Finally planning an IKEA kitchen according to your own ideas: That was my long-awaited wish for the new apartment. First and foremost, the Scandinavian kitchen should be beautiful and practical, but also not too expensive and quickly available. And most importantly: I wanted a kitchen without wall cabinets. In my experience report, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about kitchen planning, IKEA worktops, Metod base units *, IKEA kitchen fronts Voxtorp * and the selection of electrical appliances.
This post contains affiliate links * and unsolicited advertising. *
UPDATE 2021: Since I still have so many questions about the kitchen, I have added the answers in the article.
Anyone who has ever planned and built a kitchen themselves knows the feeling: How nice it is when everything is finally there in the end and puts a smile on your face every morning.
by the way: You can find a brand new video on the IKEA YouTube channel with further assembly tips from the friendly IKEA kitchen fitter Bogdan.
Finding inspiration in the kitchen
Our new IKEA kitchen corresponds exactly to my ideas. The way there was associated with some research effort. As an inspiration for my dream kitchen, I came across this kitchen article myself at IKEA. The perfect basis for my Scandinavian kitchen, which I didn’t want a kitchen with wall cabinets but with an open wall shelf and still enough storage space in the drawers.
You can also find more inspiration for browsing on my Pinterest pin board for kitchen ideas.
IKEA kitchen planner: You should pay attention to this when planning
Now that I knew what my kitchen should look like, I researched the right carcasses, fronts and shelves at IKEA. After you have measured the area, you can start using the IKEA kitchen planner. You can also save your drafts here. Think carefully beforehand how much storage space you will need for dishes, pots and cutlery. Do you also want to store supplies and sorting garbage in your kitchen?
At the end of your planning, I would recommend that you have the final draft checked by an experienced Ikea kitchen consultant. From this file you can finally get a pick-up slip and the like. can be generated by including all required elements. We picked up our IKEA kitchen by ourselves during our move and set it up over several days – with a lot of support and strong nerves from Dad.
What does an IKEA kitchen cost?
For our IKEA kitchen with a length of 3.89 m – excluding electrical appliances – we paid around € 2,500. Since we live for rent, the price is unbeatable. However, we also had support from experienced family builders – building the kitchen alone would certainly have been more difficult. As a built-in oven, we have the Siemens HE578AB.1 * model with a matching stove – there are certainly successor models here as well.
That’s why, in my experience, you can buy your kitchen at IKEA (with small restrictions):
- timeless, Scandinavian design
- large selection of fronts and worktops for every taste
- fast provision / collection (if all parts are available)
- comparatively low price
- Compatible with many IKEA storage space solutions, such as cutlery boxes
- 25 year guarantee
Our IKEA kitchen at a glance
The total width of our kitchen is approx. 3.89 m. We have divided all base cabinets into 3.80 m. The remaining 9 cm on the left and right sides are hidden behind plinths.
Numbers and facts: We have selected the Metod base cabinets in a set with the Maximera drawers and Voxtorp fronts (matt white) *. The associated Maximera drawers are each available in a set with a matching drawer front. In our IKEA kitchen you can see the variants with a height of 20 cm and 40 cm. There are separate combination sets for using the sink and oven.
Kitchen layout from left to right in the picture:
These products were also installed in our IKEA kitchen:
In the SHOP MY STYLE category you will find my product tips for the kitchen to buy later!
Metod base cabinets with Ikea Voxtorp fronts
The Metod base cabinets are attached using wall rails and can thus be leveled out a little. Even if almost 4 m sounds like a large kitchen: If you subtract the space for the sink, dishwasher and oven, there is not much storage space left. We store less frequently used kitchen utensils, e.g. for baking, in the utility room.
We chose the matt white Voxtorp fronts to match the Metod base units and we haven’t regretted it. These Voxtorp fronts with the hidden handles are very easy to care for: They can simply be wiped off with a mild detergent and a damp dishcloth or a dirt eraser.
Storage space in the Maximera drawers
The Voxtorp fronts are mounted on the Maximera drawers beforehand. We have selected 1x high (40 cm high) and 2x medium (20 cm high) drawers to match the Metod built-in cupboards with a width of 80 cm, 60 cm and 40 cm.
Special case: For the cutlery drawer, we have also selected a drawer for spices (both 10 cm high): everything is sorted within easy reach.
For a uniform appearance, the heights of the fronts should be in line as far as possible. In our IKEA kitchen, the design is only interrupted by the stove and oven.
