The 1963 remuddled kitchen “before”
You know I am the world’s biggest proponent of doing things “the hard way.” But sometimes, I see these Ikea kitchen makeovers, and I think: They look pretty darn good and would be so easy, especially compared to spending five years hunting down vintage steel cabinets. Case in point, above: Jerry has embarked on a new project — buying midcentury homes in Pittsburgh and renovating them, as required and in period-sympathetic style, for rental. I like to show lots of different ways to go after your home remodeling projects. I have never shown an Ikea kitchen before. I think this could be a very practical and relatively affordable solution for many people. Read on for Jerry’s story, for more photos, and for more discussion of The Ikea Option. Do you have experience with these cabinets? Please share!
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Yo, Jerry — at Pam’s Diner in Pittsburgh!
Jerry writes:
Hi Pam,I have attached pictures of my first Mid-Century Modest Renovation. The house is a ranch built in 1963 that I renovated to rent to retro appreciators. So far that has been a bit of a tough sell in Pittsburgh, but I am not giving up. In fact, I am looking at a second property to rehab in the same manner. Many of the resources I used to refurbish this ranch came directly from info I obtained through Retro Renovation.
Actually, aside from the kitchen not much is new. The kitchen was gutted, everything is new except the doorbell cover (Nutone). The pattern for the floor tile came from Retro Renovation.
Ikea cabinets, glass back splash and fixtures (new). Boomerang Formica counter top. The only color still in the line (gray). I have also attached an image of the kitchen (before). The old metal cabinets are still down in the garage, but I am afraid this kitchen endured a bad 70′s makeover.
Bathroom does have new sink, toilet and medicine cabinet. The cabinet came from Retro Renovation. The sink in a house brand, but I thought it looked a lot like some of the Crane models you showcased.
The black and white tile is original as are the chalk fish above the shower (attached). The floor tile was original. It was hard to believe that the whole first floor was covered in this sherbet green sculpted carpet, even the bathroom. When I pulled up the carpet in the bathroom there was this beautiful white tile with black and grey specks. It took a bunch of stripping and scrubbing to get the old wax and carpet residue off, but it came out really beautiful.
The drapes either came from companies you listed on RR (living room) or from cloth purchased at a local thrift store, thanks to my wife Mary Jo. All the furniture is mid-century, mostly purchased from two local stores Mostly Mod (no longer in business) and Retro on 8th both in Homestead, PA right down the street.
The Lane bedroom came from Craigslist. The hardwood floors were refinished. Oh, and the house numbers came from Home Depot through information from one of the blogs you link to. All the light fixtures are new except the swags and the side-table lamp in the living room.
Jerry
More info and more photos on this rental house in West Mifflin, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania can be seen at:
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Thank you, Jerry — what a lovely remodel, and way to go for your love of the midcentury modest and your desire to preserve and restore these homes.
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I really love the way you rearranged the appliances in the kitchen — the refrigerator looks great at the back now. The floor is terrific, and I know that many readers will love how you incorporated the glass tile backsplash. You also finished out the bathroom perfectly, and omg, that original floor! I sure hope you find an appreciative renter for #4201 — and for a long series of fixer-uppers to come. P.S., Go Steelers!!!!
Resources for this remodel:
Let’s talk about the long-term quality
of Ikea and other stock kitchen cabinets today
Okay, peoples, now on to Ikea. It is pretty amazing, the selection of cabinets this company offers, including the many door styles and colors. The basic white sink cabinet I showed above is: $58. My gosh, my family can spend that much on dinner at an inexpensive Italian restaurant.
Their Akurum kitchen cabinet offers doors covered with birch veneer….
Glossy red over MDF — sliders in the case of the wall cabinet, above.
Hey, the door above ain’t too far from Avocado, so Ikea gets props from that. There are many colors and woodgrains, glass-fronts, too….
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Honestly, I’ve never written about Ikea cabinets before, for two reasons. (1) Because I always felt like other blogs had that territory well covered, and I wanted to plow new ground. And (2) Because I have these qualms about the longterm quality of these cabinets. Hey: I have my qualms about the longterm quality of Almost All stock cabinets you’d buy today “at low prices” from Big Box stores… and even qualms about “not so low priced” cabinets from a variety of sources.
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I am not an expert on all the different kitchen cabinet manufacturers or even, exactly what to look for to ensure good long-term quality. When I was doing my aquamarine kitchen, I bought a Consumer Reports online subscription to see what they recommended. As I recall, key issues included looking for: Solidity of “the box” that that doors and drawers to screwed on to. Indeed, the doors and drawers on our 1975 cabinets were all falling off their cheap (clearly) particle board boxes.
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I have this expectation, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable: Kitchen cabinets should last virtually forever. Well-made 1950s wood cabinets did. My steel cabinets will. How long will these Ikeas — and other “affordable” kitchen cabinets made today — made today last?
This summer, Dear Husband and I stayed at a place on vacation that had an Ikea Akurum kitchenette — I took photos, of course, there it is, above. I just asked DH what he remembered about the cabinets. I knew he would remember, because I was all interested in them at the time and tortured him to look at them with me. His recollection, verbatim: “They were nice, they were stylish… but they were chintzy… you know… thin.”.
I don’t want to make anyone feel bad if they have these cabinets in their home. I think they could work very well for many people. They may last a long time — much longer than my fears suggest. And oh my gosh, the price for the style sounds fantastic. But will they last long enough and provide the solid “thump” hand-feel that would it would take to satisfy hard-to-satisfy me? I don’t think so, not to live with for the rest of my life. But for a carefully used single-, couple- or family kitchen, a rental, a mother-in-law apartment, a vacation house? Yes, sounds like Ikea is worth checking out.
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Hey Pam — so glad that you did this article! I will be very glad to hear how everyone else weighs in.
We have an Ikea near me — we adore it!!!!! Our kitchen reno is far, far away in the future, but we are looking and researching — and planning a Valentine’s Day date to Ikea to window shop cabinets! How timely your article is for us!
I will tell you what I know from others. I have some friends who are VERY picky and I was surprised to hear them say they got their cabinets from Ikea.
I think, in a nutshell, yes — you can certainly buy BETTER new cabinets, but they are going to be very expensive. If your budget doesn’t allow you to do that, then Ikea has some very very good ones.
