Ikea Kitchen Systems

...I'm glad that I had IKEA to help me with this. So I thought you might want to share my experiences with IKEA Kitchen Systems.

First of all, you'll find IKEA Kitchen Systems either at your IKEA store or in their catalogue or via the IKEA web page (www.ikea.co.uk and choose the closest branch to your home). What I first did was to go through their catalogue and pick out a style that I liked (Kalsebo in beech), checked to see what units ...
...the kitchen planners at my IKEA shop.

Designing your Kitchen:
What I found at my local shop was that the designers had much the same type of computer tool that you can download from the internet, but that theirs was much more powerful since it could take some very unusual kitchen shapes which I couldn't get to work with the program I downloaded. The whole work on the designing of the kitchen took a bit over an hour to do - including ... more

My home renovation is finished, and the last thing that was done was the kitchen. Of course, that's really one of the hardest parts of a major renovation, and I'm glad that I had IKEA to help me with this. So I thought you might want to share my experiences with IKEA Kitchen Systems.

First of all, you'll find IKEA Kitchen Systems either at your IKEA store or in their catalogue or via the IKEA web page (www.ikea.co.uk and choose the closest branch to your home). What I first did was to go through their catalogue and pick out a style that I liked (Kalsebo in beech), checked to see what units were available in that style and then mapped out my kitchen area. Since I was working with an area that previously wasn't a kitchen, I had to be careful with my contractor to make sure that all the installations were in the correct place - and my area was far from any standard in shape or size. That's when I realized that IKEA's 'kitchen tool' (see link below) wasn't quite good enough for me and that I needed some professional help. So, and I made an appointment with the kitchen planners at my IKEA shop.

Designing your Kitchen:
What I found at my local shop was that the designers had much the same type of computer tool that you can download from the internet, but that theirs was much more powerful since it could take some very unusual kitchen shapes which I couldn't get to work with the program I downloaded. The whole work on the designing of the kitchen took a bit over an hour to do - including fiddling around and fussing with a couple of different ideas. When we had the whole thing basically the way we wanted it, she saved it all and then gave me instructions regarding where my contractor should put the water, gas and electric points for things like the microwave cabinet. She was very patient and we took a couple of walks around the display area to check on things, like which fan I wanted and if I was going to get their counter-tops or if I'd get my own. In the end, I got a bit of both - including some butcher-block tops for two of my base units which are away from the sink. I decided not to buy their sink or taps, and the granite counter-tops I wanted in a colour that they didn't have, so that was out as well. Still, all things considered they had everything I wanted and more.

Selection of Items:
Why "and more"? Simply because there were several items which I really wanted but just didn't have a place for in my kitchen. I have to admit that IKEA has a marvelous selection. There are several different types of drawer units, including those cool floor to ceiling ones - some of which you can fit with an oven or microwave or even both. They have some really great gadget type things you can put into your cabinets - like a carousel for your pots, drawers you can put into the bottom plinth below the cabinets, and all sorts of storage ideas. What's more, they seem to be able to adjust the items you want so that there's as little space wasted as possible. Of course, if you have an odd sized kitchen like I have, they might have to add a couple of spacers on the sides. This is the only disadvantage of purchasing a kitchen from a company such as IKEA - they have standard size cabinets and cannot adjust the cabinets themselves to fit that extra 3.5cm. However, I am willing to live with a spacer or five as long as I'm getting what I need and want. Still, if you're a person who wants each and every millimeter to be filled with your cabinets, then you might want to go to a carpenter - since they'll make your cabinets exactly to the size of the space you have. Mind you, not all carpenters can make all those fancy special units, and they might not have all those nifty gadgets to put inside, either.

By the way, I noticed that while almost everything I got was also in the computer tool, not everything appeared in their catalogue, and there were a few items on the computer program that the designers had that weren't on my downloaded computer tool. For instance, I got an upper cabinet with an open box for my microwave, which I can't find on either the computer tool or in their catalogue. No matter, I got it and that's what's important (since I really needed the counter space that my microwave would have taken up without it).

And as for the styles, well, it was very difficult for me to decide on which design I wanted. This was mostly because I liked so many of them. However, in the end the price of the cabinets had something to do with what I bought, and I went for a middle price ranged wood design - the Kalsebo in Beech. Now, had my kitchen been bigger, I might have gone for one of those darker wood door styles. Also, there was a point when my finances looked like I might have to go with Formica covered door design, but when I realized how much less I would be paying for an IKEA kitchen versus one through one of the big kitchen companies or through a private carpenter, I upgraded - and fast! And boy, am I pleased that I did.

Of course, if you don't like Beech wood doors, they've got wood doors from pale to very dark and everything in between. And if you're more into Formica, then they've got those as well. You can get something modern, something with a country feel or something old fashioned or something classic - it seems to me that everyone can find a kitchen style through IKEA that they'd easily fall in love with. And these days you can always change the look of your kitchen by choosing different handles - you certainly don't have to buy the ones they offer (even though we did, because they were very simple, looked nice and on sale).

Pricing your Kitchen:
Of course, when talking about differences in prices, I have to say straight off that "your mileage may vary". As my kitchen wasn't bought in the UK I decided to fiddle around again with the kitchen tool thing to see if I could come up with some sort of price in your currency that would mean something to you. The cost for all the cabinets as well as the butcher-block tops on two units and inclusive of stone-like counter-tops (which I bought separately) through the UK tool came up with about £1,550. Funny thing that - when I converted this figure into my own currency I came up with almost the exact same price that I paid! (Hm … just a minute, either we pay relatively more than you or your prices are relatively low. Whatever - doesn't really matter, does it?)

Of course, this price doesn't include the shipping (which I decided to pay for since I don't own a truck) or installation (which also costs extra) nor all the other accessories I bought - like hanging rails and plastic bits to put into your drawer for your cutlery and the garbage bin for inside the under sink cabinet and, and, and… Still, I must have visited half a dozen kitchen cabinet companies and called several carpenters, and what I discovered was that even if I had been willing to settle for Formica covered doors, I would have paid between £500 and £700 more than what I paid for my beautiful beech kitchen through IKEA. But as I said, "your mileage may vary" and I cannot tell you if buying a kitchen in the UK via IKEA is cheaper or more expensive than a carpenter or one of those big kitchen companies there. All I can say is that it seems very reasonable, especially considering what you're getting.

By the way, because we spent over £1,500 we were able to get financing of "interest free credit, with typical 0% APR" for up to 12 months, which was very helpful for us.

What you are getting:
This is the time I should talk about quality. You may already know that IKEA gives you a 10 year guarantee on their kitchens. This is probably the first thing that attracted me to their kitchens. You see, many years ago I re-did my old kitchen and I really was happy with the company that made my cabinets. Of course, as time went on, some of the doors got a tad askew but that's to be expected. So when I was about to redo my whole flat, I figured the first place I should go for my new kitchen would be to that company. Unfortunately, they had long since gone out of business. This made me think - did I want to buy something from a company that might not be around in a couple of years? And we all know that small businesses, like carpenters, are slowly but almost surely disappearing from the horizon. But a company as large as IKEA seems like it will be around for a good while. Furthermore, we've had several friends who have had their kitchens done by IKEA over the years, and each and every one of them have told us that they aren't in the least bit disappointed by the quality of the cabinets that they got. They're strong, look good year after year, and haven't had any problems with them whatsoever. Moreover, when one friend decided that they wanted something added onto their old kitchen, they were able to find exactly the same style of cabinet that they had originally purchased, and I swear you can't tell which ones are the old ones and which are the newer ones.

Delivery and Installation:
This is the other thing that sold me on IKEA kitchens. Every carpenter I spoke to, as well as all of the kitchen companies gave me timetables of 6-8 weeks from purchase date until delivery and installation. Because IKEA doesn't keep large warehouses filled with tons of inventory (their shops are actually their warehouses), once they've sold you something, IKEA wants it out of their shops as quickly as possible. That's why with my IKEA Kitchen, when I went in to pay for the items on my list, they had almost everything on my list in my back yard within two working days, waiting to be installed. Mind you, since I did my renovation in July-August (being the height of the renovation season), the installation date was a touch further away - I was given a date that was close to 3 weeks away from my delivery date (which was still less than my 6-8 week estimates from other places). However, I was lucky and I got a call less than a week later telling me that they had a cancellation and could move my installation date up to the following week. That meant that from purchase date until installation date just over two weeks had gone by. I wasn't just glad, I was thrilled! You should know, however, that this isn't usually the case for that time of the year - we were just lucky.

