We're assembled but not yet installed. We bought veddinge. I would not recommend the ringhult for your style. The veddinge finish looks and feels very easy to clean. We have 2 small kiddos, so that was a concern for me as well.

if you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them.

One of the cool things about Ikea is that you can buy a new door/drawer front if one gets seriously damaged. Of course, that only works if they still have your style in their catalogue. If you have an idea which doors might be most likely to get seriously dinged up...maybe certain locations that are higher use or higher traffic areas...you could always buy extra fronts for that area and store them until you need them. Most of the styles and sizes are small enough where this wouldn't be a large expense. Or you can even easily change the look down the line by changing them all out for a new style. I agree that Ringhult isn't right for your style.

Ringhult's also the most expensive door. I think. It would have doubled the cost of our whole cabinetry purchase. ($5000ish instead of $2700ish)

I believe Veddinge in Sektion is equivalent to Applad in Akrurum. If you google "painted Ikea applad", you might get some answers to that.

In Europe they have a nice color in Veddinge that looks like a soft blue gray. I would love to have it! Not available in the US. I'm hopeful they will add new Veddinge door colors in the coming years.

I'll share a pic of the Veddinge gray. Sniff. Sniff.

I haven't bought any doors from this place, but it looks like they offer RTF doors in various finishes including "Fashion Grey". Of course, one would need to provide them the precise Ikea door dimensions.

http://www.cabinethub.com/plank-with-radius-corners-cabinet-doors-thermofoil

Argh, it's torture to see the cool doors Europe enjoys, but the US doesn't have access to. There's a light wood door I really like.

Depending the location of the pantry, it's much cheaper to do a build-in pantry and you can often get better storage. There are tons of great photos to inspire you. I'll share a couple of my favorites.

Jett Forest Estates Renovation · More Info

Custom pantry · More Info

You might have seen these IKEA kitchens already, but they stand out to me in terms of examples posted on GardenWeb.

1 - This one uses the shiny, smooth modern finish. My partner is VERY drawn to this style, as it is so cleanable. I'm not sure if they scratch easily over time but they do seem like a breeze to keep fresh and clean. As you can see, other choices made can keep this from looking stark.

Beverly's IKEA kitchen

Here's one shot of it -

The other one that comes to mind is Brickman's farmhouse kitchen

Brickman Farmhouse IKEA

Here's one shot of that, just to give you some eye candy:

Love your kitchen, dukegirl. The cabinet choices are quite nice but I'm especially in love with your cheery orange counter and super-fun backsplash!