Ikea Kitchen Planner

Mar 31

The kitchen planning project has had (and will continue to have) several stages, of which we are just in the early phases. I have a feeling this renovation will become The "massive project we will always remember, but be so happy it's done."

First, is the dreamy stage, and mass accumulation of Pinteresting ideas and Houzz-worthy photos, saving brochures (the Miele and LBL ones are just so pretty to look at), and tearing, saving, and posting beautiful kitchen remodels articles from the likes of Dwell, AD, Interior Design (Eichler cover feature!) and Atomic Ranch.

Next phase included feeling overwhelmed by all the aforementioned pretty photos, ideas, and possibilities. How big should the island be? What if it is too big? What type of floor? We know nothing about appliances! Wood or white cabinets?

And then realization steps in: How much is this going to cost?!

So this past weekend, we decided to bite the bullet and make the trip to Ikea to really get the planning underway. Big win; we decided to go on a Friday night after work when Ikea was relatively empty and the Kitchen planning Sales people were just sitting around chatting. This trip was just to get confirmation of what cabinets we wanted to go with and how the sizing works. We survived the trip (with two kids in tow - we should have fed them first not last, but I was so ready to get to the kitchens that I made the poor choice to feed later). We will soon go back to make the final purchases and take advantage of their big Kitchen Sale. Next time, I'll stick with Friday night, sans kiddos.

So with the help of our lovely architect BFF Gabs, we spent the following night sketching out where each cabinet would go, defining the work spaces, measuring out and marking with painters tape all the major elements (stove goes here, sink goes there) and detailing out dimensions and cabinet purchasing list with Ikea's [great, but quirky/buggy] Kitchen Planner Tool.

So here's a rough idea of the new design:

And inspired by the famous Faith's Kitchen Remodel on the Kitchn (which I consider a bookmark/must-read for any kitchen renovation, detailing the entire process, including pricing) we are inspired to see what some custom doors from Semihandmadedoors will cost us. I am utterly wowed by their beautifully crafted wood veneer doors, designed specifically for Ikea cabinetry.

Here's how Faith's beautiful kitchen turned out: