IKEA Laundry Room Uses Customized IKEA Cabinets to Overcome Design Challenges

In This article

• How to remodel your IKEA laundry room with custom appeal
• Using third party cabinet fronts for a clean, modern look
• Creating design solutions using IKEA cabinet ‘hacks’

How to create a personalized and customized IKEA laundry room design using third party doors

As you begin your IKEA laundry room project you may have a clear vision, and you may even have confidence as a DIYer. Sure you can stack the cabinets yourself, right? You can take proper measurements. You may have even started using IKEA’s Home Planner software. But what happens when you encounter structural issues or unforeseeable delays that require professional design solutions? That’s when you need the confidence to ask for help.

This is exactly what happened for IKD customer Michael from Lone Tree, CO, a Denver suburb, when he and his wife decided to remodel their laundry room after having previously remodeled other areas in their home.

“We had remodeled our kitchen and bathrooms before. We wanted our laundry room to have that custom look [and to be more efficient.]. I’m pretty happy with the design results. The IKEA SEKTION system made everything easy to install. IKD’s designs were really good and I didn’t have to do anything too crazy [to make it work],” Michael says.

Michael also didn’t want any errors and he realized he didn’t know enough about design plus the IKEA Home Planner just filled in the space with boxes (rather than accounting for unique layout angles) leaving he and his wife in need of professional design assistance. After finding IKD online though Pinterest, HOUZZ and blogs, Michael began working with IKD designer Frank.

Michael selected third-party shaker doors, cabinet frames in Gray along with a white finish and complemented by IKEA’s Maximera drawers. These cabinet frames were custom cut to 24″x20″ with a total cabinet wall alignment measuring 104-1/2″. To complete the laundry layout the couple selected a stainless steel, under-glued IKEA BREDSJON apron front sink measuring 24″x18″, a Rev-A-Shelf Trash Pull Out as well as IKEA KARLBY countertops featuring a walnut veneer.

He adds that these laundry room product choices were selected specifically because he wanted a custom look without a custom price tag. The result? Michael and his wife were able to complete a modern, clean and custom-styled IKEA laundry room renovation for an IKEA total price of $3,562 along with an IKEA Extra Items amount of $958, for a grand total of $4,520 — well within their budget.

Let’s see how Michael’s IKEA laundry room design came together!

What are the Best Ways to Handle Challenges with an IKEA Laundry Room Project?

Unfortunately for Michael, he had initially attempted to use a local carpenter to install his IKEA cabinets but could not get on the schedule.

“Since we couldn’t get on the schedule with the carpenter I just started doing the install myself. I figured even though I’m not a designer, I can probably figure out how to piece the cabinets together,” he explains.

So he decided to visit his local IKEA (less than 10 minutes from his home) and began using the IKEA Home Planner software. However, the IKEA Home Planner can be notoriously buggy and complicated for inexperienced users. Plus the IKEA Home Planner doesn’t really work with angled walls so Michael found himself quickly overwhelmed by the IKEA design process.

“I played around with the IKEA cabinet builder online when I went into IKEA [and after that experience] I don’t have any doubt I made the right choice using IKD. It was the little details of the process, such as whether to add a panel here or how can I work with this thing that is not standard IKEA. It definitely wasn’t worth my time to do it by myself,” he adds.

It was at this point that Michael and his wife started doing more research online with Pinterest, HOUZZ and design blogs and found IKD. However due to COVID having caused long backorders with their sink and their original IKEA cabinet choice, IKD was able to suggest custom IKEA cabinet “hacks” to modify their cabinets and recommend other affordable options through the door supplier to keep the project on-track.

“I recall that IKEA was out of stock for a certain cabinet for so long that we decided to saw some of them down for a custom look. I had a co-worker who had done a similar project with IKEA and the door company and was really happy with the results. So we wanted to continue to work with IKEA and third party doors a shot and not spend $30,000 on a laundry room,” he explains.

Michael concludes that all inventory was delivered on time, the IKEA prices were in line with his budget, there were no snags in the IKD design process, and his experience with the door company was “flawless.”

How Does IKD’s IKEA Hacks Improve A Kitchen Design?

IKD’s signature IKEA cabinet “hacks” are modifications made to standard IKEA cabinets (and cabinet fronts from third-party manufacturers in order to create custom design solutions while working seamlessly with IKEA’s SEKTION cabinetry framework.

IKEA in-store associates don’t typically design cabinet hacks, so Michael’s laundry room required professional design guidance from IKD designer Frank — especially since Michael could not figure out how to make them himself.

Notably, while not an IKD cabinet “hack” per se, Michael ordered Rev-A-Shelf ‘s Trash Pull Out separately and wanted to make sure it was well-integrated with the design. This was achieved by customizing the layout further and incorporating the trash pullout next to the IKEA BREDSJON apron front sink.

How To Customize an IKEA Laundry Room Despite Structural Challenges

As mentioned, the laundry room layout features an unusual footprint including angled walls that required some inspired design solutions.

“There was a little bit of plumbing and outlets to put in. Plus we replaced the flooring and tore out a soffit and electrical in the soffit. We also made sure the laundry shoot still connected. Lastly, we did crown molding and we picked out the crown molding with our IKD designer who planned what we had to work with. We wound up with tiles on three of the walls, which we really like and which captures the modern look we were after,” Michael says.

Combined with the cabinet “hacks” and the Rev-A-Shelf Trash Pull Out, this IKEA laundry room is equally functional and stylish in a very customized way, enabling the couple to work more efficiently.

Why Should IKEA Customers Reach Out to IKD for Design Help?

For Michael, the IKD design and door supplier purchasing process was the smoothest part of his IKEA laundry room project.

“It was all very straightforward, just take measurements. Basically you tell IKD what you’re looking for and then you’re guided to measure accordingly, plus take some pictures, create a design board with some interests, and take a video of the room so the designer can see any obstructions or potential challenges,” he explains.

He says this was a relief because he knew that it takes good design abilities to design around those design obstacles and IKD was the professional designers that could make it work.

“I can’t think of any major issues with our IKEA laundry room remodel. There were some extra panels that we had to put in that were diagrammed in the order that we had put in with the door company. They provided the cabinet frames based on those measurements we worked on with IKD. None of the process was too confusing or daunting [with IKD’s design guidance],” Michael concludes.

As you can see, this IKEA laundry room project was a success that checked all the boxes Michael and his wife wanted: A custom design with a modern flair which was affordable and functional. Even for an experienced DIYer like him, it took IKD’s designers to help him overcome his initial challenges and achieve the final look he envisioned. If you’re ready to begin your IKEA laundry room project, our design team is here to guide you and attain similar results. Let’s get started!