’ll be back at square one with the headache of having to replace the whole kitchen all over again, only this time it will be worse because in the process you’ll likely want to take the extra steps to salvage the countertops or anything else that you may have installed that actually is a quality product. I’m a firm believer in spending a little more money at the onset, with the comfort of knowing that it will be a ONE time purchase (and that will also save a lot of time and money in the long run).
My IKEA cons: 1. Limited sizes such as 18″, 21″, etc. almost always means a few filler panels 2. Exposed shelf holes seen thru glass cabinet doors (oddly, sometimes higher-end cabinetry has these) 3. IKEA’s countertops are cheeky – their woods are laminate and their solids are not so great either. Pros: 1. A monkey cab assemble them 2. Zillions of storage accessories that fit perfectly in your drawers 3. Drawer lights that go on when you open the drawer! Clever & cheap!
Custom furniture builder, mostly upholstered but cabinetry too. IKEA looks fine, but to any eye for quality, they are cheap and don’t hold up as well as some people lead you to believe. Particle board substrate under wood counters? Melamine? The hardware mechanisms and construction is not great. Sustainability comes from good design. Well made cabinets can always be altered with new door/drawer fronts. Painted or stained. If well constructed, can be altered. Again, a well thought out kitchen with a smart layout is the best start. I think you give some good advice but IKEA is not something I’d ever sell to a client. There are alot of great solutions out there at great prices. You have to look.
All these companies that hack IKEA kitchens, just do the fronts. They will not do the cabinet frames, so the cabinet frames will not be painted nor they will be veneered either. When you open the doors or cabinets, the frames will be unfinished. These companies will tell you that you need to hire either a painter or cabinet maker to finish the frames and match the custom fronts. I contacted semi-handmade, and some of the ones you mentioned and they all said the same. In addition, they are expensive too. They charge the same or closely to what you pay for an IKEA kitchen. Keep in mind, they only do the fronts, not the complete kitchen. A third party has to be hire.
Did high gloss white 4 yrs ago. All drawers, no doors (the best decision ever). Listed $2900 for 10×10′. Mine was $5900 for 10×10′ galley mostly because of the drawers (much more expensive than doors). During sale. $15k with floor, granite countertop and higher level appliances (Samsung – induction, double door fridge, everything SS). I did everything myself. Local firm would do my kitchen for $30-50K. After the 4 yrs, everything is in a perfect shape and I would not do anything differently if I could do it over.
You didn’t mention my favorite aspect of Ikea Kitchen cabinets – they are frameless! no stiles etc getting in the way of that oversized platter that you need to fit in. I absolutely love Ikea’s frameless cabinets. You will have to pay so much more to get basically the same thing from other manufacturers. We have put together and installed several IKEA kitchens over the years.
We renovated our kitchen with IKEA products (everything except quartzite countertops and fridge). They have an installation company by the name of Traemand (sp?). They installed all our cabinets and island in 3 days! It saved us so many headaches, their work was impeccable, AND cost us approximately $5000 for the install (which is quite budget friendly in our opinion). IKEA simply rocks!
I had an IKEA kitchen installed in my last home and I loved it. However, I do like the idea of using Semihomemade for cabinet fronts, because the IKEA fronts were nice, but definitely felt a bit lightweight. I would prefer a heavier wood front (especially on the uppers). My realtors actually used the kitchen photo as the front page of the listing, and the house sold in less than a week. Great article👍
My IKEA kitchen cream doors started to have some yellow/ brown stains. But they can be removed somewhat with some soap and damp cloth. I recently used masking tape on it due to some painting work.. I didn’t remove it immediately. So it has some tape residue now. When I used damp cloth and soap to try to rub it off, the finishing came off. 🥺
I see that this was posted two months ago and I have to kind of laugh. We were at IKEA less than a month ago and were told they were back ordered at least a year on cabinets and could not take any more orders for cabinets. They can get the doors in the United States because they come from Ohio but they could not get the boxes, the core of the design.
