Idea Guide


Remodeling? Decorating? Landscaping? Use this Idea Guide to find out what we did and how we did it.  Note: The house is constantly in flux, so expect the Idea Guide content to vary as well!

IKEA KITCHENS

This four-part series discusses, diary-style, our experience with researching, measuring, purchasing, installing, and using an IKEA kitchen system with IKEA fixtures, Wilsonart Laminate countertops, Frigidaire appliances, and Rejuvenation hardware. Part 1 details the experience we had using IKEA’s downloadable kitchen designer. Part 2 will talk more about the purchase process and how to be prepared for delivery and installation. In Part 3, we will tell you the nitty-gritty details of our installation fiascos. And in Part 4, we will walk you through our kitchen one year after we installed and moved in to discuss how it is holding up.


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IKEA Kitchens Part 1: Using the Kitchen Designer

“Before we began our home redesign, David and I knew that a major overhaul was needed in the kitchen.   The original eat-in kitchen was a tight little space of only 110 square feet, poorly organized and barely functional. Our builder’s original estimate for the kitchen alone was over $20,000. David’s amazing do-it-yourself streak emerged and we began to look for other options.”

ikea-part-one-thumbIKEA Kitchens, Part 2: Purchasing Your IKEA Kitchen

“The more David and I talked about where to cut corners, the more the kitchen came into play. We figured we could afford the kitchen or the dining room, but not both. Did we really need granite countertops?  Although we eventually decided against boomerangs or Apollo themes, we still wanted those classic Akrum cabinet faces. We decided we could make almost any countertop and backsplash work with their features, and we had heard that installation was a do-it-yourself kind of job, so we set about placing our order.”

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IKEA Kitchens, Part 3: Installing Your IKEA Kitchen

“Again, I need to emphasize the importance of checking and double-checking the inventory list with a sales rep before you leave the IKEA showroom. It is easy to leave without a cabinet door or two on the list, and because the wait time for receiving your product can be weeks or even months depending on the popularity of your choice, it is worth those ten minutes of anal retentiveness.”