Also, remember that Ikea has cabinets in varying levels of quality and price. You can get the cheaper ones and expect them to wear out after a time — or you can go for their more “high end” line and know (hope) they will last longer.
The very best is great — but I know that for us, the very best will never be an option. Unless we win the lottery, which could happen, I suppose. (ha ha) If we can find something that works and looks right — and will last for a good long while (but not forever) I imagine we’ll be going to Ikea.
And don’t forget the meatballs with lingonberries! A trip to Ikea makes a great cheap date!
I love white cabinets! And I love black and white bathrooms.
I do like colour, I swear. On walls, on accessories, on curtains. But for cabinets and bathrooms I think white is sometimes the perfect answer. And black makes it pop.
Kudos to you for not gutting the bathroom. I have loved black and white bathrooms for at least ten years after other colour schemes have come and gone.
That kitchen floor is pretty spiff, though in the first picture I did think it was gray and butter yellow and that was kinda exciting, and I was like oooh! But grey and white is cool too.
And hurrah for PA, my home state.
I’m also a Pennsylvanian, and if I didn’t have to travel 2 hours to the closest IKEA, I would be there once a week. I love retro, but I love the storage options and ideas that Ikea offers. I used to work for a cabinet installer that used Kraftmaid cabinets, and it was all about the drawer boxes–they were dovetailed and solid wood and the thickness was better than most. So when I look at any other kitchen cabinet, that’s the first thing I observe. Ikea might not be the best of the cabinets, but don’t rule them out. They also have some free-standing cabinets that are very solid. We bought a tea-cart type stand for a corner, and I was very impressed with the heaviness and thickness of the birch wood it was made of. Please know that if you are not familiar with Ikea is that most of their items need assembling, but they include everything (parts, tools, etc.) to put it together with “comic book” type instructions that are easy to follow! It’s pretty fool-proof. If you’ve never been to a store, you are in for a wonderful treat–plan to spend a few hours there!
As for Jerry’s kitchen, I love that he incorporated the boomerang countertops and the tile floor with the newer cabinets–I think that’s a great mix. It just needs a few retro “items” to sit on those shelves near the sink! If I had my way, I would probably buy this house just to be close to the Ikea!!
Love what he did! Would live there in a heartbeat!
Fantastic job, Jerry! I love everything you did to that house.
Just to comment on the quality of IKEA cabinets: I have not experienced installing or owning them, but a friend bought a house to rent over the summer and she gutted the kitchen and bathroom. She bought mid-priced IKEA cabinets for the kitchen. Her father – who is a cabinet maker by trade – installed them and told her the mechanics of the cabinets were excellent (drawer slides, hinges, etc). I would take that as a positive coming from a cabinet maker!
Thanks for tghe kind words Jeanne.
This is a timely article for me – I have given up trying to find metal cabinets because my kitchen is configured so oddly. (especially frustrating since I live in St. Louis, the cheap metal cabinet capitol of the US…) I plan to use IKEA white cabinets with vintage cabinet knobs, retro linoleum tile floor, and vintage appliances. I haven’t decided on countertops yet – but definitely retro laminate. My appliances are pink, so that makes my choice a little harder. I found some Virrvarr white, but I’m not sure how that would look with bright white cabinets. They also have Virrvarr light blue if anyone is looking for some.
I think a plus for me will be the dreaded “resale” word. I am not decorating for resale, as evidenced by my fireplace that’s painted aqua, but I think retro looking well fitted cabinets will be better than “it doesn’t quite fit but works” metal.
I have personally seen installed IKEA cabinets in several kitchens, and they are really nice looking. There is a huge website where you can research for days. Forums, blog links, etc.
http://www.ikeafans.com/
I think it’s great to feature different possibilities for home projects. Jerry’s kitchen looks great. Good luck to you, Jerry, with your rehabbing business. Hope it is successful. It sounds like a great idea.
Thanks Jkaye. So far the only foks I have interested in the rental could have cared less about the aesthetic. Some want me to remove the furniture. I hope to find the folks that appreciate mid-century, but if not, the next rental won’t be furnished. I can’t think of doing rentals without mid-century charm. It just wouldn’t be any fun for me.
Jerry
When we rented our upstairs mother-in-law apartment, we were able to get a lot of money for it furnished, but only if we did short-term rentals. Part of the charm of short-term rentals is that we were able to get high-quality tenants, since few people offer it. And what we couldn’t get rented unfurnished finally was a hot commodity once we put furnishings in. It might be something to think about if it languishes on the market too long.
That has crossed my mind. Can you get a higher rent with a short term? Is it a month to month lease? I assume you keep the utilities in your name? To you advertise in different places than you would with a long term lease?
Very helpful, thanks.
I installed Ikea cabinets and countertop in my 1912 arts and crafts bungalow kitchen a year ago. I had to spruce up the kitchen to try to sell the place. The existing cabinets, etc.. were from the 1970s.
It made a HUGE difference and the kitchen looked great.The new materials sorta fit the style of the bungalow. Sold the house soon after completion.
I would never use Ikea cabinets again. Cheaply constructed boxes and fronts. But in this case, it worked out nicely.
Andreas in Minnesota
so excited to read this article! it was a slow sell for me at first, but my 70+ father is now a complete ikea convert. his previous cabinets were high-end 80′s models whose weak points are definitely flimsy hardware. but once i convinced him to replace some with new ikea ones, he can not say enough about the strength built into their cabinets, at a fraction of the price. bonus: i get to ride along when he makes his shopping trips!
I definitely second everyone who gives the IKEA cabinets a thumbs up. The quality of the MDF (resistance to warping, moisture, etc) keeps improving, as does the hardware, which apparently is made by a company called Blum that has a reputation for quality. And since there are products out there that let you easily customize IKEA, like PANYL Interior Finishes, I think more and more people are going to start opting for IKEA even if their budget allows for more expensive options.
My Uncle is a contractor in Chicago, and said that the hardware on the IKEA cabinets are super strong.
Consumer Reports rates Ikea cabinets rather high. That’s why I picked Ikea and they don’t disappoint. One MUST follow the directions when building them and use all of the parts, correctly, and install them, correctly. That “correctly” part trips up a lot of people.
