your questions answered / faq's about our ikea kitchen

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B2KqFYAys3g/Um8Z29-rwWI/AAAAAAAALjo/-AqJD2sowlI/s1600/welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B2KqFYAys3g/Um8Z29-rwWI/AAAAAAAALjo/-AqJD2sowlI/s1600/welcome.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For those of you new to my blog, In the Summer of 2012, Aubrey and I took on an <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-reveal_26.html" target="_blank">kitchen renovation </a>that combined the big box store cabinets (Ikea) with some high end items, budget items and of course - a few DIY's. The result of the hard work in months of planning and research paid off, and I am in <i>LOVE </i>with our kitchen. The kitchen has <a href="http://makingitlovely.com/2012/10/05/honor-roll-97/" target="_blank">got an awesome shout outs from Nicole</a>, was featured in <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/11/as-seen-in.html" target="_blank">The National Post and Sam featured it in one of her articles as well.</a> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/source/aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">And weekly I see people re-pinning pictures of the kitchen </a>and my favourite candid photo - <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148126275217586532/" target="_blank">Aubrey laughing as demonstrating his trash pullout. ;) </a>It's great fun seeing something we put a lot of sweat (Aubrey), tears (me out of frustration) and effort (both of us) into, circulate and be an inspiration to others. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/p/our-diy-projects.html" target="_blank">I've tried to organize past posts on the kitchen as best as possible</a> but I still get a lot of e-mails every week asking about little elements that we picked, or if we're still liking the kitchen a year later. So to help new readers I decided to post the most frequently asked questions about our kitchen here. This post will go in our <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/p/our-diy-projects.html" target="_blank">"Popular Post" roundup</a> - where you can also find a lot of posts that will help you. I really, really recommend you read through those posts as if you are thinking of doing an Ikea kitchen, a lot of information is in that section. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/tips-tricks-for-buying-ikea-kitchen.html" target="_blank">Especially our post on Tips & Tricks for buying an Ikea Kitchen. </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, all of this being said - as much as I try to help people out with questions, I can't stress enough that the best answers are going to come from you walking into your local Ikea, or home hardware with your own measurements and asking for advice. Measurements are <i>key </i>- so having your own measurements on hand when you go to a store. All that being said -  after the jump I've compiled all of our frequently asked questions directly related to our kitchen. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/p/our-diy-projects.html" target="_blank">Remember, a lot of the great posts are in this section so do pop over there</a> if you're thinking of an Ikea kitchen.</div><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>GENERAL QUESTIONS</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vjmus24RHbs/Um8aFAhmJ4I/AAAAAAAALj0/l-FHSepdaGk/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vjmus24RHbs/Um8aFAhmJ4I/AAAAAAAALj0/l-FHSepdaGk/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b>Q: When does Ikea have their Kitchen Sale?</b><br />Q: I think it happens twice a year, we took advantage of the sale around May. I would ask around and see when they may host their sale. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/tips-tricks-for-buying-ikea-kitchen.html" target="_blank">See Part #3 in our Tips & Tricks for Buying an Ikea Kitchen for more on buying during their sale. </a> *Update - The sale is happening September 30th to November 4th, 2013 so it's possibly safe to assume there is a Fall sale and a Spring sale. I stress that you should go into Ikea before the sale in order to design the kitchen. Once the sale starts - it becomes crazy busy in the store and you'll be hard pressed to find an associate in the kitchen area to help you.<br /><br /><b>Q: Are you still happy with your Ikea cabinets?</b><br />A: Yes. :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2h-5xcPlXU/Um8eKKJB8lI/AAAAAAAALks/kGxvn94zfYY/s1600/doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2h-5xcPlXU/Um8eKKJB8lI/AAAAAAAALks/kGxvn94zfYY/s1600/doors.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b>Q: Are the Adele Doors off white?</b><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: Yes. But given the right lighting (pot lights) and matching it with the right accent choices (like countertop and backplash) the white doesn't look off white at all. See more on the doors below. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TN8-GraqOII/Um8cDxLkP1I/AAAAAAAALkQ/4Bq8HmruIE0/s1600/drawer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TN8-GraqOII/Um8cDxLkP1I/AAAAAAAALkQ/4Bq8HmruIE0/s1600/drawer.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: Did you use ikea's organization items for the inside of the drawers? utensils etc? </span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: Yes. By the design of the drawers, you're "forced" into buying their organizational drawer units because the drawers have slanted insides (for the top drawers at least) which means traditional fork/spoon divider trays won’t fit. So we ended up buying their drawer organizers. But it's not a negative as their drawer units are actually quite nice. (See the photo above)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: What are the measurements of your cabinets?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We get this question a lot and we have varying cabinet sizes. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/12/ikea-hack-how-to-make-cookbook-shelf.html" target="_blank">This post on how to make a cookbook shelf using Ikea cabinetry shows you some of the cabinet sizes. </a></span> Ps., I'm not totally sure how our measurements will help others so I haven't gone into great detail answering this one. Really what it comes down to is what fits in your kitchen - so again, bring your measurements to Ikea and they are there to help!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jtgxkMP2xO8/Um8df895j2I/AAAAAAAALkg/hDqs1HaWMwQ/s1600/handles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jtgxkMP2xO8/Um8df895j2I/AAAAAAAALkg/hDqs1HaWMwQ/s1600/handles.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: Your door handles, are they from Ikea as well? I wondered whether you had ideas of where I could source handles.</span></strong></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A:  Our door handles are from <a href="http://www.shophickoryhardware.com/hickoryhardware-all-products.html?text=studio&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Hickory Hardware </a>and were supplied to us from the manufacturer but you can find them on special order at Lowes or if you are in Toronto, at Upper Canada Hardware. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/05/picking-handles.html" target="_blank">See this post on our hardware. </a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recommend popping over to our</span><a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-shopping-guide.html" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> Kitchen Shopping Guide</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to see our full list of where everything came from. The finish is polished nickel. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tAWEhFIkuc/Um8VhBNkjEI/AAAAAAAALjA/AKHhmmH-8KE/s1600/countertop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tAWEhFIkuc/Um8VhBNkjEI/AAAAAAAALjA/AKHhmmH-8KE/s1600/countertop.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Q: What is the thickness of your countertop?</strong><br />A: We ordered a countertop that was 1.5" with a <b>miter joint</b>. We bought Caesarstone and the colour is Misty Carrara. In Canada Caesarstone is not sold via Ikea. You have to find a fabricator that deals in Caesarstone to order it for you and cut it to size and obviously install. <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-shopping-guide.html" target="_blank">You can see who we hired in our Kitchen Shopping Guide. </a></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ds1IpxQWiY/Um8i23MfHiI/AAAAAAAALmE/gYKeiBft1n0/s1600/Untitled-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ds1IpxQWiY/Um8i23MfHiI/AAAAAAAALmE/gYKeiBft1n0/s1600/Untitled-4.