What Don’t You Want in Your IKEA Kitchen Redesign?

Tell us the ideas you love for your new IKEA kitchen, but don’t forget to tell us the ideas you hate.

We’ve discussed the importance of determining your style and creating mood boards to help your IKD designer understand what you hope to achieve from an IKEA kitchen remodel. Kitchen inspiration photos and an idea of the aesthetic elements that appeal to you are extremely helpful to us.

However, knowing what you don’t want—and communicating that to your designer—is equally important. Here are a few examples of how knowing what you love and hate can make for a smoother design process with IKD.

An IKEA Kitchen Design in Black

Black kitchens are becoming a popular response to the all-white cabinet trend. If this style appeals to you, you may think to let your designer know you would like the following:

• Black cabinet doors and drawer fronts.
• A white marble laminate countertop for contrast.
• Silver drawer pulls and cabinet handles.
• Cabinets that touch the ceiling.

However, you may forget to mention critical don’ts, like:

• You don’t want woodgrain cabinets. Your designer will use NICKEBO fronts rather than LERHYTTAN.
• You don’t like a lot of veins in your countertops. Your designer may integrate TOLKEN countertops rather than EKBACKEN.
• You don’t want knobs on your cabinets. Your designer would use BAGGANAS or KALLROR handles instead.
• You don’t want tall cabinets in the design. Your designer will use only base and wall cabinets rather than tall pantry cabinets.

A Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design

The modern farmhouse kitchen design is embodied in white cabinets, open shelving, wood accents, and apron-front sinks. A typical IKEA modern farmhouse kitchen design request could include the following:

• A white apron-front sink.
• Floating woodgrain shelves.
• Easy-to-clean white cabinet doors and drawers.
• Butcher block countertops.

But also mention your don’ts, like:

• You don’t want a double apron-front sink. Your designer will create the rendering with BOVIGGEN rather than HAVSEN.
• You don’t want to be limited to knickknacks on your floating shelves. Your designer may recommend Semihandmade shelves, which can hold 10-12 pounds per foot of shelving, as opposed to IKEA’s LACK shelving, which is rated for approximately 6 pounds per foot.
• You don’t want white cabinets with integrated handles or high-gloss fronts. Your designer will avoid VOXTORP and RINGHULT and design using VEDDINGE doors and drawer fronts.
• You don’t want a light brown butcher block countertop. Your designer will design with a walnut veneer option rather than oak or birch.

An IKEA Coastal Kitchen Design

IKEA carries all the elements necessary to create a relaxing coastal kitchen that makes you feel like you’re steps away from the sand. You can find cabinet doors and drawer fronts in blue and beige, rattan accessories, and sunny lighting options in every IKEA store.

If you want a coastal kitchen, you may ask for the following:

• A tall pantry cabinet.
• Door and drawer fronts in beachy, beige colors.
• Waterfall countertop.
• A kitchen island with seating.

But don’t forget to tell us if there are elements that turn you off, like:

• You don’t want typical pantry shelves in your pantry cabinet. Your designer may suggest the UTRUSTA pull-out pantry organizer or a Rev-A-Shelf alternative.
• You don’t like textured cabinet doors and drawers. Your designer will use HAVSTORP instead of STENSUND fronts or suggest a company that makes custom doors, like Semihandmade.
• You don’t want to spend a fortune on your countertops. Our designer may suggest laminate rather than quartz.
• You don’t want the island to look the same as the rest of the kitchen. Our designers are experts at fitting different elements together in a cohesive design. Opting for a different-colored countertop that fits the coastal theme while using the same base cabinets and drawer pulls as the rest of the kitchen is an easy way to achieve contrast and cohesion.

A Neutral IKEA Kitchen Design

This is also known as a Scandinavian design, and since IKEA is a Swedish company, we certainly hope they have this design aesthetic down to a science. Minimalism is growing in popularity, and more and more homeowners are learning to appreciate the neutral tones, natural light, and clean lines.

Here are a few examples of what a Scandinavian kitchen design customer might have in mind:

• Flat-front cabinets.
• Exposed storage.
• Light-colored countertops.
• Supplemental lighting.

It’s helpful to know if there are elements you don’t want in your minimalist kitchen, like:

• You don’t want push-to-open cabinets. Your designer will focus on achieving that sleek, no-handle look using cabinets with integrated handles, like VOXTORP and FROJERED.
• You don’t want to worry about the dust that can accumulate with open shelving. Your designer will consider glass-front storage options that achieve an open look without the dust collection.
• You don’t want a countertop that is too plain or the same as every other Scandinavian kitchen design. Your designer will know to suggest options with a little more personality, like EKBACKEN in beige/patterned laminate, something in light gray, or a light butcher block.
• You don’t want a lighting plan that looks bright and unnatural. When your IKD designer creates your lighting plan, they’ll know to keep it toned down with lots of under-cabinet lighting designed to mimic natural lighting.

A detailed list of design dos and don’ts can make the IKEA kitchen design process run smoothly.

Considering what you do and don’t want from your kitchen design helps clarify your vision while saving a lot of back and forth between you and your designer. Each IKD kitchen design package includes two free revisions, but we know our customers are eager to get their finished designs as quickly as possible.

Your IKD designer will take design elements you love, toss design elements you can’t stand, and design a new IKEA kitchen that will become the heart of your home.