I love IKEA. I have had 3 of their kitchens in various places we have lived, including where we live now. Their kitchens are wonderful and practical, and according to my not-so-careful husband, “Gil-proof”. If these kitchens can stand up to him, trust me, they will last.
The last apartment we owned before moving where we live now, was 99% IKEA. It looked like a magazine cover and we doubled our money when we sold including the renovation.
Unfortunately, we live 8 hours away from the nearest IKEA now.
Jerry,
I currently rent my house, a small bungalow home, and if I lived in Pittsburgh I would absolutely rent that house. But right now I can walk to my office, Pittsburgh is a little too far for a walk from Bel Air MD! So Jerry don’t doubt yourself, what a great idea!
Thanks for the kind words Tom. Wish you did live in Pittsburgh…
Jerry has none a nice job and the house looks great. Few land lords would take the trouble to renovate in a period style.
I want to respectfully offer a negative opinion about the cabinets – they seem to me better suited to a “Euro” look than to MCM. I know the simple lines make one think MCM, and they certainly are a good option for this rental project, but something about them just says they aren’t “American”, aren’t “authentic”. I can’t quite put my finger on it but there is something “flat” about them. Even old steel cabinets or site-built plywood cabinets with slab doors had a rounded edge here and there. IMO they just don’t quite work for the MCM “look”.
They might be nice if you were doing an asian style theme in the kitchen.
That said, they are a very reasonable compromise (life is all about compromise) for someone who doesn’t have the time/money to look for vintage steel and needs to replace some cabinets.
Jerry, nothing personal. Great job on the rental property.
Hi Chris, I hear what you’re saying about the flat slab doors. I think that in some midcentury modern homes you did get that look. Also, as you know, this site is not prescriptive about having to be authentic … sometimes close enough is darn good enough!
Pam
I hope my comment wasn’t too negative. I agree, they are close enough, and they look pretty good. A very reasonable alternative to authentic MCM cabinets. I wonder what other handles/pulls are available – maybe that would help them look a little more “period”.
I think there are lots of choices of what to do for handles, but I didn’t look at that closely. Get a plain MDF slab — add chevrons?
Pam, you’re right about the slab doors. In my former mid-century neighborhood in Austin, all of the original kitchens had slab doors like the IKEA kitchens. To open them, you felt for the grooves along the tops or bottoms (or added hardware). The main difference was that the hinges weren’t completely hidden. See below:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102587830277269220184/albums/5341675886453743905/5341689510339439298
I refreshed my kitchen sort of the way Jerry did. (He did an excellent job.) My cabinets were in great condition so I just freshened them up with white paint. The yellow marble Formica counter was in bad shape (scorched spots, rippling) so I replaced it with IKEA butcher block and white sink. The Formica went up the walls, too, so when I removed it, I just went with white subway tile as I planned to sell it and needed something neutral. I had kept the original almond (?) gas stovetop and wall oven as they worked perfectly and found a really inexpensive floor model almond refrigerator. (The guys at Sears were like, “You want the ALMOND one? Why?”) You can see part of the color scheme in the aqua soffit — the colors in the kitchen/dining area/den were aqua, olive, yellow and white, though I neutralized it quite a bit before selling (though a lot of things, like flooring, had been done by the owners of the estate before I bought it). Here’s the other side of the kitchen/dining area:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102587830277269220184/albums/5341675886453743905/5341676932153321042
Your remodel looks great!
Thanks! I loved that house. The layout was perfect and extremely flexible with tons of storage — it felt much bigger than 1,200 sq. ft. And it was ridiculously energy efficient because of how it was sited on the lot and because of the shade from the old trees. Unfortunately, though, the neighborhood began to have a lot of problems — rising crime (break-ins, home invasions) with little police presence. It’s gotten better now, I hear, but at the time, living alone, the stress got to be too much.
The house got a lot of offers — everyone loved that many original details, like the turquoise bathroom tile, were intact. All the realtors said it was a selling point so there’s hope for the other modest mid-century houses out there. I think if more people do things like Jerry, being sensitive to a home’s character while updating, then the houses will appeal to more people and get them excited about preserving what was so great about mid-century homes.
Thanks Chris. I didn’t take it personally. I was a bit reluctant myself to go with Ikea. I have a good friend that is a cabinet maker. He put Ikea in his historic log cabin renovation. He convinced me they were the best way to go.
You can’t argue with the cost. The construction is surprisingly solid. They have style and a good look though not completely period. still more period than anything else out there. They have really great features that can be added like pull out shelves for corner cabinets. The hardware is first-rate with soft closing doors and drawers.
I am pretty happy with the stuff myself. I had hoped to find an original kitchen that I could restore, but there wasn’t much to salvage here.
We moved into a (mid century) home three years ago and added an island to our kitchen from Ikea. It is great, well-made and with modern bells and whistles. We were able to customize it. As to building it: Ikea gave us the name of a company that knows how to build their cabinets. My husband stayed at home with the 3 men who came to build it and said he never would have been able to do it properly himself (and he’s good at this sort of thing).
we also opted for Ikea cabinets when remodeling the kitchen in our ’52 ranch — it had suffered a horrible ’80s “remuddle” before we purchased — and I am very impressed with the quality for the money. The hardware is strong – and our contractor and the cabinetmaker who installed them had nothing but praises (I agree that the key is proper installation by a professional) we also had them somewhat reinforced in order to insure longevity but am confident they will hold up well!
The bathroom floor is my favorite element, but I’d like to applaud Jerry for the new kitchen layout. The new configuration seems so much more open and workable, even though — horrors! — it’s not a strict “triangle” of workstations anymore. Know the rules and know when to break them.
We did the same linoleum pattern in the ebay office! Love it.
I am beginning to think that Ikea cabinets have a place. We’re in a era where people redo their kitchens about every 10 years, so why buy cabinets that are going to last 100 years? I think Ikea fills a niche for those that redecorate often. You can change your style without breaking the bank. Plus, this is the part I really hate to admit, but I am getting to an age where a 50 year warranty isn’t going to mean much.
This breaks my sustainability heart. Please don’t let’s renovate our kitchens and bathrooms every 10 years! There is not enough Earth for that to go around!
