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IKEA kitchen planner questions

8 years ago

For those of you who can actually get this to work....

1) How do I set it up for a room that does not quite fit any of the preset room shapes? I tried adding "obstacles" for the additional walls but they don't work well and also block my vision when I am trying to see the kitchen.

2) It keeps giving me warnings that cabinets are overlapping each other, that there is not enough room around the range, etc., even though it auto-placed the items itself (that is, the item snapped to the position next to the wall or other item). I am not getting any feedback from it about exactly where to place the items. I just move them over and over by trial and error until it stops giving me the error. I must be doing something wrong? It can't be normal for it to consistently auto-place items in locations that give errors?

Finally this is not a question but.... The lag is terrible to the point where it is almost impossible to use it at all, and generally I just hate it. I am using a newish Macbook and I have tried it in both Safari and Chrome and it is horribly laggy and glitchy in both. :-(

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Comments (5)

fabulatrice
Original Author
8 years ago
Also how do I get it to accept placement of cabinets perpendicular to others in their row? Here is a picture showing what I mean (the arrows indicate direction for the drawers / doors to open).
just_janni
8 years ago
I really don't know - I tend to simply swear at it. Sometimes it appears to work, sometimes, not so much. It REALLY dislikes the 90 degree change when you want the back of a cab next to the side of another - it does that blasted autorotating crapola - and then - the swearing starts. You can TRY to make a very small obstacle that is right next to the 30" drawers and then it will back up to that - but that's cumbersome too.
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Well, you are all so helpful. Pippabean, I went into your link and had no problem moving the cabinets. Then I went into my design, and suddenly it is working! Benjesbride, I want a desk with a work surface. I just need room for one person at this desk. I have modified my design, and here it is. Now I see a concern: is the height of the base Sektion cabinets at all appropriate for a desk? I don't see how to check the height of the work surface inside the planner. I spoke with a local experienced Ikea installer, and he didn't mention that there would be any problem making these base cabinets into a desk--I hope he didn't misunderstand my intentions. 1. One issue is that the lateral/right side of the cabinetry will be partially visible through that opening in the wall opposite the window. That opening is how the builder left this room open to the living room. and there are 2 steps up into this room. How is that going to look to be able to see part of the side of the cabinets-and is there a design solution, (like perhaps wall off this area)? 2. Does this thing I designed appear attractive? Perhaps it needs fewer base cabinets...? 3. Does it seem strange that it doesn't go to the ceiling? What would you do--take the cabinets up higher? Build a soffit? Attach nice crown molding? Thanks for any input! Sender of this message wants to show you a design he or she made with the IKEA Home Planner. Note! The link is only valid for 5 days. Open the design
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Kim Ladin
8 years ago
I found Ikea's online planner so dysfunctional that I just gave up on it. Instead I spent $100 on Home Designer Interiors. It doesn't specifically have Ikea cabinets, but I've been careful to only use sizes that Ikea lists on its website.
lindsaymarie79
8 years ago
It is frustrating to use, for sure. You frequently have to wait a long time for the green box to form around the cabinet, indicating you can do the "next thing." I found that sometimes, when it felt like it was taking too long, if I pushed ctrl/alt/del and started the task manager and then closed it without doing anything, it sort of helped with some of the longer glitches. But I don't know how that would translate to a Mac.

For the harder shaped parts of a room, I would just use my measurements and put the cabinets in the correct spot and configuration, making the room size the closest I could in rectangle shape. If you have a cabinet selected, you can see how far you are from each wall. Just know that if you are essentially floating a cabinet, it will fight with you over it, so you have to hold it exactly where you want it a little longer until it quits arguing and trying to put it where it thinks it should be.

Also, if you have the cabinet selected, move it to the center of the room, then click the rotate button. There will be light colored arrows around the cabinet and if you hover around those, your cursor will turn round and then you can rotate a cabinet to face the direction you want it and move it that way.
rebunky
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Oh yes, major frustrating. I used it a few times and got fed up. But I did manage to make a couch, chair, half wall peninsula, and interior walls using "obstacle".

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