IKEA kitchen maximizes space, style and storage

Maximizing storage in a small IKEA kitchen is a matter of working with what you have

Knowing what you want is half the battle with kitchen designs.

This was certainly the experience for IKD customer Evelyn from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, who knew from the start she wanted IKEA cabinetry for her new kitchen. “I’ve always wanted IKEA cabinets. I love the look of them and have always explored the show kitchens when in an IKEA store. I know they’re good quality, functional, flexible and economical,” she says.

This was crucial because she and her husband were looking to remodel a small, outdated and inefficient kitchen into one with light, open space; plenty of storage and a large island. She explains: “My main concern was if we could fit everything. The kitchen was so small and cramped before and I knew opening it up would make a big difference. But I still had to work within the same footprint. And I was very concerned about fitting in a good-sized island.”

So armed with examples of kitchen designs from HOUZZ, Pinterest and Google along with design guidance from IKD, Evelyn chose IKEA BODBYN kitchen cabinetry to go along with the IKEA SEKTION framework system for her open concept kitchen.

To accomplish the open floor concept, the couple tore down a partial wall that was previously separating the kitchen from the living room. “We used IKEA BODBYN doors in off white for the perimeter and in grey for the island. We also used the BODBYN contoured molding for the tops and bottom of the cabinets, and a BODBYN decorative toe kick for the island,” she describes.

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IKEA MAXIMERA drawers and IKEA UTRUSTA hardware for the interior organizers, which provide plenty of storage options, complement the cabinetry.

The cabinetry is also accented by Richelieu Traditional Matte Black cabinet pulls and Richelieu Matte Black Mushroom cabinet knobs as well as an eye-catching backsplash featuring 4”x12” Ceratec Ragno White Brick. The look is paired with LG Viatera Everest Quartz countertops for clean and traditional design theme. “We bought the countertops from a local supplier who also installed it. We chose quartz because of its beauty and durability,” she says.

Rounding out the product lineup is a variety of high-end appliances, including: A Kohler Vault stainless steel undermount kitchen sink; a GE 20.8 cu.ft. French-Door refrigerator; a Moen Nori faucet; an Ancona Pyramid range hood; and the couple’s existing Kenmore oven and Frigidaire dishwasher.

A Craftmaid pendant sink light in matte black and patina aged brass pops with the white theme and provides overhead lighting when washing dishes or peeling and washing vegetables.

Perhaps most impressively is that Evelyn and her husband achieved these results while staying under their design budget of $10,000!

She concludes: “We bought the cabinets during the IKEA kitchen event, and the quartz was a remnant from another job so we saved a lot with those two deals.”

Let’s see how Evelyn turned her kitchen design ideas into a stunning IKEA kitchen!

Working the plan

Evelyn and her husband installed the kitchen themselves.

“Being fairly handy, we thought that with the detailed IKD drawings, we could handle doing it ourselves. While there were some tougher sections, most of the kitchen install was straightforward and we’re happy that we didn’t need to hire anyone,” she says. “The main obstacle was fitting the refrigerator and a small cabinet along the wall next to the oven. Since we have a patio door there, which we didn’t want to move, we had to work with the space we had,” she adds.

To solve this, they swapped out the existing refrigerator with a new 30”-wide fridge, leaving just enough space to fit a 12” cabinet between the fridge and stove.

She continues: “HOUZZ was also invaluable to us when we came to any issues during the install process. Anytime we were stuck with something, I would find the answer in the HOUZZ community.”

And lastly, she notes that working with IKD ensured that the process went smoother as well.

“I was very intimidated by the idea of needing to design the kitchen myself as I’d tried out the IKEA Kitchen Planner and realized it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. When I discovered IKD’s design services during the cabinet research process, I was excited because it was the solution to getting the IKEA kitchen I always wanted,” she says.

She concludes: “Choosing IKEA cabinets would save us thousands of dollars, so spending a couple hundred on having someone take all the work out of the designing/ordering process was a no brainer for us.”

Center of attention

Incorporating the large center island into the existing footprint was the hardest part of the install process.

“Since it required cutting down huge sheets for the sides, it took a bit of trial and error to get the sides on perfectly, and to trim out the edges,” Evelyn says. “We used the small cut ends of the side panels to inlay where the two panels meet, along with the BODBYN decorative toe kick which gave a nice finished look.”

Ultimately, they were able to fit a 5’ island complete with six drawers, which provide plenty of counterpace and storage.
“Also, going to the ceiling with the cabinets maximized all of our vertical space as well,” she says.

Completing the look are Quoizel Veil Single light pendants with hammered glass shade over the island.

Parting advice

Evelyn notes it was the details of the process that made the difference in her remodeling project.

“Honestly, my advice to anyone considering an IKEA renovation is to hire IKD. It’s the first thing I tell friends when they see our kitchen. It was so nice to take all the work out of the daunting design and ordering process,” she says.

She continues: “The fact that IKD provides a ready-made IKEA kitchen design along with the necessary items, and plans with much more detail and a list of extras that the IKEA planner doesn’t provide, is invaluable. It was so nice to walk into IKEA and just hand the employee our plans and have everything ordered within minutes.” She concludes: “I can’t say enough about how happy I was that we had IKD do the hard work for us. We love our kitchen and are completely happy with how it turned out.”

Learn more about how we can design your IKEA kitchen, bath, laundry room and closet at inspiredkitchendesign.com.

Credit: Let There Be Light Photography