BB — I know! This crossed my mind too. We have a badly “remuddled” kitchen that is sort of driving us crazy. However — we have two kids in need of braces. A college fund that amounts to a piggy bank full of change. One car that is just hanging in there. By the time we are able to afford to fix up the kitchen, we will most certainly be getting the senior discount at Kroger! At that point, seeing 50 years out of a kitchen would be really optimistic!
Having said that, I agree with Pam that a person shouldn’t want a “disposable kitchen” either.
I think it comes down to each person being able to find the best quality they can get for their needs and their budget.
I did a kitchen renovation in an apartment several years ago and didn’t even consider going to IKEA. I spent over $4000 on cabinets from Home Depot – they were strictly “mid-range” quality and they never bowled me over in style or structure. Around the same time, a friend did an IKEA renovation on her kitchen. She paid a lot less for a aesthetically gorgeous kitchen of similar quality.
I can’t recommend IKEA fixtures or appliances, but for cabinets, islands, hardware – the price is right. You won’t find better quality in that range no matter where you shop.
I used Ikea cabinets in my total gut kitchen remodel of my last house (1800s cape cod style) that had suffered a bad 80s kitchen remodel. I used white Ikea cabinets (the extra tall uppers since I had very high ceilings and a very small kitchen) to maximize the storage space in my tiny kitchen. My husband and I did all the planning/hauling/installing ourselves. My list of pros/cons is as followed:
Pros:
Price is great. We got all the cabinets for our kitchen for $1300 including pulls and knobs.
Storage is great. We got a lazy susan for the corner cabinet that stored so much more than we could have before (and we could find everything!) We used pull out baskets in some lower cabinets to aid in ease of food storage, and the extra tall upper cabinets added extra storage to our smallish kitchen.
Hinges/drawer slides are fantastic! They are quiet, strong and easy to operate.
Look is good. If you want something modern without the expensive price, this is your place.
Cons:
When you go to Ikea to buy your cabinets, you get your list of “ingredients” printed out from the kitchen center, pay for it and then wait about an hour for them to bring your parts down for you. Then they give you a checklist to check off each and every part in the carts to make sure it is there (by number) We had a 9×12 kitchen and the parts for our cabinets took us about an hour to check off before we could load them up and bring them home.
Installation: Finding the right part in your mountain of parts is hard! Make sure you have extra room to assemble the cabinets! (we didn’t have much space since our house was tiny and all our kitchen stuff was scattered around the rest of the house taking up available floor space.
My final verdict, Ikea cabinets look great, work great (not sure about the holding up part, as we lived with them for 2.5 years and then moved into our new house-but they looked like new when we left), fit in the budget well but are a NIGHTMARE to install (I can’t imagine if you had a large kitchen!) Would I do it again? Probably not. Do I like the final results? Yes.
For my new house, I am keeping and painting the worn plywood 1960s cabinets.
http://retroranchrevamp.com/2012/01/29/stove-top-stuff-inn/
You are absolutely right about the buying process at Ikea. It can be exhausting to figure it all out and just get it home. I feel like you need an Ikea PHD to get it right! But it is a genius system that does save money. Our latest use of Ikea cabinets was to hang refrigerator wall cabinets 24″ deep in our garage . We used some 12″ deep wall cabinets too. We have everything attached to the wall to so nothing is on the floor. We put in a new vinyl roll out floor from Costco. I can’t believe it is our garage! The cost was very reasonable for the garage redo.
Ooooh, Kate – I just popped over to your site. LOVE.
Thanks Laura!
Hey, Pittsburgh mid-century fans represent! I think Jerry’s re-do looks great. I can understand, though, why it might be a tough sell…most people have their own furniture, and Pittsburgh is not exactly fashion-forward, design-wise. But hopefully there’s a young person or grad student out there for whom this furnished home would be perfect.
We too are majorly mourning the passing of Mostly Mod…Pam, the gold couch and teal chairs you featured from me in your teal story came from there, as did a bunch of our lamps. Now we’re left with just Retro on 8th (mostly collectibles) and Who New? (mostly accessories and $$$).
Jerry’s remodel looks great! I’ve heard differing opinions on IKEA, but I think the key is finding someone who can do the installation properly. That seems to be an issue with all their products – it’s only rickety if you don’t put it together correctly! It’s true that IKEA doesn’t have dovetail joints, so their drawers aren’t going to be as sturdy as something high-end, but for the price, they have a good reputation. Also, i believe they have a lengthy warranty, which beats cabinets from big box stores at the same price point by a mile.
I have lots of experience with Ikea cabinets. If you are DIY person, the cabinets are great. When you pay someone to put them together, the price starts to compare with some of Lowes or HD cabinets. Also, you can be very creative with the cabinets. There are sites online that give you many ideas–like using the 24″ deep wall cabinets (for over the fridge) as a sleek wall hung vanity in the bath. Also, if you are skilled, the cabinets can be cut down and reworked. My husband did that with a base cabinet to make a desk. We have had Ikea kitchen cabinets in our breakfast room for at least 20 years. We have them in a craft room and we used them in a bathroom. If you can use 24″ deep cabinets in the bath, they are great. (most vanities are only 22″ deep) The box frames are inexpensive, it is the door styles that add the cost to to the cabinets. Some doors are solid wood, some laminate, some veneer, etc. We used a solid pine door in our bath about 10 years ago and we are very happy with the quality. Also note that if you want glass, only one glass comes with each door style. So if you only want clear glass, only certain doors have clear glass, frosted glass with others, etc. The store designers will help you figure out the layouts. I think it is much more fun to be very creative and use the cabinets in unexpected ways. I do agree with the commenter that said the cabinets have a Euro look rather than a MCM look. However, in the 70′s contemporary home, the Euro look was very popular in some of the high end houses. (Poggenpohl from Germany) The solid slab wood doors might give a little more of MCM look. However, I think for an update on a kitchen, they look great. Ikea does tend to change door styles most years. If you find the door you love, you may want to buy, because it could be discontinued in a couple of years. Also, the kitchen cabinets are much sturdier than the other types of cabinets in Ikea–like the Billy. Instead of using Billy for bookcases, use the kitchen cabinets. You can also add moldings to the seams and to the top to really make the cabinets look built in. For open cabinets, the laminate can be painted after using a proper primer.