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4skJwoLI8o/Um8TtUkk6fI/AAAAAAAALik/ZX3cNq0gzk8/s1600/waltile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4skJwoLI8o/Um8TtUkk6fI/AAAAAAAALik/ZX3cNq0gzk8/s1600/waltile.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>Q: What brand of subway tile did you buy?</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">A: We bought our white subway tiles from Home Depot. At the time our Home Depot only sold <em>one</em> subway tile style so I didn't pay much attention to the manufacturer. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">I went through photographs and found the one above that shows Aubrey tiling and all I can see on the box is the company <a href="http://www.daltile.com/" target="_blank">Daltile </a>. </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQf6IeZTP6Y/Um8e25NqY1I/AAAAAAAALlI/4C2GkWtuBU4/s1600/adel+doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQf6IeZTP6Y/Um8e25NqY1I/AAAAAAAALlI/4C2GkWtuBU4/s1600/adel+doors.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>Q: Did you paint any of the cupboards? The off white color of ours is not my favorite but I am not sure it is worth the money to have them professionally spray painted. Would be interested in your thoughts on this!</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">A: I was worried about the Adele doors too but I can assure you, you needn't worry - We love them! In the end with the bright pot lights and matching things like the counter and backsplash -  the doors appeared whiter vs. creamy.<a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-shopping-guide.html" target="_blank"> See our shopping guide here. </a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>Q: </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How noticeable is it that you backsplash, cabinets and counters all different shades of white? Would you do the white subway tile over agin if you had the chance?</b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: Because of the amount of pre-planning in accent choices, the <em>off white doors</em> are not noticeable at all.Once everything is installed and you're looking at everything straight on it is fantastic. We're really happy with<a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-shopping-guide.html" target="_blank"> all of our choices in the kitchen</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><div><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: The Ikea Adele doors are shaker style, do you find dust collects on the groves a lot?</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: Yes, but not a lot.  I often take a cloth and do a quick wipe down weekly or every other week when I'm cleaning the counter anyways. It's not major and it doesn't bother me at all. I'd rather have the look of shaker doors and wipe them down monthly (which doesn't take any time at all) vs. a flat door. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUdnhLJ0qaI/Um8fDjH7NeI/AAAAAAAALlU/ZfFB3q48Hro/s1600/construction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUdnhLJ0qaI/Um8fDjH7NeI/AAAAAAAALlU/ZfFB3q48Hro/s1600/construction.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eH5CVtKnQfE/Um8n7Vs1ttI/AAAAAAAALmo/HYTHRG2vftY/s1600/waltile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eH5CVtKnQfE/Um8n7Vs1ttI/AAAAAAAALmo/HYTHRG2vftY/s1600/waltile.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 22px;">Q: "H</span>ow did you attach the door to the drawer on your trash pullout? Did you need additional support up the door? Is it still secure after months of use? What drawer is it (fully extending/deep fully extending)?"</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: Instead of using a drawer front we used a full size cabinet door. And we used the drawer kit that is meant to be a bottom drawer, in order to have the most stability possible. It is a fully extending drawer. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Q: "</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Can you tell us the measurements of the wood used in the valances on your top cabinets. Also how you attached them together (nail or glue) and how you attached them to the cabinets. I love how yours turned out!"</span></b><br />The valances are 1.5" tall. It's a standard 1x2 piece of lumber found at any major lumberyard. These are what hide the under cabinet lighting from plain sight. We primed and painted them in advance. They are miter cut and attached with small L brackets on the inside to remain out of sight.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: "I was looking at the pictures of your kitchen and I see that the back of your upper cabinets are flushed to the wall. When I look at our uninstalled cabinets sitting on the floor, I see two pieces that stick out (top and bottom) and I know once we install them to the wall they will stick out and leave maybe a half inch gap along the back. What did you do to hide this? Use filler?"</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: That's what the cover panels (or gabels) are for. We didn't need them because of the layout of our kitchen - the gaps all hide because of trim or walls that jut out. But all you need is to buy the panel from ikea that matches your cabinet door colour and then cut it to size. Also ---- You can also return those panels if you don’t use them, we got back a few hundred dollars after the fact by returning stuff, so if you don’t use those panels, do return them!</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoeA6MutuI2oDi62kTZz0qVx9xcwMMKx4_c6bE2ljvM1sZT3KIKHe0CbwrgoeeU01Rdwm1YGs9O8H05n7Ndw1Lgcrl89BrF2Bi1mvnMMdGkwzHrIyPsIAppnaZwaMn9HHRP6BN0PE6Io/s1600/Untitled-1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: "What is the height of your cabinets, and in particular what is the height of the cabinet above the microwave? It looks like it fits perfectly in line with the bottom of the adjacent cabinets, which I am hoping to achieve with ours."</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: The cabinet above the microwave is 24" tall in order to have an even line across the top. The other cabinets are 39" tall.  </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoeA6MutuI2oDi62kTZz0qVx9xcwMMKx4_c6bE2ljvM1sZT3KIKHe0CbwrgoeeU01Rdwm1YGs9O8H05n7Ndw1Lgcrl89BrF2Bi1mvnMMdGkwzHrIyPsIAppnaZwaMn9HHRP6BN0PE6Io/s1600/Untitled-1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q: "Did you use any panels to finish the ends of the runs of cabinets, and if so, how did you do it?"</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A: We found it unnecessary to use end panels because we had the brightest white cabinets that Ikea sells. This wouldn't have been possible if we had gone with a cabinet colour other than white. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoeA6MutuI2oDi62kTZz0qVx9xcwMMKx4_c6bE2ljvM1sZT3KIKHe0CbwrgoeeU01Rdwm1YGs9O8H05n7Ndw1Lgcrl89BrF2Bi1mvnMMdGkwzHrIyPsIAppnaZwaMn9HHRP6BN0PE6Io/s1600/Untitled-1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEcK2rzjia0/Um8fQ501foI/AAAAAAAALlk/aPQcdjdtpPY/s1600/cost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEcK2rzjia0/Um8fQ501foI/AAAAAAAALlk/aPQcdjdtpPY/s1600/cost.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>Q: Roughly would you be able to say how much you budgeted for your reno? And I recall you saying you had ordered the cabinets just or after the chaos of the Ikea sale- can you remind me again of those details so we can take advantage as well.</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">A: Here is a rough breakdown of some of the main things that were necessary. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Cabinetry was $4,000, Counters $4,000 (which is on the higher end of counters because we splurged on quartz) and hardware was $500+. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Depending on what else you need to do in your kitchen (Move plumbing, electrical, new floors, lighting, and whether you're hiring someone to do all the work) the price of a new kitchen can vary greatly. Here are a few areas that we managed to save on: Doing the demo ourselves, assembling the cabinets ourselves, not putting drywall behind where cabinets are going to stay permanently... Lots of little areas where you can save, contribute to the savings in the end. </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">There you go! I hope this helps! Again, be sure to visit our <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/p/our-diy-projects.html" target="_blank">POPULAR POSTS that include a lot of posts on Ikea Kitchens. </a></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Lindsay </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span><br /><div></div><br /></div>

