Lisa, funny you asked about the configuration of the pantry because I am actually unsure about how I want several of the drawer stacks to be set up! I originally thought I would do 5-10-15 for all of them but laid awake just last night thinking that there was probably a better configuration for several of them. I'm now actually leaning toward 5-5-10-10 in a couple of places. And I left the pantry with the 15-15 bottom drawers and then 2 internal drawers as the planner showed. I'm thinking it will be mostly for renters use, so I have no idea if that will work well or if there is a better way! Since we have the owners closet/pantry, that is where we will store most of our food. There will be open shelves to the left of the range also which could be good for renters to store food. Finally, I was thinking that both the 21" upper cabinet on the left end of the window wall and the 30" drawer stack below it could be for food like cereal, snacks, etc. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts about the best storage options! If I order before the sale ends, I was planning to order only the frames for several cabinets that I am unsure of. Then I can use the gift card later to add the drawers and fronts for those units. A few other things I want to mention and get everyone's thoughts - first, the cabinet I have for the prep sink is a smidgen too small for the sink I want and will require the front edges of the frame to be notched to allow for the sink lip. We did this in our regular kitchen (also frameless cabinets) to squeeze in a small second sink and it was no big deal. Its either that or give up 3" of passageway space leading into the kitchen. WWYD? Also, I'm surprised no one commented on the wide "filler" pieces at the ends of the uppers on window wall. I really want DH to build me some of those cubby cabinets to go there - one for wine glasses, and one for coffee mugs. Ikea has them but they are a bit too wide and they don't look very well made to me. The other option would be to move the glass cabinets away from the window frame to eliminate some of the filler space. Thoughts? Thanks!

Those of you who did this, can you tell me about the process? I thought the first step (after deciding you want to use Ikea) would be to have the planner come to your house to do the planning, and then you would go to the store to actually try things out and order. However, after reaching out to Ikea online (I could not find a phone number for kitchens), they said I have to go to the store to schedule the appointment. That's annoying, but it's only a half hour drive, so it's doable. Here's my question: do I just go there, schedule the appointment, and leave (and then go back after the in-home session)? Or is this the Ikea visit that I have heard people mention on here where you go early and plan to stay for hours? I assumed that would only happen if you are not paying them to come to your house, but maybe not, and I'd like to know how much time to allow for this trip to *schedule* the home visit. TIA!

I would stick with a stainless sink i never like white sinks they are always dirty and stainless is so easy to care for. As for faucets check out Ikea I have used them many times for faucets the ones I have now are 10+ yrs old no problems

I'm a DIYer and am all for customizing Ikea as long as it doesn't end up costing more. The ease of installation of the drawer system is one of the draws. Replacing the interior and fittings would drive the cost up tremendously especially since most want all drawer kitchens. If I were concerned with lost interior space in drawers I'd definitely price out a custom kitchen and compare costs to the Ikea kitchen with drawer modifications. Both trash/recycle hacks I posted above I did with all Ikea parts. I did not have to purchase an additional insert system. An island can be configured to many different depths without cutting down cabinets. Add a 9", 12", 15", etc to the sides of the 24" with the large panels on the long end and you can attain many different depths (33", 36", 39"... -not including counter overhang). Yes, if a person must have exactly 36" and back to back, you'd have to customize. All depends on how much you want to spend. I use the rail system for mounting, except for islands and special circumstances. The feet aren't for support but do make fine tuning the leveling quite easy. Also, the toekick snaps onto the feet. Sometime I use Ikea toekick, other times I use base moulding or a combination. The bottom line is to be careful with your labor and material quotes for the custom work if you aren't doing it yourself as it can drive the price of an Ikea kitchen up tremendously. With careful planning you'll be able to have the kitchen you want without too many expensive changes since you're trying to save money. The easy hacks I've done and see called for frequently that aren't widely known are the trash/recycle pullouts, pulling the fridge cab forward and using a larger side panel for full depth fridges, alternate ideas for microwave spaces, installing a non-Ikea farm sink, adding drawers to pullouts and pantries beyond their suggested configs, and using kitchen cabs in other spaces. Buehl's FAQ thread is a compilation of these and many others.