For more order in the kitchen drawers, you can still use the Maximera dividers *.
ALSO INTERESTING: More tips for organizing kitchen cabinets
IKEA Karlby worktop made of oak
If you need a long worktop with special dimensions over 4 m, you have to expect longer waiting times in hardware stores and specialist shops. For this reason we opted for two Ikea Karlby worktops made of oak veneer * – each with 2.46 m and 1.86 m. So that the worktops do not swell at the cut edge, the connection – called the “joint” – should not be in the Be near the sink. The connection between the two worktops is on our stove and can hardly be seen.
How durable are the IKEA worktops?
We have now been living with the IKEA kitchen for over 3 years and we like to cook a lot. Unfortunately, you can also see something on the worktop: In the meantime, it is a bit worn with a few quirks and one or two water stains.
So you should always make sure to wipe away the water droplets soon. Another idea would be to treat the worktop with wood wax * beforehand, which we unfortunately did not do before.
Open wall shelf instead of wall cabinets
I really wanted one for the open kitchen-living room Kitchen without wall cupboards. Wall cabinets offer storage space, but they also look very powerful and take up a lot of light. The well-known lacquer wall shelves * are therefore ideal, as you cannot see the suspension through the concealed fittings.
We use the IKEA Hack Billy shelf as a kitchen cupboard to store glasses, tea towels and cookbooks. The only things on the wall shelf are things that we use every day, such as cutting boards and coffee mugs – so nothing gets dusty.
For the Matälskare extractor hood * I would have much preferred to have chosen a more chic version in black *. However, this was not available at the time, so it has become the steel-colored * version.
Metro tile kitchen back wall made of tile stickers
If you are wondering how we attached our Metro tile kitchen splashback, I have a great tip for you: These are very simple tile stickers! All details about the attachment and product links can be found in this post:
Metro tiles in the kitchen: make your own kitchen splashback from tile stickers
Metro tile stickers
Combine IKEA kitchens with other electrical appliances
Why we decided against IKEA electrical appliances
Unfortunately, these are not rated very well. That is why we wanted to install a branded device for the stove, oven and dishwasher according to our own ideas. However, there are a few things to consider in advance:
Which dishwasher fits in an IKEA kitchen?
We asked ourselves the same question. Unfortunately it can do not install any dishwasher in an IKEA kitchen. This also makes it a bit more expensive and you should must be observed beforehand: Most dishwashers are designed for a front of 75 cm, but the IKEA fronts or the body are 80 cm too high.
The lower edge would hit the baseboard and the dishwasher would not open. We glued the 3 individual Voxtorp fronts * onto an MDF board and hooked it onto the dishwasher as a facing. The hooks for this were supplied with the dishwasher.
So that Third-party dishwasher compatible with the IKEA kitchen in Metod bodies the dishwasher should be equipped as follows:
- Total height of the front up to 80 cm
- 60 cm or 45 cm wide
- Vario hinge
When choosing the dishwasher, we orientated ourselves on this article, which explains this in great detail. With our dishwasher from Siemens * (model SX736X03ME), the assembly of the front worked very well. This hides the dishwasher well. There are now successor models * for this model. You can also find more suitable dishwashers for your IKEA kitchen in this post.
As far as I know, nothing special needs to be observed for stove and oven beforehand – unless you plan a drawer under the stove.
Sink and faucet
Is a black sink easier to care for?
I suspect it doesn’t really matter whether you choose a black, stainless steel or white sink: water and limescale stains cannot be avoided. As soon as the dishes have drained and dried, I wipe our black Hällviken built-in sink * regularly.
Black as an accent color: The black sink * is a great eye-catcher so that our IKEA kitchen does not look too boring with the white fronts, the wooden worktop, white tiles and the existing oak parquet.
However, I am not so satisfied with the IKEA faucet: The water pressure is far too high and it squirts the water in all directions. Unfortunately, I have not yet found out how the water jet of the Älmaren mixer tap * can be regulated. Here we will look again for an alternative.
UPDATE: We ordered and used a new jet regulator * online, with which the water jet can be regulated much better.
ALSO INTERESTING: More inspiration for your kitchen
Do you still have questions about planning IKEA kitchens? Then please leave me a comment!
The products shown contain affiliate links *. That means: If you buy the article via my link, I will get a small commission. However, there are no additional costs for you. I only recommend articles that I am convinced of myself.
