I know that someone may fall upon our kitchen reveal in a few years time and will have missed all of the entertaining posts leading up the grand reveal that explained how and why we chose things. I'm going to create some posts that include a lot of information for readers who may be interested in renovating their own kitchen.
For this particular post I'm focusing on the main element - our cabinetry, which is Ikea, and the door style is the Adel door. This post doesn't go into the details of what we picked elsewhere (counter, tiles etc) that you can find in our "Kitchen Shopping Guide". This is just a list of things to consider when designing an Ikea kitchen. Warning. This is a LONG post.
If you read my blog regularly you'll know I'm a fan of "hacking" Ikea things to make them look custom. There is my Ikea Rast side table project from 2008 (inspired by Style at Home Magazine), there is my Ikea Ribba Frame Hack (inspired by Sarah Richardson), our DIY Bench in our Kitchen (inspired by Samantha Pynn) my DIY $300 Desk using Ikea, and most recently another Ikea Ribba gold frame hack. So my kitchen is no different. We've gotten creative with Ikea cabinetry and worked in elements from other stores - giving us a custom look at a better price than custom. Anyhow, without further delay - here is my summary of buying an Ikea Kitchen. - Lindsay
I'm not going to go into the differences between custom kitchens and Ikea, there are a lot of factors in support of both - but for us the cost savings of an Ikea kitchen was very hard to ignore. For cabinet purchasing- Ikea really came in as the economical choice. We ended up choosing the Ikea Adel door, a classic shaker that I think is the best profile they have.
We spent a lot of time designing because we really wanted the kitchen to look built in, not just "installed". This meant that we had to do a lot of planning, something that took us months and months. Aubrey stresses that you really have to pre-plan EVERYTHING when doing an Ikea kitchen and it's a domino effect. Everything effects spacing - appliance dimensions, what crown molding you use, what height is the valance you use. Know everything you are going with before you start the design process.
Although we have a relatively easy space I found the design process stressful. The one downside to an Ikea kitchen is that although they have a very large selection of cabinetry - inevitably they are limited in cabinet sizes. So it's a bit of a puzzle working out which cabinets should go where. In the beginning I did debate hiring a designer to help design the layout. I have read that many designers can offer select services - such as helping design layouts - which may make it an economical opportunity for a homeowner. (For example, Carol Reed offers this service) In the end Aubrey and I worked it out - I'm pretty creative, and Aubrey is great with numbers/measurements. I can break our designing process into three important steps/stages.
- Researching Ikea Kitchen Pictures: I spent a few hours going through Carol Reed's blog, soaking in some of her designer tips of working with Ikea kitchens. I also googled a lot of "Ikea Kitchens" and tried to really spot what I did, and also what I didn't like of Ikea Kitchens.
- Ikea Kitchen Designers: We took advantage of the staff at Ikea in the Kitchen Department. They were great. With our measurements in hand, they helped get set started using their kitchen design tool. That initial meeting with a kitchen designer set us off on the right foot. You still have to do the design yourself, but the kitchen staff will helped start us off with their design program.
- Ikea Online Kitchen Design Tool: The last step for us was tweaking the design that we did in Step #2, at home. When you go home, you can tweak the design using their online design tool. I found the online tool confusing and frustrating so Aubrey ended up taking over and handling it. (Guess which one of us has more patience in the relationship)
There are more tips on the design process below in section D.
Here are some tips on ordering your Ikea Kitchen.
- DO ask for help from the Ikea Kitchen Staff.
- DO Take advantage of the Ikea kitchen sale. You get 10% back in Ikea gift cards when you buy Ikea cabinets from the store during the sale.
- DON'T plan your kitchen design in the middle of the Ikea Kitchen Sale. It's going to be crazy busy and getting one on one assistance (uninterrupted) from a Kitchen specialist will be impossible. Plan and design your kitchen well before the sale happens.
- DO ask about their sale policies. We found out that Ikea will honor the 10% sale discount if we bought up to 45 days prior to the sale. [Call the store and ask what their policy is on honoring sale prices] We ended up getting back $400, in gift cards but skipped the mad rush of the sale in the store.
- DO call your order in vs. going into the store and picking each piece out of the warehouse.
- DO have your order delivered. We had a bad experience with the delivery company that Ikea used/uses. Ikea called for feedback (standard policy) after the order was delivered, and Aubrey gave an account of what happened and we did receive an apology. But still, just be ready to instruct the delivery guys/women on where to put the order and be prepared for your delivery to look like this.
- DO BUY the tallest cabinets possible, so that they go as close to the ceiling as possible. I think wasted space above the cabinets always is an obvious sign to the fact that you bought "store bought" cabinets.
- DON'T BUY any of the trim from Ikea. Build your own valance. You need to have the right tools, but this kind of detail makes a HUGE difference. If you don't have the tools, maybe hire a handyman for the day.
- DO consider adding in crown molding. I think crown molding gives a gorgeous "finished" look. [See photos below for examples]
- DO Paint the trim to match the Ikea doors. Ikea Adel door paint match is Benjamin Moore Paper Mache.
- DO BUY an Ikea door to bring around town with you as you try to match elements for your kitchen. That one Ikea Adel door stayed in my car for a month as I went looking for counters, tile, etc.
We likely spent more hours designing than the majority of people would but we really wanted it to look built in. Do you need to spend as many hours as we did designing? No - but it's worth it in the end. As Aubrey stressed when he saw me writing this post - it's imparative that you know everything you're working with before you start designing. The cost savings of choosing the Ikea cabinets made it worth it. And, they look fabulous. In my mind, go with the Adel doors, they are so classic.
I'm sure I've missed certain things. I appreciate this isn't a buider-guide-how to, but at least you get the inspiration to take away to create your own kitchen, and see the tricks we used.
I hope this has helped!
xo Lindsay
Update: Be sure to check out this page for other Ikea kitchen related posts.
Disclosure: Because of the extensive (LONG) review, I feel as though it is worth noting that this post was not sponsored by Ikea.
Little House Blog: Tips & Tricks for Buying an Ikea Kitchen
Researching Ikea Kitchen Pictures: I spent a few hours going through Carol Reed's blog, soaking in some of her designer tips of working with Ikea kitchens.
Little House Living Homestead Living Frugal Living ...
Find simple living ideas, frugal living tips, homestead living, recipes from scratch, gardening tips, canning recipes, Welcome to Little House Living!
Cozy Little House
Cozy Little House at 11:12 AM 44 living (17) frugal tips (13) blogging without express and written permission from this blogs authors and/or owners
Little House Blog: countertop selection + tips
If you've followed along the process of the kitchen you'll know that one of the biggest decisions for me was what to pick for the counter. I liked the look
Frugal Living Tips - Little House Living Homestead ...
Here at Little House Living I will always share with you my best frugal living tips and tricks! If you ever have any frugal living tips of your own that. Start Here;
Little House Blog: Tips & Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen
Little House Blog: Tips & Tricks for Buying an Ikea Kitchen Researching Ikea Kitchen Pictures: I spent a few hours going through Carol Reed's blog, soaking in some of
Blogger Tips | Cozy Little House
These are Blogger blog tips from my blog Brenda's Blog Tips. If you click on the links below, it will take you to that blog and each of the tutorials listed.
Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen ...
Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen is free HD wallpaper. Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen was upload by admin was on
Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen ...
Here i will explain about Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen. Many people have talked about Tips and tricks for using chalky finish paint the home.
Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen ...
Little House Blog Tips Tricks For Buying An Ikea Kitchen Little green notebook, I like flea markets and power tools, parties and pillows. im a mommy and a
Travelling is my life
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon