IKEA Kitchen Features We Love
I am not receiving any commission for this post. These are truly my honest opinions, and I want to clarify that before I speak super highly of IKEA's kitchen system :)
Remember when I told you how much our kitchen/downstairs reno ended up costing us? It was less than $8,000 for a total gut job (here's the breakdown post). I'm sure some people would read that and think, "Well, that's because you're totally sacrificing quality!" but I want to take today to bust that myth and share with you our favorite features of IKEA kitchens. To be completely honest, we would 100% go with the IKEA kitchen systems again. The pros FAR outweighed the cons and we have been thoroughly impressed. I'm not just saying that now, when we have a great kitchen to get all *heart eyes* over, but the entire process from beginning to end was just smart, efficient, and great for those of us who are control freaks. Let me just jump right in:
Modular System + Online Design Tool
Not only are IKEA systems completely modular - meaning, they have enough dimensional diversity to be mixed and matched to fit any requirements - the online design tool allows you to create your kitchen entirely from scratch (or from a template). I have tried the design tools for other large home improvement stores, and I can tell you that none of them can beat IKEA in terms of ease of use and functionality. Sure, sometimes it's slow and freezes up, but it's not nearly as rip-your-hair-out annoying as the other places. Plus, based on your room measurements, you'll see notifications when one cabinet is too close to another and may cause doors to hit something or not open properly. You can also change door fronts, countertops, handles, etc... in one fell swoop and see your itemized list and total cost whenever you like. The modular system came in very handy when we made a measurement mistake and one of our cabinets wouldn't fit. We simply took back the one that wouldn't fit, and bought a different size - voila! - crisis averted.
(I should also mention, they even have a design tool for bathroom and office renovations)
Cost
Obviously. We did our renovation - cabinets, countertops, lighting, everything - for under 8K. When we had a similar, smaller layout quoted at Home Depot, it clocked in at 12K.... just for the cabinets... which were lesser in quality to the ones we got from IKEA. Yeesh. Which brings me to my next point...
Quality
The quality of IKEA cabinets is not the highest on the market, of course, but they are really sturdy. We're not at all worried about the wear and tear. And even then, if one of the fronts gets wobbly or a drawer track breaks, you can easily buy replacements or let it fall under IKEA's 25 year limited warranty. But again, they don't at all feel "cheap" and we love the quality.
Ordering, Set-up, and Rail System
When you make your order in-store, the workers are knowledgable and will go through each and every piece to make sure you will have everything you need. It takes a couple hours to go through it with them, but considering it costs nothing extra to have an experienced worker make sure your design is okay, the time spent is fine by me. They tell you about shipping options or pick-up FYI's and it's very smooth sailing.
It's also super nice to have your entire kitchen before you even start your demo work, just waiting to be put together. Which by the way, though time consuming, is SUPER easy and helps save you moolah.
The rail system is amazing. Ever thought about that fact that wall cabinets are actually hung on a wall one at a time? Getting them all to line up and not start sloping down or up can be really hard. IKEA comes with these long rails that you simply screw into some studs, make sure it's level, and then slide your cabinets on. It makes it so easy and less stressful. Of course it still takes some measuring to be sure your cabinets are the right height from the counters, but it's much nicer than their competitors. Oh, and the base cabinets are rail-hung too!
Door Hinges
I'm not all that great with power tools, but IKEA's hinges are so ingenious. The holes on the frame of the cabinet are already there which makes screwing in the hinge a piece of cake. On the door front, you just push a metal piece in place (no tools required) and it tightens itself. The piece on the front, snaps easily into the piece on the frame, and you're done. Once it's on, you can use a small screw driver via two holes on each hinge to adjust the door front so it's exactly centered on the frame or lined up with the other cabinet doors. Then, you can add a small "soft close" clip to one of the hinges to finish it off. We probably put all our door fronts on in less than twenty minutes. If you're curious about what I mean, this guy's 2 minute video shows you how easy it is. Honestly, it's almost therapeutic to put on these hinges because it's so painless.
No Gaps, Lips, or Separators
No gaps, meaning all your doors are flush with one another. There are no wood gaps that show between the door fronts.
Along with that, there are also no lips on the insides of the cabinets. So when you pull a glass off a shelf, it will slide right out instead of hitting a lip on the bottom of the shelf or on the side of the cabinet.
Have a two-door cabinet? There won't be a piece of wood running down the center. I love this feature especially under our sink as it makes organization super clean and simple. Tom loves it because if he needs to work on plumbing under the sink, he doesn't have to squeeze into one side. He can open both doors and have free range to lay underneath!
Wall Cabinet Depth of 15"
The standard depth of most wall cabinets is 12-13" (I believe) but IKEA's are 15". Meaning, I can fit one stack of plates in the back of a cabinet, and still fit another stack in front of them. If we didn't have a pantry, the depth of those cabinets would be such a life-saver in terms of storage. I absolutely LOVE the added depth.
Drawers, Drawers, and More Drawers
Our base cabinet drawers. I am in love. Nothing like not having to dig to the back of a cabinet on your hands and knees to reach that big stock pot. Guys, they come all the way out. It doesn't stop with 2 inches left to go, they go all the way. Drawer organizers, corner pull-out lazy susan, etc. The organization of the base cabinets is the greatest. They are also soft close and can come with hidden internal drawers too. Endless options and combinations. Which again, on that subject...
Easy To Change
Don't like the door style or colors? Just get some new fronts instead of scrapping the whole thing. Not crazy about the drawer configurations? We could swap the drawers of our two 30" wide base cabinets anytime, or just go buy entirely new drawer combos in that width whenever we'd like. No problem! Anything can be undone with such ease and adjusted after the fact with no repercussions.
Countertops
We paid only $250 for probably 45 linear feet of counterspace... which is amazing. Most of IKEA's countertops would require you either cut and install their laminate options yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. We honestly love the quality of their laminate. We cut and installed ourselves, and it doesn't look cheapy to us at all. I think if you live in a great big home with top tier features, a stone or solid surface would make sense, but not in our little starter home :) We also don't give two hoots about the hoopla behind granite, so we'll gladly stick with a nicely done laminate. Plus, if it gets ruined, or we tire from the look, it's only $250 to replace or update!
However, IKEA does offer quartz and acrylic options that they do through area third parties who will measure, cut, and install for you.
I'm sure once I hit publish I'll think of even more reasons we love our IKEA kitchen, but this is what I've got for now. We are so happy and grateful to have this wonderful kitchen at our fingertips each day. We feel like home chefs and somehow even just pouring a bowl of cereal feels fancier now! As I read this post over to Tom a few moments ago, he said he would add that even if IKEA were more expensive than their competition (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) he would still get IKEA again. The quality is better and the overall features and how it's put together are just smart.
Looking to do a kitchen renovation with IKEA and have some questions? Leave me a comment!
Cost Breakdown : The Kitchen
So renovations are supposed to be this crazy financial burden, right?
Well, yes and no.
No doubt, this renovation was the most costly update to our home, but it was a fraction of what it easily could have been. In fact, when we had Home Depot and Lowes give us a design and estimate, it was well over 12K for the cabinets alone (and they were using smaller room measurements than we ended up with).
We still have a few small bits and pieces to add, of course, because curating your home from a blank slate takes time. We are still learning our style, but we definitely lean towards a mid-century modern minimalist look. It's important to me that the items I put on display are meaningful or serve a purpose. I'm just not one who cares for excess :) There is nothing left to do in this home that is necessary for living our daily lives, though, so it is nice to relax and enjoy finding those final little pieces as they come.
However, now that this project is behind us, I have gone through and sorted out all the costs and will be breaking it down for you. I have not been shy about telling our real life friends how much this thing was, mostly because I think people really should know that a kitchen renovation does not have to cost an arm and a leg. Granted, we saved boatloads by doing it ourselves, but even then, we really hunted around for the best quality for the best price, and I'm thrilled with how it all turned out. I'm super satisfied with IKEA... not only their products, but their customer service. The process for this project (especially since it was DIY) meant we had to have a lot of involvement. IKEA is well aware of the fact that their customers may be doing this themselves, so they are happy to answer any 'dumb' questions concerning installation or what each item listed is used for. That being said, living 40 minutes away from a store was pretty essential to our success with them. For more photos, see the reveal post.
Okay, okay. Enough yammering on... here is the cost breakdown:
Demolition
Blades: $12
Brown paper & tape: $15
Trash bins: $20
Shop Vac & filters: $65
Total: $112
Ceilings
Scaffolding: $0 (We owned a ladder and a bunch of weird wooden island things that came in super handy)
Mud: $35
Industrial sander (rented): $50
Primer: $30
Paint: $40
Total: $155
Walls
Materials for half-wall: $60
Drywall: $70
Mud and tape: (used what was left from ceilings)
Primer: (used what was left from ceilings)
Paint: $80
Trim paint: (already owned from previous projects)
Outlets: $100 (switches, covers, GFCI, boxes)
Electrical: $200
Trim brush: $6
Paint rollers: $10
Total: $526
Plumbing
Piping, valves, p-trap: $160
Total: $160
Appliances
Stove: $499
Fridge: $979
Microwave: $250
Garbage disposal: $50
Sink: $180
Already owned faucets and dishwasher.
