Can you tell It’s an IKEA kitchen?

An example of an affordable IKEA kitchen full of function and style

When you’re looking to get a new IKEA kitchen for your home, it helps to have friends like Andrew Kline. Andrew is an interior designer in New York City who recently helped friends in Brooklyn remodel their new townhouse.

Andrew does not usually design with IKEA, but his friends wanted to save some money by getting an IKEA kitchen for their new home, this IKEA kitchen design is really good.

When I asked Andrew why he, an experienced interior designer, hired IKD to do this IKEA kitchen design, his answer was simple.

“It would have taken me too long to learn how to use the IKEA Home Planner. I have a day job and fiddling around with their software is a waste of my time.”

So if you struggle with the Home Planner – don’t feel bad. Even an interior designer thinks it’s a pain to use.

Would you even know this was an IKEA kitchen if we didn’t tell you? Let’s get up close. This kitchen features one genius detail in particular and we think you’ll love it!

An IKEA kitchen with a deep counter shelf for storage

The kitchen footprint changed quite a bit from its old incarnation. Previously it was darker and closed off from the dining room. Andrew took out a wall adding a new arched opening to the kitchen. He made the shape of the opening match existing openings on the main floor to make it it feel original to the house.  The window was also moved.

Only the kitchen cabinets and HÄGGEBY doors are from IKEA. Everything else was sourced elsewhere.

The light fixture is from Roll and Hill. The floor is custom cork and the chimney behind the kitchen hood is Fireclay tile glazed brick. The dishwasher and refrigerator are Miele. The range and hood are Wolf. The faucet is Dornbracht and the sink is Kohler.

One thing Andrew especially needed IKD’s help with was the corner wall cabinet that meets at a 90 degree angle. The Home Planner would not let Andrew design this.

The detail we love best is how Andrew chose to “bump” out the base cabinets to make them a little deeper. Instead of making the countertop deeper, he added in the ledge you see underneath the wall cabinets. What a great way to keep spices close at hand without getting in the way of the workspace!

The kitchen peninsula houses the sink and dishwasher, while supplying seating on the other side.

The countertop is from Wood Welded. If you want to use an undermount sink with a butcher block top like this kitchen, understand this is not a kitchen project for the faint of heart! The wood rim must be perfectly sealed around the kitchen sink. This is very difficult to do, and is best left to an experienced installer.

Even the professionals don’t want to fuss with the IKEA home planner – so why should you?

Don’t waste your time trying to figure out the IKEA Home Planner. Instead, hire IKD to do the heavy lifting. We’ll get you a great kitchen design while you focus on the important details like planning your first dinner party in your new IKEA kitchen.