We used Ikea design (free) and installation services (fee) in 2019, and had a very good experience. I'd do it again.

DO you mean Inspired Kitchen Design (IKD) or Ikea design services? I did the free appointment (online) with Ikea, and then also paid for an IKD design, and I am going with IKD's version. It might have been overkill for my kitchen - there's really not much to do in the space - but I appreciate the renderings and the list of extra items that IKD provided. My contractor will be installing in the spring.

I'd also add that for someone who isn't into design and hasn't watched ten thousand youtube videos on kitchen design, and hasn't lived in their kitchen for 20 years to know exactly what DOESN'T work the design services would be very helpful. I went into it with a lot of ideas of my own, and actually did not share them with the designers because I didn't want to taint the process - I really wanted a fresh eyes look at my space - and they all basically came up with what I had already decided on. IKD did convince me to do a real pantry with pull outs instead of a narrower broom closet, and helped me hack a shallow depth floor to ceiling storage hutch that will hide our arts and crafts and office supplies like printer, laminator, etc ( our dining area is also our art space is also my home office is also my sewing studio - it pulls a lot of weight!) and that was nice. They also helped me hack an under counter microwave cubby. They are very generous in filler spaces near the walls which in looking at many pantries in ikea and in friends homes and in other showrooms seems like overkill (when I am looking for every possible inch on counters) so the plan shows a 3" filler to the wall but we will dry fit and scope it out on install if we actually really need THAT much space and then just build it out with whatever we need, and our order list has the supplies on hand. I think Ikea designer did a 1.5-2" filler on that wall.

We are doing a gut reno, and a pro of IKEA is the ability to return unused materials, so there are a few decisions that might be made at install time, and I will just make the trip at the end to return what I don't need and pick up any accessories or organizing pieces then.

Thanks for sharing. I’m in the process of using IKD abs so far love what they’ve come with so far using my ideas and also what they know will be most efficient for our small condo kitchen.

We used IKD for our Ikea kitchen design, but the only 2 local installers were not responsive. We are having a friend install for us. We are about 2 1/2 weeks into the project and so far so good. He isn't familiar with ikea kitchens though, so I help fill in the gaps since I'm very familiar after researching and helping to design my kitchen. It was definitely worth the fee to IKD for peace of mind that everything was accounted for and we had the right supplies. There is also a lot of info on YouTube if you need extra help or explanations. Up to Kode is a really good resource as he professionally installs ikea kitchens.

We are using IKD's design and the lists were really helpful for placing an online order. I am 4 hours from the nearest ikea, and making sure we got it all in one order was essential. Currently, one corner of our LR looks like an IKEA warehouse - we ordered early in case of delays or shortages - it took about 3 weeks to get everything in-house but the biggest issue there was the freight company forgetting a pallet. I definitely spent more time getting that sorted than I did ordering! We are building the cabinets ourselves, but having our builder install them as we are doing a full gut reno. He has done lots of traditional kitchens, but not many (maybe none) ikea cabinets. We have used him for a gut reno of our bathroom and deck addition and a few other projects and really trust him, but when I send my details email I will probably include this youtube link that is a really quick overview of the cleat system, I mostly just want to not void the warranty with installation and also maybe make the install easier on him! Another good resource, in addition to Up to Kode, is the Home Renovision DIY guy, another down to earth canadian that seems to 'speak builder' (I wish he had a 5 minute video like DIY dudes just did because I think it would be valuable for folks like my contractor!