Total: $1,958
Other
Cabinets (including handles): $3,900
Countertops: $256
Lighting: $140
Ceiling fan: $35
Misc decor (towels, placemat, planter, drawer liners, utensil trays, plate holders, spice holder and bottles, cutting boards, coffee container, candles, etc..): $300
Total: $4,631
GRAND TOTAL: $7,542
The pictures really don't do this place justice. Our cabinets are huge and very sturdy, our appliances are wonderful (yay for an ice machine!), and the counter space has made such a monumental difference in how we prep and cook.
So for less than 8K we completely re-did our kitchen and part of our living room (it still needs some built-ins on either side of the fireplace). Again, thousands were saved by the fact that we did not hire out for any of the work, but regardless, we did such in-depth research on how to pull this off without breaking the bank and I am pretty proud of how it turned out.
Do you guys have other questions about this project? I would be more than happy to cover any specific topics that you are wondering about!
Kitchen Progress 1 | Plus An IKEA Event Recap
Hey, all you good looking people!
Since we've been living the renovation life for about a month now, I thought you might like the DL on what's been happening around here and see how things have changed in our downstairs area. We've reached the halfway point in our kitchen renovation, finally! See below for the progress in photos (click to enlarge them).
Below that, I'll list real quick for you what we've accomplished thus far, and THEN I have a few photos of a recent event I attended at IKEA Atlanta with a short explanation of what I learned!
Before
Process
Over the last four weeks, we have:
- Packed up, moved, and stored our kitchen, dining, and living room.
- Created a 'kitchenette' in a third bedroom. We eat meals off paper plates and cook via microwave, crockpot, or grill. Dishes are done in a bathroom sink and we have mastered the art of surviving without a kitchen.
- Demolished our old cabinets and moved appliances and light fixtures out of the way.
- Scraped a layer off the textured ceilings.
- Removed some flooring to make the workspace easier to navigate.
- Ripped out a wall and pantry.
- Built and wired a new half-wall further over from where the original wall had been.
- Wired electrical for our TV/stereo system, kitchen, and lighting.
- Replaced the drywall we had to remove.
- Bought and returned countless items to our local home improvement store.
- ...and found a huge snake on our back porch.
We have worked at this project every night and every weekend since we started and we still have to finish replacing the drywall, taping, mudding, sanding, priming, painting, building cabinets, plumbing, installing cabinets, and more.
But has it been worth it?
YEP.
Stay tuned for my next installment on this project and don't forget to follow me on Instagram to catch some more peeks.
Now, for the news on IKEA.
If you've ever been to one of these big blue and yellows, you're probably familiar with their "cafeteria." The thing is, what has always been lovingly referred to as a cafeteria has always officially been called their restaurant. But let's be real, it never felt like one. So they made some changes!
They invited me to come to the re-opening of their restaurant last Friday, and I am honestly very impressed with what they've done to make the dining experience more convenient for the needs of every one of their shoppers. Not only that, but as one of the largest showroom spaces their stores contain, they weren't really showcasing much of their products there.
The restaurant now boasts several different seating areas for all types of visitors. A family area where parents can be near to the condiments, drinks, and even a bottle warmer while still being able to keep an eye on their wiggly little kiddos. There are bar height tables for the visitors who maybe need to just grab a drink or gather their heads around what they're purchasing, longer tables for groups or people who are looking to grasp some inspiration from the decor around them, and couches for those who need to take a rest and use the wireless chargers located on the lamps! The decor of the restaurant has been vastly improved, and will change twice a year to stay relevant with what's popular or inspiring for their guests. When you visit, take note of the "family room feeling" they're trying to give of.
Of course, so many of us are familiar with their menu (meatballs anyone?)... but they've changed that too! They now offer family meals at unsurprisingly low prices, and more options for sustainable eating. Organic pastas, vegetarian options, clean-eater friendly choices, and more. They've done a great job on their restaurant overhaul. If I'm being totally honest with you, I had never been one to frequent their restaurant because of the cold environment and unsatisfactory menu options... but (and I mean this completely unbiased) I'll actually be visiting it more often now! I am not being paid to say any of this, by the way, it was just honestly worth being noted in a post because it's a big change from the IKEA we have all known. Big kudos to them!