You may have noticed that I said "almost everything" was delivered. Yes, sometimes they don't have everything in stock at the time of purchase. What were missing from my delivery were a few doors and some side covers for a couple of the cabinets. We were also missing some sort of insert for the deeper drawers, but these were not essential for the installation, and I actually never went back to buy them. (By the way, if something isn't in stock, you don't pay for it until it comes in - which is a very literal spin on the adage "you get what you pay for".)

When installation day came and I had two very competent carpenters come to my home early in the morning (okay, so it was 8:30 by the time they arrived). Well, these two guys worked like little devils, I tell you. One started putting drawers together, the other started putting the cabinet shells together, and then they started putting everything up. And they worked and worked - basically non-stop until about 3pm. Then they stopped - not for a break, but because they had finished. It was truly amazing to see them get it all done. And they even went so far as to adjust anything that wasn't fitting absolutely perfectly - which was bound to happen when you've put up new walls and your measurements aren't always absolutely precise. We also found out that I wasn't missing as much as I thought I was with the original order. Apparently I had one extra cabinet side cover of the wrong size and had only to return it and buy another one of the right size. This wasn't a mistake made by the girl who took my order, but rather that the carpenters found that they didn't need as many side covers as the plan called for because a couple of pieces were against a wall.

I was extremely impressed with the work that they did, and when I consulted with other friends who had gotten IKEA Kitchens, they said their experience was exactly the same - so this wasn't a fluke, it apparently is company policy.

As for those items that weren't in stock - when the doors and that side cover came in, I went to the shop to buy them, brought them home with me and then set another date for the installation of those last bits. Their carpenter came within three days, and I didn't have to pay for another visit since that was part of their original installation charge.

The End Result:
Well, I now have a totally beautiful kitchen and one that's exactly what I need. It cost me less than through a carpenter or one of the big kitchen companies, it came and was installed in record time, and I believe it will last for years. Everyone involved was helpful and hard working, and I cannot imagine getting better service from anyone. From beginning to end my whole experience with IKEA Kitchen Systems was totally positive - even when I had to wait on the phone to check to see when my missing bits were coming in. Yes, I can wholeheartedly recommend IKEA Kitchen Systems, with no reservations whatsoever - even if you have an unusually shaped kitchen like I have. For me, I didn't just "get what I paid for"; I got something worth a whole lot more than I paid for it - and very quickly indeed. A full five stars by me.

Thanks for Reading!

Davida Chazan © December, 2005

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Technical Stuff:
The main webpage for IKEA is www.ikea.co.uk and from there you'll be asked to go to the closest shop near your home to get into the different sections of the shop. If you want to look at a different store, there's a tab for changing the store you're looking at.

IKEA stores are located in Brent Park (London), Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon (London), Edinburgh, Edmonton (London), Gateshead (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne), Glasgow, Lakeside (Thurrock), Leeds, Milton Keynes (new), Nottingham, Warrington (Manchester) and Wednesbury (Birmingham).

For further information about delivery, check out the "Services Tab" and then the "delivery information" area under Kitchens on the IKEA web page - or paste this link into your browser: http://tinyurl.com/drsxp

I'm not bad with my hands but my husband just isn't a DIY person. So I knew we weren't going to be able to buy a new kitchen and install it ourselves. That's why we knew we needed full installation. For those like us as well as those who want to DIY or even have some of the work done for them, information about installation can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/7g4ao

Financing information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/9tx3k

Don't forget to check out that cool kitchen planner tool - its fun to play with, even if you're not going to renovate your kitchen. You'll find it at http://tinyurl.com/ahlol

By the way, you in the UK can actually check on stock availability on-line, which we don't have here - so if I were you, I'd take advantage of that.
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