What fabulous timing! Some folks have said they were just there yesterday–I did’t get there THAT recently but I did go there 2 weeks ago (I live in Houston–where it’s been damn cold this week, as you may have heard–and we have one of those ginormous IKEAs) because I am considering buying the condo I’m living in (7×8 kitchen) and–yes!!–I’m was ALREADY considering an IKEA kitchen! (Oh yeah, I may have them do the bathroom, too.) So THANKS Lisa for posting this article TODAY and giving us/me the big thumbs up for getting an IKEA kitchen. I am more sold on one now after your article!
I really respect your opinion but I honestly can’t believe you would recommend IKEA kitchen cabinets to your subscribers. I understand everyone works with different budgets and totally respect that everyone can’t afford a $100,000 kitchen. Or even a $50,000 kitchen. But plain and simple IKEA cabinets are junk. People use their kitchens hard everyday. Everyone I know who has installed IKEA cabinets in their kitchen starts seeing chips and scratches after about a year. A year! That’s not acceptable. Also when you are investing so much money in your home you really should work with a qualified person to help lay out the space for you. The customer service people at IKEA are not designers. They are there to help you use software and make sure you don’t forget parts and pieces. And touching on the green aspect of things, it doesn’t matter if the cabinets are made sustainably when you will be throwing them out in a couple years because of how badly they have held up. I really respect your opinion and everyone has their own perspective and experience but as a designer I would think you would try and stress the value of working with quality materials and a professional on such a big project.
We made the commitment on an IKEA kitchen. Spent 3 weeks designing it using the IKEA Home Planning software. Got the design validated and was ready to order cabinets. Scheduled an appointment with IKEA to finalize the design and order that day. We got hit with a Bombshell. Some of the tall cabinets, pantry, oven microwave combo, corner lazysusan will not have delivery until September, 2021. Covid-19 and the stuck tanker at the Suez Canal was to blame, according to the IKEA kitchen consultant. With our kitchen already demolished to bare floor and walls, it was a train wreck. We had to scrap the IKEA design and find another cabinet maker with in-stock cabinets and a fast delivery time. Another redesign set us back an extra 2 weeks with our contractor on hold. So, don’t invest your time and effort into an IKEA kitchen this year. Availability of cabinets are very iffy at this time.
We did our kitchen over about 3 months from we ordered to completion. Custom kitchen companies were telling us the best time would be 5 to 6 months. Even with supply chain problems, it is possible with Ikea. Just have space to collect all the components before you start. Not recommended for first-time DIYers. We live in Canada and our closes Ikea was 156 km away. While most were delivered for a small fee. Even after making 3 trips for small changes, we made the saving well worth it. Besides when you go to the store you have the opportunity to pick up a returned item that fit your order for great savings.
Nope. I called all three ikeas near me. There are no sales that will be happening during covid. And they only had like a third of my kitchen design in stock. I had to call the online store for the other third. And the last third I had to chase down at other stores. Ans they didn’t have everything. I ask if they would ship when it became available and they said no. I had to call every week and try to complete the order until I got everything and there was no guarantee I would get every piece such as the drawer fronts or the mechanical parts of drawers etc. I ordered full wood custom Allen and Roth cabinets for 35% off this spring and I got it all in 6 weeks no head ache. I always wanted an ikea kitchen but after talking to several employees I decided against it because right now they aren’t functioning well for the kitchens. This was all in end of February.
Didn’t know about IKEA Kitchens. I did a DIY galley kitchen for under $7k US including major SS appliances. Huge 4’x5′ skylight, new electric lighting and circuits, tile flooring, cabinets (plywood frame, hardwood fronts), 36″ SS sink, SS pull-out faucet, about hood SS microwave and SS exhaust fan hood, 1 HP garbage disposer, under sink plumbing, granite countertop (2 8′ slabs) and granite backsplash, painting, SS dishwasher, SS side by side fridge (36″) with ice maker, electric flat top stove. Material purchased on sale before pedemic, major SS appliance after on sale. Contractor estimated well over $15K labor only. Disadvantage DIY doing it alone was slow going and many trips to the hardware stores for little things. Needed help lifting granite slab to the counter top, a friend helped framing the skylight and cutting in the roof. Was $7K worth it? No when factor in time is money but it was a good experience.
I have DIY-installed IKEA cabinets and special order cabinets. If you enjoy DIY, IKEA is one of the easiest systems to install. The biggest con, in my opinion, is that IKEA has limited cabinet widths, so depending on the shape and size of your space, you may end up with a lot of filler strips and less storage space compared to other cabinet manufacturers.
I am based in Germany and moving to the US this month. My Ikea Kitchen is 32 years old, still works perfectly fine. We moved it three times, every move we added more cabinets and made changes just because we could 🙂 (in Germany kitchens belong to the renters not landlord responsibility). So IKEA saved us tons of money and gave us plenty of opportunities to change design, style and options. We love our Ikea kitchen and are happy to hear, that we can get one in the US too.
The only thing I disagree with, is that IKEA is cheap(er). You take any high end custom made kitchen and match it from IKEA it will cost you the same or more depending on how you negotiate the assembly and installation team. If you do everything yourself, that’s great, but only if you earn less per day then the assembly team… otherwise it’s better for you to stay at work and pay someone to do it for you. Anyway I designed and assembled my IKEA kitchen 4 years ago and i couldn’t be happier about the price, the storage space and the quality. I just promised myself then, that, I will never, ever, ever, have to assemble another METOD ever again, not even for a friend.
My degree is in art. I love pops of bright color, i love to cook. But once I became disabled. 4 foot doorways. And wide traffic paths are an issue. Ikea is nice for raised lower cabinets. I have a farmhouse undermount sink. But I’ve a purchased bowling lane I’ve dreamt to use as counter top. But worried about wood and undermount sink. Do I break up bowling lane with stone rectangle for sink counter area only??? Or wax the heck out of the wood????
The IKEA kitchen planner is incredible and so easy to use! When I redid my kitchen 20 years ago I tried using IKEA, but because of the size and layout I couldn’t use the available cabinet sizes without losing a lot of usable space to filler pieces. I ended up taking my 3-D rendering to a cabinet maker, though, to show him exactly what I wanted. My son replaced the base cabinets in his 1923 kitchen with IKEA cabinets in a weekend, and it was so quick and easy. He was able to find a design that blended beautifully.
Me and the husband put in a black LERHYTTAN kitchen two years ago. Combined it with oak and brass details. We used the planning tool, got some advise in the nearest store and then put almost everything together ourselves. Had som help with the counter tops. Very easy to asseble the cabinets, works great and I am still happy with it every dag.
My parents have had their same Ikea kitchen for almost thirty years. A couple of years ago they changed the doors/drawer fronts (their kitchen gets a ton of sunlight and over the many years the colour had faded somewhat). The cabinets/drawers themselves are still in great condition after 25-30 years.
Dear Lisa, thank you for your articles. They are amazing. I have a little confession to make. I have used IKEA kitchen cabinets to build my hobby island for my sewing machines and knitting machines. When I made my design IKEA sales man asked me to let them have pictures as the build was progressing. It has worked out well including my vertical cabinets put horizontally. Best of luck with your work and life.
An interior designer also mentioned ikea kitchen to us so we decided to check it out. We remodeled our whole kitchen with white high gloss cabinets, matte gray island cabinet and quartz countertops. We bought higher end appliances and sink elsewhere, I’d recommend this. Every person that had visited, absolutely love my clean, modern kitchen. You will have to pull out your old cabinets and there is an extra charge for delivery and install, but that’s worth the money. On the countertops, you only pay what you need. We did have a few hiccups with the install, but we’re so happy we went with ikea.
One more benefit… IKEA utilizes all of the cabinet hardware i.e. door hinges, mounting rails, interior fittings like drawers, lazy Susan‘s etc pullouts made by Austrian company Blum. Blum supplies other high-end European kitchen manufacturers like Scavolini, Pedini, Coliform, Bulthaup, Siematic, Poggenpohl, Leicht, Snaidero, Porcelenosa, Smallbone, Cucine Copat, and many others!!
Watch out with Ikea. For them to install you have to leave a certain distance from a store. We worked with them to make out a kitchen design. They were going to install last year but we were going to have to pay them food and hotel bill. Now that we are ready to do this they will no longer come to our area to install and no one in my area has installed Ikea (at least no one has responded). So now we have to start over.