AND lastly, the Pittsburgh house looked fabulous. We have a few flippers in our neighborhoods, but they are not creative. Wood cabinets, stainless appliances, granite counters and new wood floors are the standard recipe to redo the house. They do seem to sell. Sometimes others just want what is latest and greatest and don’t get the whole design for the era of the home concept.
I am curious about the sink–what kind of material is that?
Hello. This is the first time I’ve ever commented on anything here, just usually listen. About IKEA sinks… I cannot recomend them. A bathroom might be okay but they are made from virous (sp?) china and scratch easily! My bathroom sink, no problem but the kitchen sink looks BAD after 6 months of regular use!
Hi Jamie, thanks for your comment — and for coming out of *lurking* status. Now that I have approved your first comment, your comments should show up immediately.
Jamie — thanks for this info! I’ve been wondering about an Ikea sink!
Jamie, I don’t have any knowledge about using vitreous china sinks in the kitchen. Thanks for making this point. The Kohler cast iron hudee-rimmed kitchen sink (also available without hudee) is cast iron with a porcelain enamel finish. Thrifters: Watch for these at Re-Stores, too — they are there! The other option: Good stainless steel, like Elkay, new or vintage.
I asked about the sink because it looks a lot like the one I have–some kind of man made “stone” that is sort of pourous. I loved the look of it and the deep single basin. However, 1.5 years after installation it is heavily stained with minerals from the water, since the kitchen sink is the one place where there is no softener. I am working on replacing it right now since it looks so bad. If I remember the name of that material I’ll post it. It could maybe work in white but the dark color really has problems. Mine came from a box store, so maybe this is not an Ikea sink. Just wanted to warn your readers about this issue.
The sink is granite.
I have found the quality of IKEA cabinets to be decent. You have to look at the amount of money and time, and your expectations. I would never expect the quality or longevity from IkEA. In Cabinetry, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I have built a few bath vanities. Not difficult but labor intensive. I laminate mine, but imagine adding coat after coat of finish, and then the labor intensive process to get a furniture quality shine. My brother used Ikea in his very high end more traditional style kitchen. They seem as good as any. I prefer the look of rich stained woods. I purchased mid grade home depot for my kitchen and was disappointed in many aspects. Details go completely out the window with mass produced wood cabinetry. Also, usually just the face frame and doors are actual solid wood. Were it an option we would have considered Ikea metal cabinets. I do want to address a comment made in these posts. Not all Mid century cabinetry lasts forever. We would have kept ours, as it really defied the period and with stood time in a style sense. However, the original Knockdown, Modular laminate had very heavy melamine edge banding, and for the most part it was crumbling off. The laminated surfaces were flawless. I honestly think bullets would have deflected off of them. Think of it this way though. What is forever? 50-60 years? That is of everyday use, opening closing, slamming, grease, steam, hand oils, and acids, cans, and pots and pans, heavy ceramic dishes, etc. Would wouldn’t ever expect that from a car, or a refrigerator (at least these days). Bottom line. If you can get 20 years out of a set. Or even if they survive one or two children, your are ahead of the curve. I will say this, the next set, I am going to build my self.
I hear ya. But: My 1963 Genevas are 49 years old… and still look fantastic and operate perfectly. Mind you, the nuns apparently only used them 8 years. Even so, I think that many brands of vintage steel cabinets were built like tanks. You ever seen the St. Charles’? AMAZING. I really believe there is a “forever” option if you are willing to endure the hassle. Also, I think your parenthetical that we don’t expect that level of durability “(at least these days)” is right — and, a sad sad sad sad commentary on our throwaway society. More than sad: Disgusting. Sorry to get all judgmental. I try not to, in general.
Okay, I’ve gotta put my two cents in! I purchased $3000 worth of IKEA cabinets, hardware and dishwasher and are happy with most. Like someone else said, you get what you pay for. The quality of the wood is not good, BUT (and it’s a big but) what are you going to do with cabinets besides open and close them??? I weighted the options and are happy with the results. My husband, who is a general contractor, says that yes the bases are made with cheap materials but that unless our kids deside to hang on them them they’ll stand up to opening and shutting for many years to come. If you are like me and have little $ to work with and want to pay cash then these could be a great bargan. I bought the high gloss shine because I don’t like the fake wood-trying-to-look-like-real wood feel. They turned out great and as soon as everything is finished I’ll post pictures. Just a suggestion though… it is worth traveling to an IKEA just to see the material. The pictures online make the quality look almost too good. Oh, and NEVER return anything without a receipt!
I put an Ikea kitchen in my old house, a 1920s bungalow, in 2004. I was very happy with them. Based on my research at the time, they were the best available besides custom. I installed them myself with some help from family members when I needed extra hands. I didn’t find them to difficult to install, but I’m pretty handy. I saw my old house in a real estate listing recently, and the kitchen still looked just like I left it, so I feel like they’re holding up well. The hardware was really high quality. Very nice hinges, drawers that pulled all the way out and softly closed themselves, etc. That was a great kitchen!
You can see it here:
http://www.annsprojects.com/2011/05/my-old-kitchen-before-and-after.html
Ann — very cool! I especially love the glass front, built-in display cabinet and the black and white tile backsplash!
Thanks! That glass front cabinet is actually a free standing piece from Ikea. It just happened to fit perfectly in that spot.
Well I’ve been a long time lurker here, but first time to comment.
I bought a 1978 foreclosure last June that lets say needed a bit of attention, primarily in the kitchen which was a black mold pitri dish. The original 1978 cabinets were still in place, but had been spray painted white during a horrible early 90s “remodel.” The quality was terrible as the drawer bottoms were collapsing, the doors were falling off their hinges, and there was dirt and grime that would NEVER come out.
I ended up gutting the entire kitchen to studs, and raising the ceiling 12″ as the 1978 cutout for the recessed flourescent lighting had been poorly filled in during the 90s remodel. I went with Akurm cabinets from IKEA, as the budget was small for this project, and will say this:
1. The frames are easy to assemble, it takes much longer to measure and install the pulls and adjust the door gaps (would be easier with one hole knobs vs. two hole handles).
2. The quality is decent for what you pay, nothing more or less. Sadly, they are much higher quality than the original builder-grade 1978 cabinets, for whatever that’s worth.
3. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the star of these cabinets is the hardware. It is manufactured by Blum, and the drawer slides, hinges, and soft close dampers are what give these cabinets that quality feel, not so much the frames themselves.
I’ve only had them in place for five months, so still too early to tell how they’ll hold up over the long term, but so far so good.
I’m a huge fan of this blog, and am on my own mission to undo the horrible “improvements” that have been made to my house over the years. I’ll send along some pictures soon of an upcoming grasscloth installation and room divider project!
Welcome, Devon. I am really happy you’ve come out of *lurker* status. YES: Send me pics! When you are ready for prime time, reach out to me via the Contact form, that will get us started. Congrats on your new/old house… sounds like it found the “right” owner.
I just created a monster.
After reading all these posts and getting frustrated that I can’t afford to do anything to the kitchen, I thought the following:
(In a perky voice in my head)
“Hey! What can I do for free that would improve the look of this kitchen?”
The answer was easy. In the 70s, someone stuck a range hood that vents to nowhere. It has never, ever worked at all. It just fills in a hole under the cabinet.
I thought (still in my cheerleader voice) “well, if I take that down, I can just cut a strip of wood to fill in the uneven cut out — a little putty and paint, and I’ll be good!”
Took it down. THere is very rough particle board under it (not even MDF -the rough give-you-splinters stuff). Husband says now the steam from the stove will make it disintegrate.
Grrrrrrrr.
Yes, it always starts this way… “I’ll just peel back one little itty bit…”
We used Ikea cabinets in our kitchen remodel after pricing an Italian thermofoil cabinet brand at a high end kitchen renovation company. We found out that the base materials under the thermofoil wrap were the same (MDF) in both the Ikea and the Italian cabinets. We also learned that the soft drawer closures etc… that are standard on Ikea cabinets were all considered to be upgrades in Italian line. We paid at Ikea about 1/3 the cost of the Italian cabinets. When we used the Ikea recommended installer, we spent about 1/2 of the cost of the Italian cabinets. But we were going for a very sleek, monochrome look. And, I knew I wanted grey as the overall color and I wanted a quartz countertop. I think it really depends on the look you are going for and whether the Ikea cabinets can meet your design expectations.
Thanks for this feedback, retro. Yes: I think the answer is good research/sleuthing to identify the exact materials used by each manufacturer, then to compare. I think I am hearing today, overall: Boxes, door and drawer attachment hardware, and materials used in making door and drawer fronts…
Jerry, I think you’ve done a swell job and I would rent from you in a heartbeat! You clearly care about your property, and want to provide your tenants with a good experience.
Thanks for the kind words Wink. It warms my heart.
I can’t find those house numbers at HomeDepot. Just finishing the restoration on a 1963 MCM ‘west coast modern’ built into a hillside here in BC
those are just what I’m looking for with the last pennies of my budget
Atlas Homewares
Avalon Collection Aged Bronze 4.5 in. #4-Home Depot
Hillman 5 in. Elevated Number-Home Depot
I know there are mixed reviews for IKEA but I will say I love the final product. For the cost and quality, they cannot be beat. They hold up well too and come with a 25 yr warranty which most companies don’t even compete with. Think about how many people open and close those drawers in the stores and they stand up. Blum is really great hardware – used by a variety of higher end companies that has truly stood up to the test.
The cabinet boxes are strong and the cool part is since it’s all standard sizes, if you ever want to update, you just switch out the cabinet faces and you can keep the boxes. The hardware snaps right out, no screwdrivers required.
I had less than $10,000 for a full kitchen gut and remodel. I had over 60 sqft of counterspace and lots of cabinets were needed. I would’ve spent close to $20,000 even on big box cabinets, custom cabinets were running over $25,000 and I had given up on renovating my kitchen. It was a DIY project, with the exception of the countertops. I opted for white quartz so I could have an undermount sink but snagged a deal which cost me about $30 a sqft.
Deals are out there and IKEA is a GREAT option for the budget conscious. Apartment Therapy recommends them even for budget cabinets. Give them a shot, plus the soft close doors and drawers are a GODSEND with kids
We did our old kitchen in Ikea and I miss their roominess and the drawer dampeners everyday! Sure, they aren’t handcrafted and may show some slight signs of wear after some years but the cost effectiveness makes them totally worth it. They are especially great for odd and awkward spaces.
As others have mentioned, the hinges and fasteners are super durable and are top-notch. I would probably not get a sink, fixture or appliance there either. We did get the counter-top there and it did show very minor scratching fairly quickly.
Once you are used to the funny graphic instruction, assembly is a breeze and we didn’t have a problem with installation either and we were putting them into a structure built in the 1890′s – plaster and lathe!
Our current kitchen is a 1951 ranch in S FL with the original (tiny) cabinets and I an currently working on a way to keep some of them while incorporating some new Ikea cabinets to make better use of the space.
I’ve got to say that IKEA cabinets are not bad. The previous tenant had them installed in my apartment in 2003 (maybe 2004?) and they are still holding up quite strong and still look very nice. It’s a tiny, tiny kitchen with a shower and a seperate “bathroom sink”(old NY tenement building) Luckily, the toilet is in it’s own little closet near the entry door! It looks like only three upper cabinets were used with the sink base cabinet painted white to match. Two of the cabinets have flat-front white laminate doors and one has a frosted glass panel. They are incredibly easy to clean and they do look very mid-century, even in a hundread year old building. I’m sure I’ll need new cabinets when I finally buy a home and begin a retro-renovation. I will certainly consider IKEA if knotty pine base cabinets with yellow metal uppers doesn’t materialize. One can dream… :- )
This has been a great discussion! I too have come out of lurkedom to offer up what I know about ikea cabinets. My mother has these in her house that she bought nearly ten years ago. She measured, picked them out, and assembled them herself, and hired a general carpenter to hang them ( she was 73 at the time and has always been a ‘can-do’ sort! ) They’ve seen a lot of use, and are still in fantastic shape.
This leads me to thinking I may just look into buying doors for my 70′s plywood box cabinets with their raised panel doors. If anyone out there has done door replacements from ikea, I’d love to hear about it.
