As we approach a year since our IKEA Kitchen Remodel, I want to take a look back at the process of doing an IKEA kitchen remodel and the things I wish I had known.

When we did our kitchen remodel, we hadn’t ever seen another IKEA kitchen in person, except for the ones in the store. I think this actually came to our advantage, because we had kitchens in mind and were using IKEA moreso as a vehicle to achieve the look, rather than to replicate another IKEA kitchen.  

That being said, it would have been nice to have had someone tell us what to expect with an IKEA kitchen remodel.

So here are my 10 Things to Know About an IKEA Kitchen Remodel

You’ll Gather A LOT of Boxes

We redesigned our kitchen in 2021. During that time, IKEA was having supply issues, so when we could find our cabinets in stock, we got as many as we could.  This resulted in a stockpile of cabinets in our sunporch for about 10 months.  Each door, toe kick, or side panel is individually boxed, so you can see how the stockpile would add up. Also, when you begin installation, you’ll also have a lot of cardboard to throw away. Like A LOT.

Stocking Up for Your Kitchen May Take Multiple Trips

I honestly don’t know how people who don’t live close to an IKEA do it. There was one point where we were stalking the IKEA website for cabinet doors, just to find ones in stock. Mike had a roadtrip to Connecticut, and we were checking inventory at all of the IKEA stores along the East Coast.  Now, times may have changed, and you may not need to go to those lengths to find parts, but it’s something to consider.  Even when our installers were installing our kitchen, I had to make two trips to IKEA to get things like an extra under-cabinet light and a toe kick plate.  If you can get everything you need in one or two trips, I think you’ll be very lucky.

Wondering how much a DIY kitchen remodel is? Read my post on how much an IKEA kitchen remodel is here. >>

The Doors are Heavy

I was really surprised by how heavy and substantial the IKEA kitchen cabinet doors were.  I’m no stranger to their furniture (we have the Hemnes line of dressers), but our Bobdyn doors seemed thicker, heavier, and better quality than anything else IKEA.   I also mention weight because these things are no joke to carry! If you live close to an IKEA, take advantage of the delivery.

You Can DIY an IKEA Kitchen

While we hired installers, we did the design for our IKEA kitchen ourselves.  You’ll want to use IKEA’s online kitchen planning tool to design your kitchen.  

The most important part here is to measure your kitchen’s space as accurately as possible.  When we did the design (this could be because we were local), they had the option of having someone come out to measure your kitchen for you.  

Designing the kitchen is pretty easy, especially if you are keeping things like gas lines and water lines in place.  We actually were moving some water lines and our gas stove, but we still felt confident in our design.

I guess what’s different about IKEA is that you need to make their already pre-made cabinets fit into your space. It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but there’s ways to choose cabinets to meet the dimensions of your space.  

You Can Ask for Help

IKEA is synonymous with DIY in a lot of ways, but I think it’s also worth noting that you can get help – even turnkey help – for your IKEA kitchen.  Once we were finished designing our kitchen, I scheduled an appointment with their kitchen team to have them look over our plans.  This was so valuable because they’re incredibly well-versed in all of their options.  I think at this point, she suggested a different sized upper cabinet and showed me a variation of a “lazy Susan” that I ended up integrating as well.  I highly recommend meeting with them!  You can use this button on their website to book an appointment. 

You can also hire IKEA’s recommended installer team to install your kitchen.  While this will add cost to your renovation, it’s also nice to know this is an option for you.  If we were doing it ourselves, I would probably build all of the cabinets first in a safe space, and then tear out my old kitchen.  It took our installers – who were pros specializing in IKEA kitchens – almost an entire week to build all of our cabinets.

Having the cabinets built BEFORE you gut would cut down on the time you’d be without a kitchen. 

Have a Master List of Pieces

Our installer was incredibly organized (shout out to IKEA Kitchens VA). From our first meeting and throughout the process, they had our shopping list of products always on hand. 

You can print out your shopping list from your IKEA kitchen planner tool.  Keep this handy, and as you purchase pieces, highlight them.  Sometimes your digital shopping list can do weird things on IKEA’s website, so having that hard copy to reference was very important. 

You Can Customize By Integrating Other Kitchen Retailers

If you don’t necessarily want your kitchen to scream IKEA, then I’d recommend feathering in some pieces from other retailers.  One way I’ve seen this done is to get your cabinet frames from IKEA but your doors from Semihandmade. They make cabinet doors specifically for IKEA cabinets.  This is also a good idea if you really want a kitchen color that IKEA doesn’t make. 

While IKEA also sells hardware, faucets, and even appliances, you can also choose your own accessories to break up the IKEA look.  Our hardware was from Home Depot, appliances were Home Depot, and our range hood was from Hoodsly.

You Can Customize The Interiors As You Like

Speaking of customization, I think probably the biggest selling point for me with IKEA is that you have so many options for customization.  While you may have a cabinet front, the inside could have pull out shelves, baskets, or a lazy Susan.  

We’ve since moved from our house, but I yearn for my pantry cabinets from my IKEA kitchen and my lower drawers.  The pantry was so nice because it was behind a door, but it had shelves you could pull out.  I also really loved having wide drawers as lowers instead of cabinets.  It made getting heavy plates out so much easier.

ikea kitchen renovation

You’ll want more drawers

You’ll definitely want more drawers than lower cabinets.  I think we had two lower cabinets below our sink, two corner cabinets that had lazy Susans, and maybe one last one, but the rest were drawers.  They were so wide and deep, which was perfect for cutlery, plates, bowls, and Tupperware.  

People won’t believe it’s IKEA

When we went to sell our house, practically the entire neighborhood showed up to the open house. The feedback on our kitchen was so positive, with lots of people not believing it was IKEA.  Could this be because we chose a more traditional style? It might. It might also be that we tied in classic elements, like marble tile, glass door fronts, and that range hood.  Either way, I hope you’re as proud of your kitchen as we were.  It’s really such a fantastic way to get a quality kitchen done affordably.  

Wondering how much an IKEA kitchen remodel cost? You can read my blog post with all the budget details here. 

See my full IKEA Kitchen Reveal here!