Had money for custom but I still chose Ikea, never one regret. The massive savings allowed for many other custom features, appliance panels, new windows, as well as high end appliances and granite. I love it, and that matters most to me, and everyone else who's seen it mentioned how expensive it looks. I chose one of their solid wood doors with MDF center panel (most stable design). The Ikea drawer glides, soft close, hinges, and cab boxes were top grade when I bought from them, installation fast and easy. Oh, they also have a 25 year guarantee, reviews of which are solid. Best of luck to you in your choices.

I am not really the right person to respond to this question, as we are on a thin budget. However, now that I am far down the road with planning, I can say that if I had, say, 10k more to spend on any part of the project, before dropping the funds into cabinetry, I would instead do additional things that would permantly improve the features or layout of the house itself. Only after I was no longer making compromises on questions like this would I start upgrading cabinets.

Perhaps I would not write this if I had large, gorgeous rooms already and didnt have so many ideas for meddling with features in my 120ish year old house. In my case, anything not spent on project 1 is free money and interest on project 2. Then again, large budget renovations often make the same tradeoffs.

When my cabinets quotes came in at $45k-$66k, I joked that I may have to use IKEA and it would be a very expensive IKEA kitchen. The $66k was for custom white laminate veneer particleboard cabinets identical to IKEA.

The $45K was for mid level cabs combo Decora and Ultracraft.

I started with a budget of $30k and overage of $20k for any unexpected stuff. Well, after sticker shock and unexpected costs caused by local regulation, I've already spent $60k on things inside the walls and floor within the first 2 months.

I personally find it objectionable and crazy to spend that much money on cabinets. I was able to find a true custom cabinet company that would give me a wholesale price of $20k.

I would have gone with them but wanted the conversion varnish finish which can only be obtained from out of state.

One year later, my joke has come true.

In the end, I used mostly IKEA cabs and getting custom RTA doors and cabs for the range wall as the depths and height I wanted would require custom.

I'm just finalizing the custom order so won't see whether it works out for 2 months.

I refused to spend more than $20k on the cabs and custom hood as that was my best quote.

I made trade offs like spending the $5k for the custom 60" wood hood last week on appliances that I wanted and didn't think I could buy for 5 more years.

My neighbor spent $35k alone on a custom bookshelf but got GE appliances. There's nothing wrong with it. We just have different priorities. She wanted expensive looking cabs and I wanted appliances with specific features that will be used 14 hrs a day.

For my $5k, I got two brand new Blue Star French door ovens, a 24" wine captain and a 56" stainless steel custom handmade hood from Denmark. I checked prices everywhere and the best that I could get online and on sale for all those items would be $22K. Just the liner in the hood is $4500 before tax and shipping.

It was a no brainier for me. I got the function and look I wanted for a fraction of the cost. I put the savings elsewhere, like my Kohler Stages 45 and Karbon. It just doesn't make sense to pay so much more. I did my kitchen 1 1/2 years ago and it still looks brand new. I did two rental properties 3 years ago and they still look new. I also liked the fact that I could customize whatever I wanted once I understood the system. I ordered extra drawers, glides, and parts to enhance the storage. I'm getting ready to do another in a new investment property. I am very happy with my IKEA cabs. I wouldn't be on kitchen number 4 if I wasn't!

Someone posted this link a few days ago, about why architects and designers love Ikea cabinets in million-dollar houses.

Blog, why designers love Ikea

Sushipup1, I read that article when it was first posted, so was curious how many GWers who have the means to spend big on cabinetry, instead chose Ikea. Hope others will continue to post and maybe even share photos.

When you respond, could you say what door/front type you chose?

Good idea nosoccermom. My rentals have Akurum Adel Birch and my home has Akurum Lindigo White and Ramsjo Brown/Black.

My entire kitchen was 10k or so, including appliances. Certainly not high-end. This includes no labor. My doors are adel birch, which I put three additional varnish coats on.

Akurum Adel White looked just as good when we sold as it did when we installed it seven years prior. The finish on those was durable and super easy to keep clean. I believe the Sektion equivalent is Grimslov?

Any feedback on durabliity of the thermofoil (Adel white/Grimslov) vs the painted (Lindingo/Bodbyn)? Also, for rental wood > white?

bbtrix, how's the Ramsjo holding up compared to the Lindigo?

I'd be interested in learning the same as nosoccermom since I'm currently planning for a rental kitchen re-do.

Nosoccermom, they are both holding up equally well but the Lindingo is easier to clean. The dark wood shows dust and my pooches slobber, where you can't see it on the Lindigo. Neither have any wear or tear.

I installed Ikea Adel Birch five years ago after a slab leak destroyed my custom cabinets and concrete counter. I LOVE the functionality and price. I will definitely use IKEA again although I may use different doors.

Thank you to all who have responded, thus far.

When making your decision to go with Ikea, was it your first choice? Why or why not?

Ikea is our first choice, we start demo Monday - yes we "could" afford to spend more, but why would we? The appearance and functionality of the Ikea cabinets is excellent and the price is much better. The hardware is great quality and I love the organization systems.

I was going to go with Barker. At the time I was ready to order, the wait time was ridiculous and there was a thread here of a person having problems with Barker. The problems they had made me reconsider.

We put Akurum in our previous house. I enjoyed assembling and my husband was good at installation. We were pleased with Ikea with one exception: some delamination on the edge of a box (not a door/front) due to some moisture. It turned me off on Ikea for a little while, but in retrospect the delamination was totally my fault, not Ikea. I loved the Adel white and the soft-close drawers and all the base cabinets full of drawers.

I priced out Ikea Veddinge and it was around 1/3 the cost of Barker's slabs painted pure white. And we could pick them up whenever we wanted. Sold. We were at the end of a whole house remodel and I was (and still am) so stinking tired of spending money on this house. And ultimately--as Ichabod wisely commented--they're just boxes to hold your stuff and Ikea does a good job of it.

While we had the means to go higher end with our cabinets, I just wanted more for my money.

My Ikea kitchen is 3yrs old this month, and is holding up well.

If I didn't go with Ikea Akurum Ramsjo white uppers/ Brown/Black bottoms, I would have to forgo:

- radiant heating in 2 rooms

- very large Ikea "hutch" (a bunch of "built-ins" in the familyroom)

- a large Ikea mudroom built-ins

--

I got tons of bells/whistles that would be big up-charges from other cabinet makers:

- my beloved double-decker appliance garage

- my drawer under the induction cooktop

- 2 wicked cheap panel-ready DWs, with stainless steel tubs (part of the 20% off)

- even my plain Jane drawer handles

--

If/when we renovate another kitchen, I would happily use Ikea again. You get SO much more for your money!

Amanda

Anyone here use a contractor for your remodel and Ikea installation in the San Francisco Bay Area? (east bay actually). I put an Ikea kitchen in my last home and loved it, and have now bought a smaller, older condo that needs a remodel. I'm having a hard time finding a contractor to work with Ikea.

sushipup1, thanks so much for providing the link to Carol Reed's very informative article on why designers like IKEA so much! The photos of her multi-million dollar homes with IKEA cabinetry are stunning!

I'm kind of butting in on a conversation I wasn't invited to, because I cannot afford more costly cabinets, let alone custom. But honestly, if I had more money, I'm pretty sure I'd still go with IKEA, and Carol's blog post reinforced that idea. (I really liked her tips at the end of how to make your kitchen not look like an IKEA showroom!)

My entire kitchen budget (NOT cabinet budget, everything!) is $20,000. People said it couldn't be done, so naturally I'm out to prove that yes it can! ;-) Ichabod Crane, you've got me beat at $10,000, but unfortunately I have to hire people for installation, due to my arthritis. My budget also includes a table and chairs because it's an eat-in kitchen. At first, I wasn't even planning on new cabinets at all. The current cabinets, though a perfectly hideous sort of turquoise color, are actually in pretty decent shape, and so I was just planning to paint them. They are not set up ideally for me, but you have to work with the budget you have, right? Then I started reading about IKEA.

I think their new SEKTION line is amazing! SO many choices! OK, I'm about to reveal myself as a Star Trek nerd, LOL, but it reminded me of the Vulcan principle of IDIC: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. Haha, but it's true! Once you figure out the system, as someone else mentioned above, you can do anything! Their 3D design tool online is pretty cool, too.

And how great is it that our fellow commenters have been able to do so many wonderful things with the savings they had from going with IKEA! Beachem, I think it's so amazing that you can get those specialty things with your ovens and hood, and that you are so great at sourcing materials! It sounds like you will have something you really love and really need because you went with IKEA and also shopped around until you found what you need at an affordable price. And great idea, bbtrix, of putting them in your rentals!

Because I have a disability, I need my kitchen to be functional and universally accessible, but I want it to be beautiful too. And now I can! I'm going mostly with the SEKTION Bodbyn (gray) cabinets. All my bases will be drawers, not cabinets. And IKEA has the best line of drawer organizers I have seen yet. You can organize anything with their selection.

So bottom line is even if I had unlimited financial resources, I don't see why I would go with anything other than IKEA for looks, durability, and the way you can configure the parts any way you like; your imagination is the only limit.

I renovated my kitchen a year ago and went with IKEA cabinets. I looked at several cabinet companies before committing to purchase IKEA. There were several factors that made me decide on going with IKEA other than just price. Some of them were I liked the fact that I had the flexibility to easily change out the fronts of the cabinets down the road if I choose to, and should a cabinet front get damaged it was a trip to IKEA to purchase a replacement but what really made the decision for me was standing in the kitchen showroom of IKEA on a busy Saturday and watching all the abuse the cabinets in the showroom took from people trying them out, kids playing around / on them, etc. The cabinets still looked good after all this. I'm very pleased with my IKEA cabinets and anyone who has been in my kitchen thinks I spent money on a Snaidero kitchen and don't believe me when I tell them the cabinets are IKEA.

I guess one of my "issues" is that I've been brainwashed to think that when you open a cabinet drawer/door, it should look and feel like furniture. While my head says Ikea cabs are the smart way to go, my heart is worried that I will feel let down each time I open and close them. Help convince me. I'm getting there...

In my 2 + year research prior to renovating my kitchen I looked at 5 different high end cabinet companies and was extremely disappointed with the fit and finish each had. If you are looking for cabinets that have dove tail joinery, etc and superior craftsmanship you are more than likely going to have to hire someone like a Norm Abram (This Old House) to custom create and make your cabinetry.

If you do decide to go ahead with the IKEA I suggest the soft closure system for the drawers and cabinets. All of hardware systems on my cabinetry from IKEA was manufactured by BLUM, The savings on my IKEA cabinetry allowed me to really splurge on my counter tops and flooring. I also did a lot of customization with things which IKEA easily allows for. As I mentioned earlier when I tell people my cabinets are IKEA they don't believe. There is nothing in any of my cabinetry that is visible that is stamped IKEA.

I should mention - I'm not sure where you are located but in Canada IKEA has recently changed their cabinetry carcasses not sure if this is also true in the US.

murchkid

I guess one of my "issues" is that I've been brainwashed to think that when you open a cabinet drawer/door, it should look and feel like furniture. While my head says Ikea cabs are the smart way to go, my heart is worried that I will feel let down each time I open and close them. Help convince me. I'm getting there...

Ikea IS furniture. Just not stupidly overpriced furniture. Let's face it, kitchen cabinets are nothing more than overpriced wood boxes to hold dishes. Nothing

Well, if it helps get over the interiors: everytime I open my dish drawer which holds about 300 pounds with no sagging, etc. I feel like I got a quality product. Wood drawers with nice dovetails are prettier, but not workhorses.

And I'll add, very functional furniture. I am still ecstatic with how organized and easy to use they are. They are lightweight and easy to clean. I have a solid cherry buffet and china cabinet that is 50+ years old. It has a musty smell I cannot get rid of and the doors stick. It's beautiful furniture but not functional like my IKEA.

I really do not want to try to talk you into IKEA. You either recognize its value and aesthetic or you don't. There are so many things that go into this decision and you really need to go with your gut as we all have different tastes and priorities. I have seen so many beautiful custom kitchens here that I absolutely love, but would I invest my money in such a kitchen in my current house? No. If I were building a new home I would have to think long and hard about it. Would I rather have that money go toward other high end finishes, or a new vehicle, boat, vacation?

Since your heart is having a difficult time with this, you may not be happy with a smart solution.

FWIW our 1980s kitchen we just ripped out had dovetailed wood drawers. They were awful, the hardware was super cheap and probably never worked well when it was new let alone 35 years later. My kitchen had a total of 6 drawers in it, and a ton of useless, wasted cabinet space. I am so looking forward to smooth gliding drawers everywhere and organized well designed cabinets.

Back when I had a TV, I used to watch "New Yankee Workshop" every week with Norm. He made it look so easy, lol! I'd think, "I bet I could make that. Hmmm, first I'll need to go buy $20,000 worth of woodworking tools..." The article sushipup1 posted was very revealing. It confirmed that basically, as Ichabod Crane so eloquently put it, that cabinets are boxes to stick your stuff in. And all boxes are basically the same. Even the highest end stuff uses particle board boxes, so basically it's the shelves and doors you're paying for. As Ichabod Crane and other commenters pointed out, the shelves are good. They hold stuff without sagging. They have one job, and they do it well. The doors are attractive, and according to that article and several others I have read, they use superior hardware, meaning superior to the hardware used by some high end places. Also, as pointed out, if you get tired of the doors, you can easily swap them out. And as bbtrix said, they are made to be organizational helpers. Their selection of drawer organizers is fabulous. For me, besides price, which was my main criterion, the greatest factor is how they can be built any way you want them...I think it was this article that likened them to Legos that you can put together any way you like. All drawers in the bases? no problem! A slide-out under your sink for the trash can? Done! Want an island? Build it however you want! No one can do what IKEA does for so little money. But, as bbtrix said so well, it's a personal decision. If you would be disappointed every time you walked into your kitchen, don't get them. If it's within your budget, get what makes your heart sing! It's YOUR kitchen, and only YOU know what will truly make you happy. I wish you all the best as you go forward with your kitchen and I know it will turn out beautifully! :-)

The most used items in most kitchens are usually the sink(s), fridge(s), stove(s), and prep counters. (YMMV) Unless your budget is larger than most, you may make trade-offs in what you budget for cabinets, appliances, flooring, countertops, lighting, windows, backsplash, and other features important to you. You will also see those items every day when you walk into your kitchen, but you may not have been "brainwashed", (to use your own term from above,) to see those as a disappointment if you compromise. Like bbtrix, I don't want to talk you into Ikea, either, just letting you know that, for me, the choice to go with Ikea meant lots more money for other important features, and I continue to enjoy the other high end, high use, stuff that using Ikea cabinets made possible for me

It does take more of your own time and effort to plan a good layout since many KDs (who often make much of their fee on your cabinet purchase!) will turn their nose up at Ikea. Two KDs did that with me, trying to "brainwash" me too about the need for the expensive cabinets that they sold.

It is a personal decision about your own home, and I wish you all the best sorting out what works for you!

We probably fall in this camp. We chose Ikea for a few reasons:

(1) Like many of the posters we could have "afforded" nicer/custom cabinets, but we chose to allocate our budget differently. It was very important for us to have a high end range (36" Blue Star"), a certain size fridge (Fisher & Paykel, more $$), a Kohler Indio/Karbon, and natural stone countertops. If we had done more expensive cabinets, we would have had to forgo some or all of these.

(2) I really wanted a horizontal grain walnut cabinet. The only other options there were VERY expensive -- I couldn't find a mid-price cabinet company offering this kind of contemporary look. The combination of Semi-Handmade/Ikea got us a very high end look at a more reasonable.

(3) I liked the flexibility of Ikea. Because we were demo'ing, there were some measurements that ultimately were different than what we anticipated. I liked that we could change out the boxes, shelves, drawers, and inserts as we went and return what we didn't use. For example, we decided to do open shelves instead of uppers. We were able to just return the unused boxes, shelves, etc.

(4) There is ongoing flexibility as well. If we want to add pull-outs or swap out fittings, we can.

(5) We got a lot more for our money in terms of pull-outs, interior fittings, drawer organizers, etc. than we would have elsewhere. I found that even if the boxes/doors were comparably prices, that once the fittings were added, other cabinet companies became drastically more expensive.

(6) I liked the ownership/DIY part of Ikea. Ultimately, it was my design and I liked having ownership over the process.

Unless we win the Powerball and could afford something like HenryBuilt, Ikea/SemiHandmade would be my first choice again.

Like many others I question the value in really expensive kitchen cabinets. I first encountered Ikea cabinets in Europe and fell in love with them. When we were remodeling our current kitchen we didn't even consider any other brand.

To me, the most spectacular thing about Ikea cabinets is some amazingly simple yet incredibly effective engineering. Most wood products don't love water, and water has an amazing capacity to get to the floor. Ikea simply put their cabinets on legs. I can't understand why anyone uses built in toekicks, when putting them on legs makes half the moisture problems go away.

I am in the process of building a home and one builder came back with a $50,000 estimate for kitchen cabinets. He spent probably 30 minute talking up the quality of the custom cabinet shop he uses, how sturdy the cabinets were, etc. When he was finished I asked him how much he thought the guy would charge to build one very sturdy glass front cabinet with a lock on it. The builder asked why, so I told him I need one of those good strong cabinets to hold the $40,000 I am going to save.

My IKEA kitchen is over five years old now, and still going strong! The cabinets look like the day they were installed, and they are SO easy to clean. I also lovelovelove the hardware-- the soft close doors and drawer slides are a pleasure.

My entire kitchen came in at under $10K, primarily because I was able to use IKEA cabinets, and like many others, put my money other places-- blingy hardware, a fireplace, a high powered hood, etc.

Here is the link to my finished kitchen, from lo those many years ago:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2678448/finished-kitchen-circa-1840-working-farmhouse-ikea-budget-reno

Brickman House! Yours was one of my inspiration kitchens and your experience directly led me to realize the possibilities! I also chose Lindigo and I feel the same as you. Can't believe it's been five years since your reveal. Welcome back!

The comments that everyone have added are spot on. The engineering, the flexibility to customize, and the pride of designing and building your kitchen is value added.

Brickman House, It is so wonderful to see you here because I, too, have wanted to thank you for the very strong inspiration that your Ikea kitchen gave me! When I realized all you had done, I jumped in and did Ikea, too. Thank you so much for your generosity posting your gorgeous photos, and describing so well what you'd done to get that fabulous design! (Apologies to the OP for the brief detour.)