your questions answered / faq's about our ikea kitchen

For those of you new to my blog, In the Summer of 2012, Aubrey and I took on an kitchen renovation that combined the big box store cabinets ...

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Ikea Hack - How to make a cookbook shelf

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_xEz83svVZ3yjEX71Z013l02-jxjLOm0_2cjzAJaU0cb0Izm9wStJo8YINz6jgwOamp_3jNMieFFdK6t63w-iG9EBCr8yGM2GmpaoE3iEUw7UPvEM3QzDL4GH21ApTbptDGySai1pyw/s1600/IMG_7467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_xEz83svVZ3yjEX71Z013l02-jxjLOm0_2cjzAJaU0cb0Izm9wStJo8YINz6jgwOamp_3jNMieFFdK6t63w-iG9EBCr8yGM2GmpaoE3iEUw7UPvEM3QzDL4GH21ApTbptDGySai1pyw/s1600/IMG_7467.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The cookbook shelf is one of my <i>favourite </i>elements of the kitchen. I really do think that it it is one of the main details that makes our ikea kitchen look custom. Up until now I haven't had an chance to describe how you can recreate this look - but thanks to some vacation time and Aubrey helping me with some "how to" details, I have put together this post just in time to end 2012. This post is long with diagrams ... I'm really hoping that it is clear and helps you design your own Ikea kitchen in the future. xo Lindsay<br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hScIc6HDIfQyUn3Vy0SB_QGH7aFXGXPZcMJXR1ocUhmWW7KmcYthd1_QZPWtM_C7ouOTSUGNJYbQZ6yfplt3hCX9avU7Vrn0hCtQ28shkT6LbN6bG_b141p-tAxg_mOcl3byJMows_g/s1600/intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hScIc6HDIfQyUn3Vy0SB_QGH7aFXGXPZcMJXR1ocUhmWW7KmcYthd1_QZPWtM_C7ouOTSUGNJYbQZ6yfplt3hCX9avU7Vrn0hCtQ28shkT6LbN6bG_b141p-tAxg_mOcl3byJMows_g/s1600/intro.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />If we had gone with a custom kitchen this kind of element would have been easy. But when you're working with big box cabinets, something like this takes a wee bit of "hacking". The <em>easy</em> way to create a shelf would be to put up an Ikea cabinet in that space above the sink and just leave the doors off. The problem with this method is that you would see all of the fronts of the cabinet`s walls and also all the holes on sides that are supposed to allow for adjustable shelves. In our case this way defeated our hope of making our Ikea kitchen look <em>custom</em>. So although it was the easy route, it wasn't the right route for us.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYz3bhsCu6Dpqn0cs976bRVI0S1oBTzRW56yMjYzbHQ6xaOSh-CMrGaqcDj7U6WxP9Tdve8akIkaCJcIBPoB0bAKi3wR3u3n5RvjqVkooBx2TBKvUb2cobHjxC8Gcax16S-1CkozusIQ/s1600/diagram1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYz3bhsCu6Dpqn0cs976bRVI0S1oBTzRW56yMjYzbHQ6xaOSh-CMrGaqcDj7U6WxP9Tdve8akIkaCJcIBPoB0bAKi3wR3u3n5RvjqVkooBx2TBKvUb2cobHjxC8Gcax16S-1CkozusIQ/s1600/diagram1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Before diving into the instructions, I wanted to show you a diagram that shows the basic measurements that we were working with. This will hopefully help you with understanding the instructions that follow. Keep in mind that your measurements will differ as each home has different ceiling heights.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmSUZeRXB2GuSw_aElTMIzbeTpKWXVh0wsNccRfhywdgENtmB8h-d0aE_R1ovz-szg3NWUkTNjaHaP37FwhE77wq7L06x4RP-Y6T-Ld_efrqdz-_VFNuEShKTVp0-y_20hv_OfW6GaG0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmSUZeRXB2GuSw_aElTMIzbeTpKWXVh0wsNccRfhywdgENtmB8h-d0aE_R1ovz-szg3NWUkTNjaHaP37FwhE77wq7L06x4RP-Y6T-Ld_efrqdz-_VFNuEShKTVp0-y_20hv_OfW6GaG0/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNBikqKKFyRLuqq9W_DeqlmxFHqOFk9uGpVxF_9UJDtgCUoRp5QV9nQiZkDqQxY1j2yqNU9VIzQsJa0_nK-gCnNchswez-d_5oDEq34bdT-Vp3-zPxNoHsFdZoKFkh4z5fMiz2oQzhDU/s1600/diagram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNBikqKKFyRLuqq9W_DeqlmxFHqOFk9uGpVxF_9UJDtgCUoRp5QV9nQiZkDqQxY1j2yqNU9VIzQsJa0_nK-gCnNchswez-d_5oDEq34bdT-Vp3-zPxNoHsFdZoKFkh4z5fMiz2oQzhDU/s1600/diagram2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />You need two larger cabinets [Fig A and C shown below] on either side of a shorter upper cabinet [Fig B]. We used the tallest cabinets possible for our main cabinetry [A and C], as our ceiling height allowed for it. You don't order any additional cabinetry for beneath the middle (shorter) cabinet [Fig B].<br /><br />The shelf itself is nothing other than an Ikea cover panel. Cover panels are sold for the purpose of adding to the end of cabinets. The cover panels were the perfect colour - they are made to match the colour of your cabinetry (so no extra painting required) In addition to being the right colour, they were the right depth as they are already designed to fit the depth of cabinetry.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR30wcNOEXZqJfqvFFw58Gip3yGOqAiVOqYyyqfdgXn8grD8Rk_6YVt-NnLsEj_OQpvKem5btJXJm8tgI5nSFnWuV_7QgkVhRTJBtABOlyuPPue7UBBlF5o7mnwmMpYFNvOh_RLJ8tBJg/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR30wcNOEXZqJfqvFFw58Gip3yGOqAiVOqYyyqfdgXn8grD8Rk_6YVt-NnLsEj_OQpvKem5btJXJm8tgI5nSFnWuV_7QgkVhRTJBtABOlyuPPue7UBBlF5o7mnwmMpYFNvOh_RLJ8tBJg/s1600/2.jpg" /></a><b></b><br /><b><b><br /></b></b><b><br /></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80nW77hrp_gbbydZfD1PudVzwpNbdqyFPmwGja7-8IPcw7lwgoE-GsZF83RM_ydGDnj1L6RaWyuQDmEamifNGuF8dVrXioOnBecyVdJ02nUhiy0cSfXdjPRIeX8YNT4I2Hu4fY0SNwgM/s1600/diagram3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80nW77hrp_gbbydZfD1PudVzwpNbdqyFPmwGja7-8IPcw7lwgoE-GsZF83RM_ydGDnj1L6RaWyuQDmEamifNGuF8dVrXioOnBecyVdJ02nUhiy0cSfXdjPRIeX8YNT4I2Hu4fY0SNwgM/s1600/diagram3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80nW77hrp_gbbydZfD1PudVzwpNbdqyFPmwGja7-8IPcw7lwgoE-GsZF83RM_ydGDnj1L6RaWyuQDmEamifNGuF8dVrXioOnBecyVdJ02nUhiy0cSfXdjPRIeX8YNT4I2Hu4fY0SNwgM/s1600/diagram3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />We cut both panels to the right width which was 30 inches in our case (the width of the cabinet in figure B above). One panel was attached to the bottom of the upper cabinet to hide some of those fasteners that are exposed on Ikea cabinets. This was done by screwing down from inside the top cabinet with the right length screws (too long and they`d show and ruin your custom look, so be careful there.) The other panel became our shelf.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7vZrycPH2ZrhP-ML_kUH-JOC2YAMZsSMNMq2JJ_Yi-oLXu3hCKe-gnfVd25G7FMWt1Yc0M7LYP4TXqQ_nS8UoIiqpUkXA0DhBiX5g1pt53mwH-5O8HPDUEr1s2foqZXzBX_uGx1O9lM/s1600/shelf_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7vZrycPH2ZrhP-ML_kUH-JOC2YAMZsSMNMq2JJ_Yi-oLXu3hCKe-gnfVd25G7FMWt1Yc0M7LYP4TXqQ_nS8UoIiqpUkXA0DhBiX5g1pt53mwH-5O8HPDUEr1s2foqZXzBX_uGx1O9lM/s1600/shelf_a.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsf5ENtE0WKjo6RJEyjW1bG4DRnGcONBwFKjGleSPNHCGuRClFvY0SwgJ2mwhE1wqectzGVsQ8njhbjbsYDTZ5NeNxvD0O4MCcZPlG8F8a-ozrbnfk1TBxwTMsLROKD1wVqDCBqietd4/s1600/diagram4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsf5ENtE0WKjo6RJEyjW1bG4DRnGcONBwFKjGleSPNHCGuRClFvY0SwgJ2mwhE1wqectzGVsQ8njhbjbsYDTZ5NeNxvD0O4MCcZPlG8F8a-ozrbnfk1TBxwTMsLROKD1wVqDCBqietd4/s1600/diagram4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>To support the shelf we installed supports along the back wall (small `L` bracket`s) and along the sides (neatly cut strips of scrap cover panels) so that the shelf sits 5-6 inches higher than the bottom of the high cabinets to the left of right of the sink area. [Picture below shows a view from under the shelf]<br /><br />One thing we didn't account for was that these cover panels are not very sturdy because they aren't very thick. In order to make sure the shelf didn't sag in the middle because of the weight of the cookbooks we used a solid piece of wood (1x2 inches that was not finger-jointed) as our valance.<br /><br />Since we had chosen a valance profile that was more traditional and not from Ikea it worked very well and added to the overall custom look. If we had chosen an Ikea valance (that also wouldn't be too sturdy) we would have had to add in a supporting beam behind it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEwTGv_54I-aAKK9f-lWessD3DX5tVOPnAbzP89qsF5QNszrZzxrzS6dmU0DEt_IJ8jZ8Zwasu_LrVru05ldpb4PqAWptlO4-LPTUWO3zPg_EetrmeQYcqO1UkWXmjZL1xWDHigjcl_c/s1600/01+%2528412%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEwTGv_54I-aAKK9f-lWessD3DX5tVOPnAbzP89qsF5QNszrZzxrzS6dmU0DEt_IJ8jZ8Zwasu_LrVru05ldpb4PqAWptlO4-LPTUWO3zPg_EetrmeQYcqO1UkWXmjZL1xWDHigjcl_c/s1600/01+%2528412%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_sTCMTVI6yIpRxddaUuz5DhcKEoNADNPcjwEKlcRC4XZSkkKGKLdPfM1KrWJ59XXOPTIWlVhQ517Glt088MbKS6a5zvRE8cNqg1e6dMwUF8FnvtDxr-LZU3r1qeFjfWy0VErA7IJU9I/s1600/diagram5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_sTCMTVI6yIpRxddaUuz5DhcKEoNADNPcjwEKlcRC4XZSkkKGKLdPfM1KrWJ59XXOPTIWlVhQ517Glt088MbKS6a5zvRE8cNqg1e6dMwUF8FnvtDxr-LZU3r1qeFjfWy0VErA7IJU9I/s1600/diagram5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />Aubrey and I held up books that were the size we needed the shelf to hold and made sure they`d fit and that there was enough space above them.The space that we ended up with (the height of the inside of the shelf, ended up being <b>15 inches.</b>  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4FWz0U6xpYdN-4EPR5dCiQpYUtIB39kyzRmsYzttsPYwmO3zohvKLMc0IN4Z0npmcWubV89dOwaVIwkDB3SBP4qy7v6Tg_Dyak5FbdERRxFlf5zEWsZ_PZS5eUAO3pEvop3rlpBgdus/s1600/height.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4FWz0U6xpYdN-4EPR5dCiQpYUtIB39kyzRmsYzttsPYwmO3zohvKLMc0IN4Z0npmcWubV89dOwaVIwkDB3SBP4qy7v6Tg_Dyak5FbdERRxFlf5zEWsZ_PZS5eUAO3pEvop3rlpBgdus/s1600/height.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPizS4UN9B4yf1_PDlvfHJ-b9o1UmY4I3TeokvOp9NuNJtqZ7nZy6yVEWsS4OxxQOq2o_-jmJLniWhY_mpJf-Y6lenQ2b187JuOQqAQjvpaE5iNfhXdu7_tB5bALK0BaUPCshgmsQ6g8/s1600/diagram6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPizS4UN9B4yf1_PDlvfHJ-b9o1UmY4I3TeokvOp9NuNJtqZ7nZy6yVEWsS4OxxQOq2o_-jmJLniWhY_mpJf-Y6lenQ2b187JuOQqAQjvpaE5iNfhXdu7_tB5bALK0BaUPCshgmsQ6g8/s1600/diagram6.jpg" /></a></div><br />As for the back of the shelf, you have a few options. You could extend your backsplash up so it becomes the backdrop for whatever you put on your shelf. However we elected to go with another cover panel that was a bit larger that we cut to the right size and glued to the wall with PL. Although you can hardly see it, it`s that little detail that makes it seem like custom built cabinetry.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>There you go. I hope this helps! xo Lindsay<br /><br /> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- BIG Ad for posts --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1823932887598627" data-ad-slot="9770787480"></ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script>