For the rest of my time there, our group was given a brief synopsis of their new kitchen system Sektion (which we will be installing in our own home in a few weeks), a little info on their marketplace that you usually see in front of you after you checkout, and a lively lecture on their Cooking Shop (aka: dining, cooking, and serving department). Did you guys know they have a 15 year warranty on their Sensuell series?? Their knives have warranties too. I was really surprised by how much they actually care about backing up their products. Sometimes, I assume that since they're so large and so cost effective, they wouldn't care if their customers are happy, but they really do! They genuinely want their products to be attractive, functional, and of good quality. In fact, Epicurious gave them a pretty great review on their $10 bundt pan - check it out.
Overall, I was really honored to attend their event and their new store manager, Jill, was such a joy to meet! She has an awesome team, and they all showed such care and passion for what IKEA stands for and hopes to stand for in the future. It was a pleasure to spend a few hours with them and hopefully I'll have more IKEA news to share with you all in the future! Here are some fun photos from the event :)
What do you all think? Do you like the changes to their restaurant?
IKEA Kitchen Planning
If you've ever done a kitchen renovation, you know about the researching, measuring, remeasuring, re-researching, and choices, choices, choices. It's stressful and time consuming, and there are about a million paths you can take based on style, function, and price. If you haven't been through this process, then you've come to a great place.
After looking at the options at Home Depot, Lowes, and IKEA, we've narrowed it down to IKEA. Partially because one of their famous kitchen sales will be starting March 4 - April 17 of this year. The deal is, you have to spend at least $4,000 in order to receive their generous 15% return in the form of a giftcard. That's at least $600 you'll get back for purchasing through them which is about the cost of some appliances.
Regardless of their sale, IKEA also has a 25 year warranty on their kitchens as well as a surprising reputation for quality. Like many people, you may think of IKEA's products as the ones that fall apart after a year of use... but not so with their kitchens. My parents built a house in 2007 and installed a stunning IKEA kitchen that looks practically new to this day. While they were visiting us last week, we asked for their advice on the IKEA front and they whole-heartedly gave their support for it. Especially in a house of our size and price range - it just makes sense.
By using their kitchen planner tool, you can add in all the dimensions of your space, floors, paint colors, correct placement of doors and windows, and even add weird additional structures that your particular space may have. It's a little slow and frustrating sometimes, but you learn how to navigate it well over time.
Our current kitchen has a very awkward layout. The kind of layout you look at and go, "What were these builders thinking? Look at all the wasted space and lack of storage..."
Tom and I love open concept homes (said every HGTV guest ever) and our downstairs has the potential to embody that so well. It just means we need to remove a wall and a pantry and move a fridge. Oh, and add about 3x more storage and about 35 more linear feet of countertops.
Here's the current state of things:
Yeah. It's a cluster. And it's a pain in the butt to function in... just ask the goose egg that's on my head from when I nailed my head on an open cabinet and then wept like a baby on my mother's shoulder.
But here's our plan:
- Remove the wall between the living room and kitchen. So as to scoot the kitchen into the living room just a smidge and open the space.
- Remove the current pantry and put the fridge in its place.
- Smooth the ceilings throughout.
- Paint the walls.
By doing all those things, we can have a space that looks like this:
LOOK AT ALL THE COUNTER SPACE.
I actually made a mock-up of the entire downstairs because we actually own that sectional, table, chairs, and bench... so you guys are seeing the big picture! We wouldn't probably install those built-ins next to the fireplace just yet, but it'll stay in the plans for the future - we just aren't totally sold on them yet.
We love this layout because we aren't sacrificing our pantry, and will instead replace it with one that has drawers (praise Jesus).
Also, you'll notice the half-wall between the rooms. This will serve as a minor separation and something to install outlets on for the kitchen.
We decided to leave the stove where it is so that we don't have to move the gas line, but it'll scoot about five inches to the left of its current position.
Small adjustments will still be made, like adding pendant lights over the long counter and possibly some open shelving above the dishwasher, or a slight change in the drawer combinations of the base cabinets. But overall, the size and dimensions are pretty much set in stone!
We're ecstatic to be moving forward in this process and we'll be sure to keep you all updated as we go along. In the meantime, what do you think?