We’ve of course been kicking around the kitchen cabinetry for years now. We had different options but quickly it was clear that the most cost/effective was going to be Ikea. Of course.
The time for a decision was coming closer since we’re already working on wall tiles, and soon floor tiles. Utilities are mostly in (except the last bit for the gas) also.
And then an Ikea kitchen offer came by and we decided to order a little ahead of schedule. Storage is going to be a little annoying (particularly because we’re ordering 3 kitchens… more on that below) but the savings of 100€ for each bracket of 1000€ were a huge plus for us. We were also able to use the coupon at the time we paid for the actual kitchen so it was in effect a discount of nearly 10%. Nice!
So yes, we’ve been kicking around lots. First the placement of the kitchen, originally we had even considered keeping the kitchen were it is now (will be living room). I think it was a really good idea to not do this in the end, the living is a very awkward room to put a kitchen in, as we can attest right now. And there is a great plus that we will have a fully functioning kitchen while building the new one. Since we’re slow this is very good news.
We’ve also been considering different colour schemes and materials, of course. I will skip all things we considered, doubtless we’ve already forgotten most of it. What we settled for:
- Galley style kitchen (although wider than usual, I think)
- White cabinetry (Sävedal), I like that they’re not completely plain and not over the top, but quite shaker-looking
- Porcelain sink with two wells (the famous Domsjo)
- Carrara marble*
- Black pulls (Borghamn)
- Ikea oven and microwave (and fridge/freezer**)
- Novy hood (built in false ceiling)
- Atag cooking plates
*The counter is still not set… in stone ;P since the cabinets we’ve chosen are really white, this might not be a good idea. White cabinets, white tiles, nearly white counter, and a quite sunny room… we’ll visit our marble guy with samples and see what works best.
We already have the tap which is Nicolazzi, like all our others.
**We already purchased Ikea fridge and freezer when we moved to the house in 2014. We did this in advance of the rest of the kitchen since we needed them. We wanted built-in units and we got the tallest ones they have (the tallest ones any manufacturer makes, I believe). I discovered that these two particular ones (Frysa and Frostig) are the same exact models manufactured by AEG, which is great. So far they’ve been fantastic. Since these are built in units they cannot free-stand, and so we got 4 tall cabinets to build them in and use as pantry, with no doors. These can be seen in our temporary kitchen photos. We’ve now bought the doors for them with the rest of the kitchen. We also got one induction cooking plate to install and use in the temporary kitchen. We are ultimately installing 3 units, two induction and one gas, I will write more about it later.
I chose black cabinets for the vitrines, for some contrast. I’ve since thought I will probably paint them the same green than the adjacent dining room (SW softened green). This means they better be white instead, since it is a light colour. We might have to exchange these three then.
So as we were planing the kitchen (oh dear what a frustrating tool is Ikea’s kitchen planner!), we decided to also get the kitchenette for the workshop in the attic. And also a cupboard for the library. Getting all things now added to the savings.
So the workshop kitchenette is for storage and a sink. We went for oak doors (and counter). Funny because these are considerably more expensive than the actual kitchen doors, but they go better in the room. The doors are Ekestad. Tap is also Nicolazzi and we are installing it on the wall.
We’ll actually have to thin out the first two units due to a pesky window on the left.
The cupboard is also Ekestad. We went for kitchen cabinets since we can cover the available space better than with another types of cabinets, unless we get something made to measure which is outside the budget, or make it ourselves which is outside the current skill. The library is a huge mess right now. You could also call it a galley library. There is a nice inherited oak cupboard on one side, and in the other we had to stuff 5 (also inherited) book cases where only 3-point-something fit. That means we had to place 4 facing each other. Sounds great (and a bit absurd in a house) but it is not, there is no space to actually access anything. This had to go. Also because the bookshelves are mostly open and we’re not natural born dusters. So we put together a cupboard that fills up the available space, also vertically, much nicer. We’ve gone to 2,40m high, but with these huge ceilings we have space for more and possibly will add another layer on top. Or maybe we will decide we should have enough storage with this and declutter a bit.
So of course the whole thing is 100% closed. We got a closet for hiding some things (ironing board anyone?), drawers, which are always nicer than shelves, and closed vitrines. I don’t want to dust books, CD’s or anything else! This thing is 40cm deep, and oak (although unfortunately lighter than our other oak furniture, but darker wood doors are not available in Europe, it seems it is very out of fashion at the moment), so hopefully will not look too much like a kitchen. But even if it does, functionality wins here.
I’ve also decided to paint inside the vitrines. We chose black instead of white cabinets for that (that’s the choice you have). White is too kitchen-y. Black is not very good for this colour scheme though. So after considering maroon, Robin’s egg blue, and coral, I am painting them dark green (this room is painted two shades of green also). I am keeping the coral accent for the actual kitchen!
