How settling on Ikea Cabinets wasn't really settling at all!

To be completely honest, when my husband first suggested that maybe we should look at Ikea, even if it were for nothing more than a point of comparison, I was appalled.  "No way am I putting that shoddy, flimsy, cheap stuff in my dream kitchen!  My dream kitchen!  I know I can't afford everything I want, and I can be downright cheap sometimes, but I still have high taste!  Are you nuts?!" was my general sort of reaction. 

I'm not even sure how he came to consider Ikea either, though it might have been through the use of their 3-D kitchen design program.  Lots of people who are designing their own kitchens have blogged about this already, so I won't belabor the point.  But I have to agree that Ikea's kitchen design tool is pretty darn swell, even if you never buy their products.  You can input all details of your unique kitchen space (e.g. like ceiling height, walls of different lengths, placement of doors and windows) and then it lets you sketch up cabinetry and try different layouts.  Best of all, once you have a layout you like, you can walk around your virtual room, and look at the space from different view points.  Thus it's a great way to really get the feel of what your space could be.  And it's free!

Ikea 3-D Kitchen Planner Tool: Virtual arial view of our future kitchen layout.

Ikea 3-D Kitchen Planner Tool: Virtual view from the back door.

Ikea 3-D Kitchen Planner Tool: Virtual view from the dining room.

With a budget set and our neighborhood in mind, getting solid cabinets, or even "up-grading" to plywood was out of the question.  Therefore, the "best" cabinetry that we would be able to afford would probably be from a Lowe's or Home Depot.  We looked at the selections at both local stores and certainly found some styles and finishes we liked.  After we settled on a kitchen footprint that we liked, I took the print-out from the Ikea kitchen design tool to the Lowe's kitchen designers.  They were able to input the same measurement into their system to produce a quote.  And that's when reality hit.  I was devastated to find that the cabinet layout for my dream kitchen was going to cost upward of 10K.  That kind of money also meant for us that every other "dream" item was now in jeopardy.  It totally blew the budget out of the water.  (Note: I still can't get over the fact that cabinetry is the biggest materials expense. Even more than appliances!  How is that possible!?)  Something was going to have to give, but what?

As I thought about it some more, I came to the realization that the kitchen materials fall into one of 4 categories:  cabinetry, appliances, surface finishes, and hardware/details.  I had to rank the importance of each of these so as to figure out where I was willing to cut costs.  Cabinetry is, of course, important.  It's the bones of the kitchen.  But I love all the beautiful hardware too.  I want the shiny chrome!  I want designer lighting!  Then again, there's no point in putting money into glitzy details if the cabinetry is going to fall apart.  Kinda like there's no point putting in a beautiful kitchen if your roof is leaking and about to fall in.  You've got to have good bones.  (Don't worry, the roof is fine -- it's just an analogy.)

But high quality appliances are important, too.  I would love to have a viking range, but I know I don't need it.  There are plenty of more modestly-priced appliances that are equally beautiful and would still be an upgrade from what we currently have.  I'm also not willing to buy bottom-of-the line either, especially if this is just a means to (a) get what's in style, (b) get it because it's new, or (c) get everything at once for the sake of having matching appliances.  As much as I want new appliances, most of the ones we have now work just fine.  They aren't stainless steel like I would prefer, but I'm willing to live with some of them a little bit longer, so this is one category where I'm willing to make cuts.   Plus, I can't justify buying a new appliance just because the current one isn't on trend -- that's wasteful, and the part of consumerism I really dislike.  My sister recently shared with me the motto, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," which sums up how I feel about using the resources you have.  Afterall, I would much rather invest in a few high quality appliances that will be lasting and give me pleasure, than to settle for what will fit in a restricted budget.

Traditional Kitchen by Solon Interior Designers & Decorators House of L Interior DesignOne of my inspiration photos collected from Houzz.com

Possibly my all-time favorite kitchen design:  I love the juxtaposition of the dark lusterous wood against the classic white cabs.  I want to run my hands on the counters and feel the cool stone surface!  It has such clean lines and yet elegant details!

