Ikea Kitchens have contributed to the increased accessibility of design for all. Like Target, Ikea expects its customers to be savvy. There website proclaims, “Kitchens for Everyone. One for You.” With Allen Wrench in hand, a credit card in the wallet and determination within, the only thing between you and a beautiful home is a paltry instruction manual. The best part is you don’t even have to be able to read to use it! Anyone can do it, right?
As a child, I never remember anyone remodeling a Kitchen. You just moved. And I still think it would be like this, to some extent, if it were not for Ikea.
The beauty of Ikea cabinetry is that the box -the structure -the base cabinet is the same regardless of choice. The process begins with size. You simply chose the Akurum you need. The components (called Rationell) and doors are secondary.
If it sounds like I know what I am talking about…Yes, I did it. Almost 7 years ago we moved to Ohio for 8 months. My husband, his best friend and I remodeled a Kitchen in a 60 year old house. By using Ikea and installing the cabinetry ourselves, we saved 15K. As some readers know, my sister lives there now.
Currently, I have two Ikea Kitchens in process. I consulted with a couple last Saturday who are trying to decide which cabinets to use. Mike and Suzanne are young and modern, and a contemporary styling suits them. We discussed at length whether they should choose a door style more transitional, like Adel, to appeal to more people. I hope I convinced them to use Nexus, their first choice. They have the perfect midcentury home and Nexus will be wonderful there.
Betsy has been my friend for as long as I can remember. She lives in Charlottesville in an 85 year old house. Her choice, Stat, is more suited to her style of home. I am so proud of her choices. (Do you think being friends with me for 35 years has anything to do with it? …I didn’t think so.) She chose green penny round tiles for the floor and butcher block counters and a milk chocolate wall paint. It’s going to be perfect!
I hope Betsy doesn’t mind. I stole the photo from her Facebook page. She tagged me on it! Maybe we can get more photos as the process continues…hint hint.
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IKEA kitchens rule! Their kitchen design software was a huge help, free to download and very easy to use. I was able to purchase 10 wall and base cabinets, solid wood countertops, a farmhouse-type sink (DOMSJÖ) and a dishwasher (RENLIG) all for less than $2,000. In addition, I’m using a long piece of the same IKEA (PRONOMEN-beech) countertop as the new breakfast bar. BTW, the house – built in 1915 – is actually 94 years old! We’re talking horse hair mixed in with the plaster and roughly-hewn, VERY solid beams with some tree bark still left on them! Check back with my fb page often, Denise, and steal all the photos you want. Well…KITCHEN photos, that is. Not the ones from when we were teenagers
Horse Hair? WOW!
Thanks for commenting, Betsy and for not being mad that I posted about you!! Your Kitchen is going to rock. And trust me. There will be no high school pictures here!
We are just about to take the plunge with Ikea cabinetry and flooring. I like the Akurum Yellow-Brown cabs. Also we’ll be using them for all the bathroom vanities and the laminate flooring. So far all their prices are totally unbeatable. The design tool for the computer is pretty cool. We’ll probably be going to get all that stuff in a few weeks. I’m really excited. It was noice to see such a positive article about the cabinets, I feel better now! Thnak you! Bonnie
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