You typically cannot put Ikea doors on older cabinets. Older cabinets usually have partial overlay doors, where you see a little bit of the cabinet frame between the doors. Ikea cabinets have full overlay doors, where there’s just a tiny gap between the doors and you don’t see any of the cabinet frame. The Ikea cabinets are just boxes with doors on the front, and older cabinets have face frames. Does that make sense?
I am probably going to be going with IKEA for my kitchen. I read an article – wish I had kept it – from a professional decorator who essentially said, unless you go with custom-made cabinets, ALL new cabinets have the same basic box made out of the same basic materials. IKEA is no better or worse than anything you’d find in a newly constructed house. And in fact, the hardware is actually better than you’d find in new construction, with far more options, too. And, well, cheaper. Of course it would be great if it would last 50 years, too, but if you can’t afford that, IKEA is the best quality for the best price.
The thing that I really love about IKEA cabinets, is the variety of sizes and features that you can get. In our kitchen redo, we had an ‘extra’ twelve inches beside the oven cabinet. IKEA sells a twelve inch cabinet, so we were able to squeeze in a little bit of extra storage space. The boxes are MDF, but it is very heavy MDF, and the laminate that covers it is thick and well bonded. Is it going to last as long as wood or steel? Under ordinary use, maybe not, but on the other hand a freak water leak ruined the solid wood cabinets that had been installed in our kitchen the 1970s.
From a sustainability standpoint, MDF can also be made using ‘scrap’ wood, or wood that isn’t suitable for other uses, so using MDF where it doesn’t show can help cut down on waste in the manufacturing process.
I was also happy with the variety of style options for the doors. We went with a white slab front, because it seemed like the most timeless option, but we could have easily gone for a very traditional look as well. I should mention that we went with the Varde series for the cabinets, which included nice features like a stainless drainboard sink, and heavy solid birch legs, and then used the Akrum series with the Harlig doors (which matched the Varde doors) for the oven cabinet and the ‘bonus’ cabinet.
We have a mid-century duplex rental. One of the kitchens was recently renovated with Ikea cabinets and I LOVE them. They were relatively inexpensive and the quality is very good. But, plan an extra few days for your remodel time for proper assembly. Most important, have someone who knows what they’re doing assemble and install them, and don’t take shortcuts if you want to get the most out of them. I’m planning the remodel of the second kitchen later this year, and once again will choose the Ikea cabinets.
Ikea opened its first store in USA outside Philadelphia back in the 80s. I would wager that there are many homeowners that purchased new kitchens then that are still going strong. (25 + years later). One I know of is my brother. They are well suited for the DIY but you better have strong shoulders – all that MDF stuff is heavy. If you favor the european look with flush doors and hidden hardware, Ikea is a good option. Me, I’ve done my share of Ikea furniture assembly. I’m older now and would rather buy good second hand furniture. As for my kitchen, I’m sticking with my original worn “WOOD” birch plywood cabinets.
Five years ago we installed 15 Ikea cabs in our laundry room. A mixture of wide and narrow tall pantry cabinets, horizontal upper, tall upper, and a base cab for a big laundry sink. We did get the least expensive flat doors. And yes, as some noted in the comments, some of the doors look cheap… but using Ikea allows you to change those doors as you like down the line.
We have pull outs for all our cleaning supplies, pull outs for pantry, a wide tall pantry for appliances that aren’t used often, upper cabs over a small freezer for general storage… We really have more storage than we need right now. I really still like the doors and don’t plan on changing them anytime soon. They look great, have held up well considering the cabs are used much more than we ever envisioned. Interior features have held up very well and really look/act like new.
We do plan on using Ikea in our kitchen in our MCM/modern home. Not the same doors, but we will use more of the pullouts and all the interior features Ikea has to offer.
We weren’t sorry about any of our choices and have encouraged others… Not that they needed much encouragement after seeing our laundry room.
The previous owners of my MCM split level put in an IKEA kitchen. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with it. The cabinets feel solid and they clean up easily. Here’s what the kitchen looks like:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Scu0d-YcGZE/S-YjmY2T8DI/AAAAAAAAANQ/F-Es7otS4Nc/s1600/kitchen.jpg
The kitchen has a modern and bright feel to it which I like. But if it had been up to me (not the previous owners), I would have remodeled the kitchen with more of a retro flair. But I can’t complain though.
The hardware of Ikea kitchen is mostly manufactured in Germany and is the same the use for high end cabinets in Europe. Good quality for a reasonable price.
We thought about them, VERY seriously. Went up to the ginormous Ikea in Montreal. This may be harsh, but when we examined the well-worn doors on the showroom floor, we thought…..naah.
Granted, we ended up spending about 11K on full-custom cabinets, probably 2x what Ikea would have been. But they’re custom. Cherry. A gorgeous mid-century design (photos forthcoming).
I can see why people’d take this route. Seriously. We didn’t.
I urge people to at least get an estimate for having cabinets built for you by a finish carpenter. Those guys are looking for work in this economy so prices are lower than you might imagine. I got a great quote from a local craftsman to build using top grade materials and euro hinges/sliders, but allowing me to put the stain/finish on the cabinets myself to save $$. He would also be able to reuse some of the existing parts (good for the planet). The cost was 25% LESS THAN BUYING IKEA CABINETS.
I never installed IKEA but I visit lots of houses with them, as well as big box cabinets. The shelves bow under heavy weight. The faces chip, and frames swell where water has gotten into the particle board. Quality costs more but it saves you money in the long run.
I will definitely check this out! I would rather a local craftsmen get my business! I did not realize they would be this affordable.
My advice would be to make sure, if you have all wood panel doors made, is to make sure that they float. My last kitchen was all wood and for reasons that escape me they secured the panels so a number of them split at the 8 and 10 year mark. And unless you have a well controlled environment remember if you buy in winter, they’ll swell in summer and buy in summer then they’ll shrink in winter.
If I learned nothing else in the ten years I worked in a small furniture building shop I learned that wood has issues just like mdf et al. Maybe fewer with the new finishes where I used milk paint and oils.
