You may be surprised .... but over 1/2 of my kitchen remodeling customers specifically say to me "just don't make my kitchen look like an IKEA kitchen"!!!
Well... they say that "the customer is always right". But in this case, I tend to disagree. While the low cost of IKEA cabinets and their material make some folks uneasy about purchasing an IKEA kitchen, as a professional furniture maker, I can attest that you should not be so concerned.
Renovating your kitchen using IKEA cabinets is a smart and inexpensive way to update your home. IKEA kitchen cabinets have a nice clean look, offer style variety and can certainly be used to create a custom look on a budget.
One idea that I always bring up to my customers: ADD CUSTOM DOORS! This will greatly improve the overall appearance of your kitchen giving it that designer look that you saw in a magazine. And it will not cost you as much as a custom-made kitchen.
Trust me, IKEA kitchens aren't so bad after all. You can use the cash you saved to splurge on a high-end backsplash, good quality countertop or a fancy sink and hardware.
The only thing I need to warn you about is IKEA kitchen assembly and installation. Even handy homeowners soon discover that assembling and installing IKEA kitchen cabinets is not an ordinary task. That's why many kitchen designers and kitchen cabinet contractors recommend using a pro to assemble and install your IKEA kitchen from the start of the project.
NBC News BETTER makes a following recommendation to their readers:
YOU'D BETTER BE HANDY — OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS
“It’s not like building an IKEA Billy bookcase,” Wilber says. “There are many steps to consider when installing a kitchen. Even assembling the cabinets should not be taken lightly. If just one of them isn’t assembled correctly and is not 'square' it could cause a gap that will only be exaggerated as the other cabinets get installed along the run. Also, not all walls are flat or plumb. This could lead to a bad installation if you don’t know how to take the steps to shim or level correctly.”
I couldn't agree more. Save yourself some trouble and hire a pro kitchen installer for your IKEA kitchen project.