Ikea Hack - How to make a cookbook shelf

The cookbook shelf is one of my favourite elements of the kitchen. I really do think that it it is one of the main details that makes our ik...

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Ikea Hack, Trash Pullout

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlwu8w-nKBs3BLm9U4A58mVa-jit3dnuTk3MT-izfSMq2oSdpCH_XR_I-BrwwJlfZuX_zlcwmtQJYd-qXPvHgUIJ4VOpEfypyv35EtHhH9oYuhcDS3-N3OKhghBfUUvlp5lmD_maTgLy9/s1600/IMG_7456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlwu8w-nKBs3BLm9U4A58mVa-jit3dnuTk3MT-izfSMq2oSdpCH_XR_I-BrwwJlfZuX_zlcwmtQJYd-qXPvHgUIJ4VOpEfypyv35EtHhH9oYuhcDS3-N3OKhghBfUUvlp5lmD_maTgLy9/s1600/IMG_7456.jpg" /></a></div><br />One of our favourite Ikea hacks in our new kitchen is the trash pullout.  We tried to go with the system Ikea sells but we think <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S99870740/" target="_blank">their bins are way too small</a>. We didn't want to be taking out the recycling/garbage twice a day. <br /><br />Here is how Aubrey created something way better....<br /><br />He ordered a base cabinet that was 18" wide and came with a full height door. He added on one large drawer unit (18" Rationell.) He installed that drawer unit at the very bottom, and attached the door. <br /><br />This allowed us to use the <a href="http://www.rubbermaid.com/Pages/GlobalHome.aspx" target="_blank">Rubbermaid bins</a> that you see above. They are 16" x 11" (about twice the size of Ikea's largest bin) and available in most hardware/home improvement stores. <br /><br />Ta-da! Awesome. <br /><br />This is a perfect example of how you have to think about functionality when you are designing your kitchen. Imagine yourself actually using it on a day to day basis. Aubrey did, he's the one that takes out the garbage. <br /><br />You don't have to stick to what's available - take what a big box store offers, and improve it. <br /><br /> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- BIG Ad for posts --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1823932887598627" data-ad-slot="9770787480"></ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script>

Ikea Hack, Trash Pullout

One of our favourite Ikea hacks in our new kitchen is the trash pullout.  We tried to go with the system Ikea sells but we think their bins ...

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Tips & Tricks for Buying an Ikea Kitchen

<div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/tips-tricks-for-buying-ikea-kitchen.html#more" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2QNS1Hgh_98sJQE2vTOqBvJ4XutXjv_EFCiDDR1uhgjXU0vOxLMM6jisWWsBaPOHL9QFunRq25zNm_n39UEYnOkgIXFICxAliZDcEXlJxGiFQa0RYqZszgUOBgPmhC_VkAZ3EzdyP0Vk/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div><br />I know that someone may fall upon our <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-reveal_26.html" target="_blank">kitchen reveal </a>in a few years time and will have missed all of the entertaining posts leading up the grand reveal that explained how and why we chose things. I'm going to create some posts that include a lot of information for readers who may be interested in renovating their own kitchen.<br /><br />For this particular post I'm focusing on the main element - our cabinetry, which is Ikea, and the door style is the Adel door. This post doesn't go into the details of <i>what </i>we picked elsewhere (counter, tiles etc) that you can find in our "<a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/kitchen-shopping-guide.html" target="_blank">Kitchen Shopping Guide</a>". This is just a list of things to consider when designing an Ikea kitchen.  Warning. This is a LONG post. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><a name="more"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DoJjQTPFWmiNPyVfKZoo9zCn5G42tNV1Jp-qjipY2kT0EeMyP64M9Khg1iliGaoDIR2eWnItY9aiH7VZu-R-yQ3Ut5aRB9YHQK-j2DxcjYjrn-JEafB_Cu4ll7Lr-VBtdjF4JttloZIG/s1600/1111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DoJjQTPFWmiNPyVfKZoo9zCn5G42tNV1Jp-qjipY2kT0EeMyP64M9Khg1iliGaoDIR2eWnItY9aiH7VZu-R-yQ3Ut5aRB9YHQK-j2DxcjYjrn-JEafB_Cu4ll7Lr-VBtdjF4JttloZIG/s1600/1111.jpg" /></a></div><br />If you read my blog regularly you'll know I'm a fan of "hacking" Ikea things to make them look custom.  There is my <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2009/09/side-table-project.html" target="_blank">Ikea Rast side table project</a> from 2008 (inspired by Style at Home Magazine), there is my <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2011/05/ikea-frame-hack-inspired-by-sarah.html" target="_blank">Ikea Ribba Frame Hack</a> (inspired by Sarah Richardson), our <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2009/11/making-seating-bench-in-kitchen.html" target="_blank">DIY Bench in our Kitchen</a> (inspired by Samantha Pynn) <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2009/08/making-new-desk.html" target="_blank">my DIY $300 Desk using Ikea</a>, and most recently another <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/09/ikea-hack-gold-frames.html" target="_blank">Ikea Ribba gold frame hack</a>. So my kitchen is no different. We've gotten creative with Ikea cabinetry and worked in elements from other stores - giving us a custom look at a better price than custom. Anyhow, without further delay - here is my summary of buying an Ikea Kitchen.  - Lindsay<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5doyOBkFIAGvQSCgBn0XWg9ddkTGg0lgM15Zf-BIQNWdWQevUQaGS-Ec_bvSImETL1vxj-3n98PFtRVOReDtnP1hE5UBnTAMoOWKgY9nTVwF3UYewML0nW3eccvDJHQO_KuFXoFvZyZi_/s1600/1_why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5doyOBkFIAGvQSCgBn0XWg9ddkTGg0lgM15Zf-BIQNWdWQevUQaGS-Ec_bvSImETL1vxj-3n98PFtRVOReDtnP1hE5UBnTAMoOWKgY9nTVwF3UYewML0nW3eccvDJHQO_KuFXoFvZyZi_/s1600/1_why.jpg" /></a></div>The pros to an Ikea kitchen are pretty clear - they are economical, easy to buy, things are usually in stock so you can walk out with them the same day. The downside - your Ikea delivery may<a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/06/kitchen-progress.html" target="_blank"><em> look like this and will be a little intimidating.</em></a> And ....you're really on your own to design and build your kitchen.<br /><br />I'm not going to go into the differences between custom kitchens and Ikea, there are a lot of factors in support of both - but for us the cost savings of an Ikea kitchen was very hard to ignore. For cabinet purchasing- Ikea really came in as the economical choice.  We ended up choosing the<a href="http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30080364/" target="_blank"> Ikea Adel door,</a> a classic shaker that I think is the best profile they have. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><br /></div><strong></strong><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGqAbxIwYKTNU89TLMBR7HZYaf2drt6_p1NFBQ720rz4YZBu5ECCEkoH1jI6JksFXzDUzUx66RIKSyzGl24D1Gq-d-h7TpBtDdQCEmXsPTZELkLuiGNtlSSfmrLpvr6PH49QUovIRAo6N/s1600/1_why2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGqAbxIwYKTNU89TLMBR7HZYaf2drt6_p1NFBQ720rz4YZBu5ECCEkoH1jI6JksFXzDUzUx66RIKSyzGl24D1Gq-d-h7TpBtDdQCEmXsPTZELkLuiGNtlSSfmrLpvr6PH49QUovIRAo6N/s1600/1_why2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin: 0px;">We've all done it - open the Ikea Catalog, seen kitchens that are economical and look like they could just be installed the next day. I wouldn't say it looks <i>easy </i>to accomplish, but it definitely looks achievable for the every day homeowner. Which, is true. <i>BUT</i>, if you want it to look built in, a lot of pre-planning is involved. <br /><br />We spent a lot of time designing because we really wanted the kitchen to look built in, not just "installed". This meant that we had to do a lot of planning, something that took us <em>months and months. </em>Aubrey stresses that you really have to pre-plan EVERYTHING when doing an Ikea kitchen and it's a domino effect. Everything effects spacing - appliance dimensions, what crown molding you use, what height is the valance you use. <b>Know everything you are going with before you start the design process. </b><br /><br />Although we have a relatively easy space I found the design process stressful. The one downside to an Ikea kitchen is that although they have a very large selection of cabinetry - inevitably they are limited in cabinet sizes. So it's a bit of a puzzle working out which cabinets should go where. In the beginning I did debate hiring a designer to help design the layout. I have read that many designers can offer select services - such as helping design layouts - which may make it an economical opportunity for a homeowner. (For example, <a href="http://www.thedesignshop.ca/Site/Kitchens.html" target="_blank">Carol Reed offers this service</a>) In the end Aubrey and I worked it out - I'm pretty creative, and Aubrey is great with numbers/measurements.  I can break our designing process into three important steps/stages.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><ul><li><u>Researching Ikea Kitchen Pictures</u>: I spent a few hours going through <a href="http://carolreeddesign.blogspot.ca/2009/10/why-i-love-ikea-kitchens.html" target="_blank">Carol Reed's blog</a>, soaking in some of her designer tips of working with Ikea kitchens. I also <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=ikea+kitchen&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D12&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=Op9jUOekMaju0gH1x4GYDQ&biw=1920&bih=1075&sei=PZ9jUIT0O6Xw0gGL1ICgAg" target="_blank">googled a lot of "Ikea Kitchens"</a> and tried to really spot what I did, and also what I <i>didn't </i>like of Ikea Kitchens. </li><li><u>Ikea Kitchen Designers</u>: We took advantage of the staff at Ikea in the Kitchen Department. They were great. With our measurements in hand, they helped get set started using their kitchen design tool. That initial meeting with a kitchen designer set us off on the right foot. You still have to do the design yourself, but the kitchen staff will helped start us off with their design program. </li><li><u>Ikea Online Kitchen Design Tool:</u> The last step for us was tweaking the design that we did in Step #2, at home. When you go home, you can tweak the design using their online design tool. I found the online tool confusing and frustrating so Aubrey ended up taking over and handling it. (Guess which one of us has more patience in the relationship)</li></ul></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>TIP</b>: Be creative and think outside the box. You can hide some empty spaces with "Filler Panels". One great example is shown below. I wanted to connect the "Eat in Kitchen" with the Kitchen we brought the counter further into the eat in area. The space for cabinetry in the kitchen area allows for normal depth cabinets. But the eat in kitchen is an extension, and the wall is actually further set into the room. We couldn't maintain the same base cabinet size along the run. So to maintain a straight line of base cabinets into the eat in area, we had to fake it a little. We added in less deep base cabinets into the eat in area. We added in a brace for counter top, and knew that "cover panel" would hide the wasted space behind - and in the end, seamlessly blend in.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqERQdQV6uyQnnxIhx3TcAFo2MbP78kynpXfKf94xJe1y8PG0zBVCa33iCDczZyGV9gQECsoCLVTPJft9X0GL-s-NUCEisuGZyNa8X8IchzMNMIN_5wIJOwYYfiPwgsCZsYyv7e-NuUNk/s1600/kitchen_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqERQdQV6uyQnnxIhx3TcAFo2MbP78kynpXfKf94xJe1y8PG0zBVCa33iCDczZyGV9gQECsoCLVTPJft9X0GL-s-NUCEisuGZyNa8X8IchzMNMIN_5wIJOwYYfiPwgsCZsYyv7e-NuUNk/s1600/kitchen_3.jpg" /></a></div><br />There are more tips on the design process below in section D. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30cFDurpkwtsTtisVFWWLcbch6n6W1EBe0YM2ucFyr5Yf-jvqrUXP27qtiB1EdGueXlj8aWDACfCmA-6-wfeq7D8oS8-FIsAE6D87oNWocvi4isbUMAyYnDzv5yskzIpQgq4TBWxyO6j7/s1600/1_why3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30cFDurpkwtsTtisVFWWLcbch6n6W1EBe0YM2ucFyr5Yf-jvqrUXP27qtiB1EdGueXlj8aWDACfCmA-6-wfeq7D8oS8-FIsAE6D87oNWocvi4isbUMAyYnDzv5yskzIpQgq4TBWxyO6j7/s1600/1_why3.jpg" /></a></div><br />Here are some tips on ordering your Ikea Kitchen. <br /><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><ul><li>DO ask for help from the Ikea Kitchen Staff. </li><li>DO Take advantage of the Ikea kitchen sale. You get 10% back in Ikea gift cards when you buy Ikea cabinets from the store during the sale. </li><li>DON'T plan your kitchen design in the middle of the Ikea Kitchen Sale. It's going to be crazy busy and getting one on one assistance (uninterrupted) from a Kitchen specialist will be impossible. Plan and design your kitchen <i>well </i><em>before</em> the sale happens. </li><li>DO ask about their sale policies. We found out that Ikea will honor the 10% sale discount if we bought up to 45 days prior to the sale. [Call the store and ask what their policy is on honoring sale prices] We ended up getting back $400, in gift cards but skipped the mad rush of the sale in the store.</li><li>DO call your order in vs. going into the store and picking each piece out of the warehouse. </li><li>DO have your order delivered. We had a bad experience with the delivery company that Ikea used/uses. Ikea called for feedback (standard policy) after the order was delivered, and Aubrey gave an account of what happened and we did receive an apology. But still, just be ready to instruct the delivery guys/women on where to put the order and be prepared for your delivery to <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/06/kitchen-progress.html" target="_blank">look like this.</a></li></ul></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><strong></strong><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_h5r7XWy1ufGfFIGVg8GkIZIUoNV73bjUa6ZG5oLIckD-iH6Yys2oeuz7E4p3X9u_2azLdUhWCUCFP3g8t2ogV5vvw6gljVC6y4rHz1JcO9fPjNv0zV7NplErF9dVqfADQNgnzUtQbZZ/s1600/1_why4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_h5r7XWy1ufGfFIGVg8GkIZIUoNV73bjUa6ZG5oLIckD-iH6Yys2oeuz7E4p3X9u_2azLdUhWCUCFP3g8t2ogV5vvw6gljVC6y4rHz1JcO9fPjNv0zV7NplErF9dVqfADQNgnzUtQbZZ/s1600/1_why4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">You can hire a company to build and install your Ikea cabinets. When we priced this service out it was going to cost approx $100 per cabinet. So if you have 20 cabinets (which is normal) you're looking at $2,000 for this service. Because we were watching where our money was going, we decided to do 1/2 the job ourselves. Aubrey built the cabinets, and <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/06/when-to-hire-help.html" target="_blank">hired a company</a> to just install. Be warned.....Some companies <i>won't do this</i> - they only offer the Build AND Install combo. So call around before you start to build your cabinets. Either way - I thought it was really valuable to hire a company to help with the installation. Ask whether the company will install the cover panels/filler panels - these little details are what finish off your design. It's ok to hire help, and there are a lot of reputable companies that are around that will help you install. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyKQj4mmFg3pYSOxVsrfy6y47m3W3AxferQM7gG7KNSB5_29-Yn8zzUYKFRThpdnxKQhg1x3yndZbogr92wpBxjxg864qlrxM-6fguOaF1hMNGBfTolmAO-CZkztYHGLY4rfA589aJtIL/s1600/IMG_75072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyKQj4mmFg3pYSOxVsrfy6y47m3W3AxferQM7gG7KNSB5_29-Yn8zzUYKFRThpdnxKQhg1x3yndZbogr92wpBxjxg864qlrxM-6fguOaF1hMNGBfTolmAO-CZkztYHGLY4rfA589aJtIL/s1600/IMG_75072.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><strong><br /><br /><br /><br /></strong><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67NtfjU-Xu7YgHPUg4ZbcfHLHBzFBD0qBsVuU1HNFDKOesQhOgtLISjgF1dR0hlrn7zo6Xyj1eL4JP04DKmzRDn3eGEIZo6uqfTEWVfU-tJDArjDmTmeqWr3WTymG8FWnHRxCfP6Z-G0n/s1600/1_why5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67NtfjU-Xu7YgHPUg4ZbcfHLHBzFBD0qBsVuU1HNFDKOesQhOgtLISjgF1dR0hlrn7zo6Xyj1eL4JP04DKmzRDn3eGEIZo6uqfTEWVfU-tJDArjDmTmeqWr3WTymG8FWnHRxCfP6Z-G0n/s1600/1_why5.jpg" /></a></div>Here is what I think are important tricks for making an Ikea Kitchen look custom. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><ul><li>DO BUY the tallest cabinets possible, so that they go as close to the ceiling as possible. I think wasted space above the cabinets always is an obvious sign to the fact that you bought "store bought" cabinets. </li><li>DON'T BUY any of the trim from Ikea. Build your own valance. You need to have the right tools, but this kind of detail makes a HUGE difference. If you don't have the tools, maybe hire a handyman for the day. </li><li>DO consider adding in crown molding. I think crown molding gives a gorgeous "finished" look. [See photos below for examples]</li><li>DO Paint the trim to match the Ikea doors. Ikea Adel door paint match is Benjamin Moore Paper Mache.</li><li>DO BUY an Ikea door to bring around town with you as you try to match elements for your kitchen. That one Ikea Adel door stayed in my car for a month as I went looking for counters, tile, etc. </li></ul></div><strong></strong>I guess my analogy is this - I think buying Bedroom Sets from a store doesn't result in a very nice look. It looks too matchy matchy. (This is totally a personal style, so don't take offense if you have a matchy-matchy bedroom set.) They sell them as sets because people like them, and need them. But for <em>me</em> - I think things look more unique and custom, when you mix and match from different stores. The same goes for Ikea and their kitchens. Buy the cabinets from them but look elsewhere for everything else. It likley won't cost you more, but it will take you some time to source things. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnyUR2solrTkaUHItSWF6PncBG9YTY0UzGY0WT2D9N_rCdBZh-6HW8O1rbQoeolzx7yt2iIsdppA-r9LYnGhZg4p7enO-kaTH7N1KxTRTTDSh6y5MxgiCh3fXoUek1DSlbVfVfii_X_sg/s1600/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnyUR2solrTkaUHItSWF6PncBG9YTY0UzGY0WT2D9N_rCdBZh-6HW8O1rbQoeolzx7yt2iIsdppA-r9LYnGhZg4p7enO-kaTH7N1KxTRTTDSh6y5MxgiCh3fXoUek1DSlbVfVfii_X_sg/s1600/012.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">Our kitchen - Note the crown molding is painted the same colour as the doors. Have your local paint store help match paint. Benjamin Moore's PAPER MACHE is a perfect match for Ikea Adel Doors. </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cpdVDEOmdtnj3JfNbOy5nFkKTGjfMawLpwi4ZsT1fQm-nHsXcCCk_SeeNNQihRcReXBETKfO5Ejk3VSJOkBP1uw2K5oh3JeLrULi8pQhcmbt2CvpEV9CmHWatGyGD82gNitSFuOB8gx7/s1600/IMG_7489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cpdVDEOmdtnj3JfNbOy5nFkKTGjfMawLpwi4ZsT1fQm-nHsXcCCk_SeeNNQihRcReXBETKfO5Ejk3VSJOkBP1uw2K5oh3JeLrULi8pQhcmbt2CvpEV9CmHWatGyGD82gNitSFuOB8gx7/s1600/IMG_7489.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAJSaE1UPxxMspCRY5LFbPu5us2YxAoyxIiSCRf1GLNizgmYTbxFnSuBmFuwOyqjGwncxCkGksOLBCGcC6Oh0vTZmQEpL0f6zQE4jFXhTDZmxc7c5gmILiwB8ONsMUjqzqvz06PYgXOl5/s1600/1_why6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAJSaE1UPxxMspCRY5LFbPu5us2YxAoyxIiSCRf1GLNizgmYTbxFnSuBmFuwOyqjGwncxCkGksOLBCGcC6Oh0vTZmQEpL0f6zQE4jFXhTDZmxc7c5gmILiwB8ONsMUjqzqvz06PYgXOl5/s1600/1_why6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />We likely spent more hours designing than the majority of people would but we really wanted it to look built in. Do you need to spend as many hours as we did designing? No - but it's worth it in the end. As Aubrey stressed when he saw me writing this post - it's imparative that you know everything you're working with before you start designing. The cost savings of choosing the Ikea cabinets made it worth it. And, they look fabulous. In my mind, go with the Adel doors, they are so classic. <br /><br />I'm sure I've missed certain things. I appreciate this isn't a buider-guide-how to, but at least you get the inspiration to take away to create your own kitchen, and see the tricks we used.<br /><br />I hope this has helped!<br /><br />xo Lindsay<br /><br /><a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/p/our-diy-projects.html" target="_blank">Update: Be sure to check out this page for other Ikea kitchen related posts. </a><br /><br /><br /><em>Disclosure: Because of the extensive (LONG) review, I feel as though it is worth noting that this post was <u>not</u> sponsored by Ikea.  </em><br /><br /><br /> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- BIG Ad for posts --><br /><br /><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1823932887598627" data-ad-slot="9770787480" style="display: inline-block; height: 280px; width: 336px;"></ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script>

Tips & Tricks for Buying an Ikea Kitchen

I know that someone may fall upon our kitchen reveal in a few years time and will have missed all of the entertaining posts leading up the g...

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Kitchen Reveal

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ta-da! Our new kitchen! Can you believe it's Ikea?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T9kDvEabqeNPu_U-yK13jGzdVo8S_92PnLEoDLStoyEuIMXGJcJcpecM_nklqVC80eZxihTu-z78WjqPDhaGcjEvmI-7C4j0VaDjpiF3gjfnYedtrEH-mlD8mbrf6P95yl-OsqnxCWDN/s1600/kitchen_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T9kDvEabqeNPu_U-yK13jGzdVo8S_92PnLEoDLStoyEuIMXGJcJcpecM_nklqVC80eZxihTu-z78WjqPDhaGcjEvmI-7C4j0VaDjpiF3gjfnYedtrEH-mlD8mbrf6P95yl-OsqnxCWDN/s1600/kitchen_1.jpg" /></a></div><br />I'm in <i>love </i>with our kitchen. Our kitchen is a great example of mixing high end items with budget to end up with a kitchen that is gorgeous. The trick to this kitchen was finding areas of the renovation that we could do ourselves (demolition, painting, cabinetry building) and  picking certain things to splurge on to give it a wow factor (having hardwood installed, going for Quartz counters). We were given two major things as gifts - the faucet, and the hardware. We were also given a discount on our appliances, but everything else we got at retail. The mix of big box store and luxury items gives a pretty spectacular result.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_YKlLwEXhw7_1kqd0Oi3CvOvneqXGmUC302bAzwcylBZva2rPfzAKwk2NIQH4wWt7P8M1X_DgTgVPUBRgc34Ow-vCNd9I80CkRvJSnec2pQBlZoveKpsfgV8rW6eRZjMJyhlM8d2RhHJ/s1600/IMG_7507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_YKlLwEXhw7_1kqd0Oi3CvOvneqXGmUC302bAzwcylBZva2rPfzAKwk2NIQH4wWt7P8M1X_DgTgVPUBRgc34Ow-vCNd9I80CkRvJSnec2pQBlZoveKpsfgV8rW6eRZjMJyhlM8d2RhHJ/s1600/IMG_7507.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were some tricky things to work around. I knew from the start I wanted to extend the base cabinetry into the eat in portion of the kitchen, which is higher than the rest of the house (in the above photograph you can see the step) We had to get a little creative with cabinetry - but everything is possible. We installed a GE Cafe microwave above the oven that has a vent feature - that pulls the steam from the stove up and out into the kitchen. I'll get into our appliances more in another post, but I love having this above the stove. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mwUQr1-f0EU0NiViviZMEjtfeaijX1QxWK_YHifL1Gm3eI0VryUvWtkgQoK1cLNGlDxKh9hNga7l91GxUm3UwSkRdMHwJ9c8FnEE-q9uyn6ryknO47QHshBM3eEqmZppRoHETCr6JGOa/s1600/kitchen_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mwUQr1-f0EU0NiViviZMEjtfeaijX1QxWK_YHifL1Gm3eI0VryUvWtkgQoK1cLNGlDxKh9hNga7l91GxUm3UwSkRdMHwJ9c8FnEE-q9uyn6ryknO47QHshBM3eEqmZppRoHETCr6JGOa/s1600/kitchen_2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the above photo you can see the wall of white subway tile in the background, which I simply adore as it reflects a lot of light from the new pot lights. It also blends in because it is white, like the rest of our kitchen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsQrBd812-XnirKxLXdr8mNZ-NiRP5ILgrdlRM3VQAJ0tTbQ7DHMSwbNm6yoCUp4mfEDTTJ2PC2NT_D6yY2tRa4p8qpKGDJQJvT_Xvjt0Aa4YzjXAMTOyrir4cHAicUzZ-7i1qw1gKBN9/s1600/IMG_7474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsQrBd812-XnirKxLXdr8mNZ-NiRP5ILgrdlRM3VQAJ0tTbQ7DHMSwbNm6yoCUp4mfEDTTJ2PC2NT_D6yY2tRa4p8qpKGDJQJvT_Xvjt0Aa4YzjXAMTOyrir4cHAicUzZ-7i1qw1gKBN9/s1600/IMG_7474.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we bought the house the fridge was blocking the doorway to the front hall. We moved the fridge to the eat in kitchen and bought a counter depth GE Cafe Fridge (more on the appliances later) and we built around it a pantry using Ikea Cabinetry. This made it feel more like the kitchen, instead of the fridge just being plunked into a different room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQnNdU16PnsVtIaBzCpq3hQcgCE6ZXVxZrtomYk50djs8GvM5y2pPSgyiMjJUzbRWbDYFHzK8DTQMf4dEXIc4xEj6pGuCMjAqqdkIo2Y3HtUvNe_5xlk4S8b1otlMxUkO_q9CnhueiZO8/s1600/kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQnNdU16PnsVtIaBzCpq3hQcgCE6ZXVxZrtomYk50djs8GvM5y2pPSgyiMjJUzbRWbDYFHzK8DTQMf4dEXIc4xEj6pGuCMjAqqdkIo2Y3HtUvNe_5xlk4S8b1otlMxUkO_q9CnhueiZO8/s1600/kitchen.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fgeh04vEXGyRWkFgAGjXNxeeVPIWVBGFH2qgtnLEBRie48wx4DJNhyl6tl_GYesGrRC9wuxR06mgfNxJtmkicex4DJI7WXnmBgaZuzm9hZZ_aghNOvmpvJhjE9uWV3EYoaYtHNp4Aova/s1600/kitchen_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fgeh04vEXGyRWkFgAGjXNxeeVPIWVBGFH2qgtnLEBRie48wx4DJNhyl6tl_GYesGrRC9wuxR06mgfNxJtmkicex4DJI7WXnmBgaZuzm9hZZ_aghNOvmpvJhjE9uWV3EYoaYtHNp4Aova/s1600/kitchen_3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ucbkt_3xVcAFi_v_Mfv6fPk6DckElA-mzqlAbzfX-6HFYpNAASlx0ASGLhmg3ccOpCT607eP6ohyphenhyphen-1Tjpk0z8ZiWGP9eNtMhSUgV9w4B6kJBQYpwPvz1lGv7tb6Fs0psFjxvSCqgsBkY/s1600/IMG_7489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ucbkt_3xVcAFi_v_Mfv6fPk6DckElA-mzqlAbzfX-6HFYpNAASlx0ASGLhmg3ccOpCT607eP6ohyphenhyphen-1Tjpk0z8ZiWGP9eNtMhSUgV9w4B6kJBQYpwPvz1lGv7tb6Fs0psFjxvSCqgsBkY/s1600/IMG_7489.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLBaXeNVuVBy5fUN4X8ikeNq9XQ3BQdGQxP0v5-oISvKGsrQ_JLwQzlbC0P5fkdwXIQrsocJp4tDSCn9H6XM-OixBOEyk5RBdu1isdDjtZb58Ww9KbnPsXksDgc51iZALIxUKo9rpmJHj/s1600/kitchen_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLBaXeNVuVBy5fUN4X8ikeNq9XQ3BQdGQxP0v5-oISvKGsrQ_JLwQzlbC0P5fkdwXIQrsocJp4tDSCn9H6XM-OixBOEyk5RBdu1isdDjtZb58Ww9KbnPsXksDgc51iZALIxUKo9rpmJHj/s1600/kitchen_4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The design inspiration for the cookbooks above the sink came from a <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/03/perfect.html" target="_blank">Kitchen Cousins Episode on HGTV</a>. I loved the idea, as it was a perfect spot for my cookbook collection that has been gifted to me by my Mom.<a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/07/what-we-picked-our-kitchen-faucet.html" target="_blank"> That faucet. OH that faucet. It's the most gorgeous thing on this planet.</a> It's a Perrin and Rowe and my favourite thing ever. </div><br />Anyhow, that is our kitchen reveal. While we've been finishing up the kitchen I've been working on posts that actually get into 1. Ikea Kitchen Shopping tips 2. Where we bought everything. So stay tuned, but if you have questions I'll do my best to answer.<br /><br />I hope you like it as much as we do!<br /><br />xo Lindsay<br /><br /><br /> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- BIG Ad for posts --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1823932887598627" data-ad-slot="9770787480"></ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script>

Kitchen Reveal

Ta-da! Our new kitchen! Can you believe it's Ikea? I'm in love with our kitchen. Our kitchen is a great example of mixing high end i...

Read more »

Trick to making Ikea kitchen cabinets look custom...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAECSWQPeh88Z8bs9xW1eDR9pDAhotCSyGvBcj2ZVhzialBQaSfGxt49rsgnXC8c6igAdMYx86Sg0-MEelPqJlXPCQfLJYC0d3HnDXRML5WlHgtddpT9_e4JBPmqtJR_zB4ZNnnRn5voW/s1600/molding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAECSWQPeh88Z8bs9xW1eDR9pDAhotCSyGvBcj2ZVhzialBQaSfGxt49rsgnXC8c6igAdMYx86Sg0-MEelPqJlXPCQfLJYC0d3HnDXRML5WlHgtddpT9_e4JBPmqtJR_zB4ZNnnRn5voW/s1600/molding.jpg" /></a></div><br />Happy Monday. This above happened over the weekend. :) Aubrey is constructing the final piece of the kitchen - the valances*. Hooray! He has cut them and glued them together before we go ahead and install them on the upper cabinets. <br /><br />This is another <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/08/making-ikea-cabinets-look-custom.html">trick to making Ikea Cabinets look custom</a> - we skipped  buying the molding that they offered at Ikea. Instead we went to our local lumber yard and found a trim style/size we liked and Aubrey is going to install them to hide the under cabinet lighting we installed.<br /><br />When we paint the trim above the Benjamin Moore Paper Mache, they will blend in with the Ikea  cabinetry. Remember: <a href="http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.ca/2012/08/making-ikea-cabinets-look-custom.html">Benjamin Moore's Paper Mache is a perfect match for Ikea's Adel doors</a>. That tip is worth gold. <em>Really</em>. <br /><br />*Ok, so I call them valances, others call them light rail moldings. What it is, is molding to hide the under cabinet lights.

Trick to making Ikea kitchen cabinets look custom...

Happy Monday. This above happened over the weekend. :) Aubrey is constructing the final piece of the kitchen - the valances*. Hooray! He has...

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Making Ikea cabinets look custom

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnpzJzc9DH5tPnk2685F1yzsdZw40h53A-R3O23OYCfKIn9d_FzLsGhuepNWC1aONczHwmOqZFHySwI3bZGdv6hO8KU4Z9aTUyhxEW3cqIxGKaE_lY5u9psA5jWDhZM8bfU_J1PUc-PBA/s1600/crown+moulding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnpzJzc9DH5tPnk2685F1yzsdZw40h53A-R3O23OYCfKIn9d_FzLsGhuepNWC1aONczHwmOqZFHySwI3bZGdv6hO8KU4Z9aTUyhxEW3cqIxGKaE_lY5u9psA5jWDhZM8bfU_J1PUc-PBA/s1600/crown+moulding.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXcRhegPHHGck4ARaBep8EeJ5qwdVTrQ8-ZbInmYAil20gDZISJ0GbwUETSGc3Bo9_MlHzBzOuf_BsKJNOZekW5q5iHz7bY2Gp1iKxF57vI-8KH_tEIeA7lYJOt6-a9MS5szuuQvXZWjW/s1600/IMG_6836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXcRhegPHHGck4ARaBep8EeJ5qwdVTrQ8-ZbInmYAil20gDZISJ0GbwUETSGc3Bo9_MlHzBzOuf_BsKJNOZekW5q5iHz7bY2Gp1iKxF57vI-8KH_tEIeA7lYJOt6-a9MS5szuuQvXZWjW/s1600/IMG_6836.jpg" /></a></div><br />I have always loved the look of crown moulding around kitchen cabinetry, especially when you're using "Big Box Store" cabinets. I think it's one of the key elements in making something out of a flat packed box look custom. (See<a href="http://carolreeddesign.blogspot.ca/2009/10/why-i-love-ikea-kitchens.html" target="_blank"> Carol Reed's blog</a> for inspiration on ways to make Ikea kitchens look custom) Early in the design process we accounted for having crown moulding above the cabinets. <br /><br />First thing - we went with the tallest Ikea cabinets possible. After accounting for the space between the counter and bottom of the cabinets (18") we were left with enough for a 2" crown moulding. Prior to installing the crown moulding, I painted it in Benjamin Moore's Paper Mache. Because we're working with a lot of whites, it was important to match the Ikea doors. <br /><br />If you're going to do the same - make a note of the fact that <a href="http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/papermache" target="_blank">Benjamin Moore's Paper Mache</a> is a perfect match for <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30080364/" target="_blank">Ikea's Adel Doors</a>. Ikea Adel doors are <em>not white - t</em>hey are a creamy tone. I fretted about this originally, but I'll tell you now that the cabinets are <em>gorgeous</em> and I love the tone. I think if they were any whiter they would look <em>too</em> white. You can see in the photos above the crown moulding against the ceiling colour (bright white). The cabinets are definitely cream. By painting the crown moulding the same colour as the doors it makes the entire upper cabinetry look built in. Best decision. <br /><br />Almost there! We really have only one thing left to do.....<br /><br />Ps., Thanks to <a href="http://www.citytv.com/cityline/personalities/95694--leigh-ann-allaire-perrault" target="_blank">Leigh-Ann</a> for helping me figure out the paint colour for the doors! If you don't have a friend that is a part of the Benjamin Moore Design Team then do what I also did and bring an Ikea door with you to your paint store and start pulling out paint swatches to try to match. (I did this to double check that we were going with the right tone)<br /><br />

Making Ikea cabinets look custom

I have always loved the look of crown moulding around kitchen cabinetry, especially when you're using "Big Box Store" cabinets...

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kitchen tricks: hidden outlet

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTO2Ctu1HynALpqrMO_DAeRCgXa2pnowldDi2Z5S9xiewJjbcPLLDtmWHQ949zb-Hj1SNDWBD9x0txCgCqGWi3ueN-F4CNfe5uAkP6PBfi0ytmw_Ka68PHvZ9ccIfORS_MBKdKZ7fKzlPz/s1600/plug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTO2Ctu1HynALpqrMO_DAeRCgXa2pnowldDi2Z5S9xiewJjbcPLLDtmWHQ949zb-Hj1SNDWBD9x0txCgCqGWi3ueN-F4CNfe5uAkP6PBfi0ytmw_Ka68PHvZ9ccIfORS_MBKdKZ7fKzlPz/s1600/plug.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One thing you won't see when I reveal the kitchen is this hidden outlet. In order not to break up the backsplash with an outlet but also because this wall is <em>concrete</em> (it's a shared wall with our neighbour) we didn't (and couldn't) install wall outlets along this one wall. So a plug was hidden on the base of our upper cabinets- out of sight but easy to plug in things when you need to use that blender. Here is a nicer shot of how someone else did it <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/18929260904545443/" target="_blank">over on Pinterest.</a> <br /><br />Ps., The backsplash is still being worked on so excuse the unfinished tiling backdrop.

kitchen tricks: hidden outlet

One thing you won't see when I reveal the kitchen is this hidden outlet. In order not to break up the backsplash with an outlet but also...

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