I saw a couple of mentions of using just the IKEA cabinet doors, and I’ve been wondering about this, too. Our 1955 ranch has a pretty horrific 80′s/90′s kitchen re-do with white melamine cabinets. Plus, the layout makes it so that we have barely any counter space, and there is no pantry. But, the biggest issue is the cabinet doors. Some dingleberry who rented our house before we bought it (it was a foreclosure) painted all of the cabinets with crazy flowers and stripes and dots. I spent HOURS scraping and cleaning the cabinets when we first moved in, but the melamine (or laminate or whatever it is called) is just damaged. It always looks dirty. Since we don’t have the budge to redo our entire kitchen, I really had hoped we could someday just get new doors from IKEA that simultaneously made the kitchen look more 50′s retro (and less 90′s retro) and would allow us to purchase one single tall cabinet to use as a pantry. Does anyone know if the IKEA doors would work on cabinets that are from that era? I wish there was an easy option for those of us with these 90′s monstrosity kitchens. If I had an unlimited budget, I’d move the floor vent and light switch to allow a new layout and create even more storage and counter space. So then I get hung up on that “if we can’t afford to do it right, maybe we shouldn’t do it at all” thing… But I continue to keep hope alive and check Retro Renovation for ideas!
Oh, and I have to say, we used a blue mid-century Catharine Holm pot as our color-inspiration and just re-painted our kitchen. I took the top of the pot to the paint store and they custom matched it. Having that beautiful Norwegian blue on the wall makes the cabinets slightly less painful…
I am really looking at the IKEA kitchens for our redo. Unfortunately our original cabinets are in pretty bad shape even though they are soild wood. I want the flat front cabinets as that is what is in here now. The original color is super dark and I am disappointed that they discontinued the medium wood tone. I know lots of people like white, but it just shows every mark and is too stark for a late 60s home such as mine. 50s, yes, but I think a “earthier” feel is better for late 60s. This is just about the only option we have on our budget, so I am glad to hear about the quality. I have never seen an IKEA kitchen installed in a home, only at the store. I am afraid that it may be hard to sell our home. I am still going to redo it in a retro style because if it doesn’t sell, I still have to be happy. I am hoping that I will find someone that appreciates retro wonderfulness
. Love the house featured. I would definitely rent this.
I have a set of Homarts and I’m putting Ikea Capita legs on them. All i had to do was take of the lower stand and put an 6″ 2/4 wood block in each corner. I had to drill 4 holes the the wood so it wouldn’t split and I needed a forth hole. The seam is open a little and two holes lined up from the old mounts.I used 1.5″ wood screws ,and that’s it.
I need a taller work space so I bought 8″ legs to replace the 4″ stand.I’m thinking of the Framsta system to have a lit glass wall to hide the new fridge and the magnetic knife holder. I was days from paint but collage started up and i don’t have the 3 days to kill. I did get every thing primed and half of the old cabinets ripped out and the mount for the ge wall fridge on. I just need a little time.
Wow! I really like Kate’s new cooktop and hood! I think they could easily qualify as “timeless kitchen design” (from one of Pam’s recent posts). Now if only they made a matching wall oven?
With all the great colors Ikea has available for kitchens you could put together a Mondrian kitchen fairly easily.
Sigh, I don’t love my perfectly good mid-century sorta teak kitchen but it’s only 6 years old and it would be so wrong…..pout….but I could really get over my black and white passion for something like that.
You guys crack me up! I am a kitchen planner at IKEA and bought and installed (with help!) an IKEA kitchen the second year I worked there, and I love my dang little kitchen. I gotta say many of the comments I’ve read here, I’ve heard in the store. And doing what I do long enough, I can recognize that some people are gonna take to it, and others just aren’t no matter what. It’s funny to hear customers criticize all the appliances as made to “european” standards, when they are made for IKEA by Whirlpool. But the store is an experience, and the hard-sell just isn’t the way to convert anyone, so I find a way to communicate that without anyone feeling bullied. Some of my favorite customers are the converts who first thought, “this is all crap” but turned into, “I need more cabinets”.
I’ve had builders who come and buy all the interior fittings like hinges, drawers, etc. and make their own boxes, or others that use the frames and guts but make their own doors. In fact, there are whole companies out there that make custom doors to fit IKEA cabinets. I’ve had cabinet and furniture-makers who incorporate IKEA into their own homes and praise it, cause those guys know more than anyone how much time and money it takes to make everything by hand, and wood these days is not cheap! So really, there can be something for everyone in their home project if they need a stylish, affordable solution that works.
One of the comments here mentioned a Mondrian-inspired kitchen, and we did that at our store when switching out cabinet doors. At one point, shiny modern white, red, and gray fronts were all mixed in the same space and it looked fantastic! Really, when you are the designer, your only limits are your imagination!… (and your budget, your taste…your, um, plumbing…electrical…
Gee Ally Cat, European standards are rather high, funny that’d be a complaint. As a Canadian I have one, the price difference. 62 dollars more on a corner cabinet pull out fitting, almost 200 on another item. Oddly, Home Depot matches the US price on the former and the extra 200 allowed me to go custom on the latter. The downside of websites for companies I guess.
My favorite kitchen, after the one that had been a butcher shop between the wars, was an Ikea kitchen and my ex & his partner put one in four years ago and it’s like new.
And Pam, I tell lots of my customers about Retro-Renovation
Here’s my ikea kitchen remodel from 2005. My home (now sold) was built in 1955. The slide show goes before/after, before/after.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/99242803@N00/sets/72157608958466528/show/
Beautiful job, Blissing!
I hope your new home brings you joy.
Wow! Amazing job!
Great job! Normally I consider it sacrilege to paint brick, but in that kitchen I would! Kudos for tearing out part of it!
I love what Jerry is doing! One thing, though — a contractor who was helping us design our Ikea kitchen told us that here in Sacramento, CA, it was a code violation to have the side of a stove open (meaning: no cabinet/counter next to it.) He explained that a child could come up next to the stove, get burned, etc… So, we made sure our stove placement allowed enough room for some counter/cabinet on each side. I don’t know if this code is the same in other parts of the country, but it might be something to consider when redesigning a kitchen’s floor plan.
Great point, Amy. Yes: Check local codes before you do your own DIY renovations so that you don’t do something you have to fix to pass your inspections.
I have always had good esperiences with IKEA kitchen cabinets. My grandmother had an IKEA kitchen installed in 1999 and other than a bit of discolouration in the white thermofoil cabinet doors it looks like new.
I think that I will most likely use IKEA cabinets to renovate my 1938 kitchen affordably.