So what about the surface finishes? When I think about a kitchen, what really strikes me are the surface finishes and the details.  The aesthetics of the kitchen are important to me.  The color palette, the shiny surfaces, the attention to details are the things that make me swoon.  These are the things that make me tear up and sigh when I look at the glossy photos of designer kitchens online and in magazines.  They are what really set the feel and quality of the kitchen.  I wanted a kitchen that looked like it cost 50K, but for 1/2 the price.  Champagne dreams on a shoe-string budget, so they say.  Glitzy hardware can add to the beauty set by the surface materials, but there seems to me so much more selection in this category that I could make sacrifices here and still be quite happy in the end.

So I guess this means that my priority goes like this: (1) surface materials, (2) hardware details, (3) appliances, and (4) cabinetry.

But wait!  The cabinets are the bones!  I just admitted that not 5 minutes ago!

Here's how I really came around to the idea of Ikea cabinets.  Assuming the bones of the house are good, that you've taken the appropriate measures to protect yourself from things like future water and rodent damage, that you have decently square walls and level floors, the most vulnerable parts of the cabinetry are the ones that move and get the most use, i.e. the door fronts and the drawers.  This is where the quality really needs to be.  If you compare the cabinet box construction between Ikea, and say what Lowe's offers, there's really no difference.  Both cabinet boxes are constructed from particle board, which means you're comparing apples to apples.

My husband, the real architect and designer,  made a good argument that solid wood fronts really are worth the money because they will warp less and hold up better over time.  Plus, you can repaint them years later, or switch the door fronts out all together for something new.  Ikea does have some solid wood choices that are aesthetically pleasing to me, too.  Plus, Ikea also uses Blum hinges, which are really quality pieces.  He told me that when he draws up designs for custom cabinetry, he specifies Blum hinges in the designs because they are really that good.

For some, the metal drawer boxes will be a turn-off, and can be the deciding factor to go with the non-Ikea option. After years of living with a variety of wood or wood-like drawers and not being happy with any of them, I am done and willing to give the metal ones a try!  Seriously, I've experienced them all!  The 1920's solid-wood-everything drawers in my Riverside apartment were sturdy as a rock, but also heavy as a rock.  They also slid horribly (i.e. not at all).   I've tried all the laminate/solid wood/particle board combinations in my college apartments.  And the state of my parents' kitchen cabinets, which were of modest quality and brand new in 1990, are pretty much now what I expect the non-Ikea drawers to end up like after the same number of years.  Not fabulous.  To me, there are no good wood drawer choices:  they're yoo heavy, or they warp, or the sides stay on but the bottom falls out, or they come off their tracks, or whatever.  Sure, you could upgrade to things like dove-tail joints, but I've already mentioned how upgrading is killing the budget, so therefore it really isn't an option.

Furthermore, I think the metal drawers are going to have some added benefits: they are lighter in weight, deeper than their wood counterparts, they don't have the square joins so they easier to clean out, easier to wipe down than wood and won't bubble or warp, and the design allows for minor adjustments once they are in, so you really can align all the cabinet seams.

I love the sleek, clean design of Ikea's metal drawers and the customizability of their drawer organizers.  Plus, who doesn't want European soft close hinges?
Photo source:  Style Me Organized

The true test, or course, will be the test of time.  But after reading plenty of others' testimony, seeing how interior designers can use their products, going to Ikea three times (yes, three times!) to see the product in person, slam the drawers and kick the doors (much to the chagrin of my DH),  the assurance of the 25-year limited warranty guarantee, and the fact that Ikea's prices can't be beat because of economies of scale, I'm sold!  And I'm excited!

It took me a while to come around, but I finally realized that my initial reaction was based on Ikea's reputation from decades ago.  We bought some shelving and a TV table from Ikea when we first got married, and I am pleased at how well those have held up and how good they still look after all these years.  That instills faith that their cabinets will do the same over time too.  So my husband won me over on the Ikea cabinetry argument and we're saving so much money that I can get more of the things on my wish list!

I'd love to hear your feedback.  What do you think of my logic?  Would you give the metal drawers a try?  Leave a comment below if you already have them in your kitchen!