What I really love about an Ikea kitchen is that you exactly get the costs of each part. That makes the final price understandable. At other furniture shops they only showed me the end price. Also, other furniture shops try to attract you with heavy discounts. The funny thing is that the discount is actually the normal price. They have never sold it at the so called “full price”. That’s why I bought an Ikea kitchen. I’ve planned, build and installed it myself and I love it. If I move again I will take the kitchen with me. That’s another con: Because the system doesn’t change over the years, I could even add cabinets or change the fronts after 15 years and would have a new kitchen.
We had an Ikea kitchen installed in late 2014-15. The company who was registered to install their cabinets bid on being the entire general contractor for our kitchen. They sent the demolition people in, who also were then called “electricians” and then “plumbers” and “drywall installers” and then “tile guys”. They could not do anything properly and we fired them after three weeks. We then had to hire individuals to work on our kitchen. It turned out well. Except the cabinets which are guaranteed for 25 years have kickplates along the floor which are peeling because they cannot be exposed to water. The Ikea vent has light bulbs which they no longer sell, and the type of vent they sold is also discontinued so I cannot get the vent to light up properly. The microwave oven handle fell off and they no longer sell that microwave or parts. The white quartz countertop from Ikea looks great, but it has numerous chips because anything, a pot, a mug or a belt buckle can chip it off. Yes, we got our kitchen for a fair price, but there are many parts of it that will not last until 2040, and I doubt the cabinets are warranted either.
We got an ikea kitchen and their customer service was horrible. Specifically, countertops were scheduled for early October. Instead, they were back ordered until after Thanksgiving. I asked for a refund, which they first refused. I was told to over order parts, but keep receipts for return. Everything was still in its packaging, but they couldn’t find many of them in the reams of receipts for the $20,000 we had spent at ikea, and refused to refund. Six years later, the cabinets are not holding up well. We will never shop there again.
Another hack is that, if you’re canny, you can combine other IKEA furniture with your kitchen. I’ve included Billy bookcases as larder shelf units before, and some of their beautiful lounge credenzas look stunning when integrated. Also, take a serious look at their superb internal, and under-cabinet, lighting options. That can really elevate a look. Plus it can integrate with your general lighting using the wi-fi controller.
I’ve been dreaming of re-doing my kitchen… Small, actually tiny is more aptly descriptive of my kitchenette… To give you an idea how tiny–most people’s walk-in closets are larger than my kitchenette. I am sure I will learn lots and get very useful tips when the time comes for me to launch into action. Right now it’s dream time and prepare, prepare, prepare! Thanks Lisa! I’ve seen 2 Ikea kitchens up close in classic white and they are both gorgeous, functional and very custom for the owner’s use. Both are very good cooks and their kitchens are not just for looks. I’ve assisted my sister with her planning and helped her assemble some of her cabinets. We’ve had a lot of fun selecting the tile for the backsplash, the countertops and flooring. It’s been 5 years and it’s holding up quite well. As mentioned by someone else in this comments section, the cost savings are amazing. My cousin had a neighbor redo their kitchen with some other company’s cabinets as well as some custom elements. Their kitchen ended up costing them 5 times the price he paid for his. In case your wondering, he did none of the work as he had his kitchen put together and mounted by a contractor.
So once again Lisa reads my mind on topics!!! Was just going ask about getting another more in depth kitchen article and boom, Lisa delivers the goods and answers some of my questions! I just love this woman! 😍 I’m hoping we can get a kitchen designing article at some point! Like what’s a must have and what’s not? Also so psyched for Dezign club!!! Question, is it going to be a paid subscription at some point? Just wondering 🙂 Love you lots Lisa you amazing woman! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
I purchased two in my life so far. The old version held up better than the new one. Not sure why as they claim it was just more metric change not material. My 1st one I purchased the cheapest doors and they held up better than the 2nd kitchen more expensive. I personally wouldn’t buy from ikea again.
Dear Queen of Design, Lisa… I have been trying to design my ikea kitchen for weeks. You did this article just in time for me. So, thank you. I need to figure out where to put the appliances in the design. Question… when you walk into a house and you see the kitchen for the first time, what should be the focal point? The hood and range? Right now I see the refrigerator first. Thinking of switching it up. Thank for all this content/info. You’re awesome.