Seamlessly Blend Upscale Elements into Your IKEA Kitchen Design

How does IKD take IKEA cabinets and transform them into high-end kitchens? Let us count the ways.

IKEA’s marketing department targets middle-class consumers between the ages of 20 and 34. Most of this demographic will have a career, maybe a young family, and want (and deserve) a nice home. IKEA provides a nice kitchen straight out of the box; just take one of their showrooms, copy, and paste.

We work with IKEA customers who want more than nice. Our customers want elements of that IKEA showroom kitchen with a more personalized touch; they need help working around an architectural anomaly like a kitchen chimney or soffit; or they aren’t sure how to organize their kitchen for maximum efficiency.

We pick up where IKEA leaves off.

But you’re still targeting middle-class consumers between 20 and 34, right?

Wrong. Because we aren’t tied to using only IKEA products, we can design for a more diverse demographic. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or Jeff Bezos (okay, maybe not quite that level of luxury), we’ll put our IKEA knowledge and design expertise to work for you and your budget.

IKEA’s SEKTION cabinets are IKD’s blank canvas.

Below are examples of how IKD can design three IKEA kitchens in the same style on different budget tiers. These design elements are just examples; if you want to skip the wood tones or prefer black hardware, your designer will create your rendering and IKEA shopping list accordingly.

It’s also important to note that customers need to consider the cost of installation hardware and perhaps even the installation itself (depending on how much of a DIY enthusiast you are). The more expensive the doors and countertops, the more expensive you can expect the mounting hardware and installation costs to be.

A Basic IKEA Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design – $

Just because an IKEA kitchen uses basic design elements doesn’t mean it has to look basic. We can always give you the style you want at a price that works for you.

Here are the elements your IKD designer might use to get you a modern farmhouse kitchen on a budget:

1. SEKTION cabinet frames – $70-$175 each
2. MAXIMERA drawers – $42-$86 each
3. AXSTAD matte white doors and drawer fronts – $31-$265 each
4. SALJAN laminate butcher block countertop – $79
5. LACK shelving in woodgrain – $39/shelf
6. HALLBAR pullout waste system – $46

As for hardware, you may prefer to look at Amazon rather than IKEA, as you can find knob options that fit the farmhouse theme for closer to $2/piece.

An IKEA Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design with Upscale Elements – $$

This tier has more flexibility when it comes to materials and suppliers. Although we only provide the shopping list and extra items list for IKEA products, we enjoy mixing unique design elements from multiple sources. Think about what would truly improve your kitchen, like one or two interior cabinet organizers, Semihandmade door and drawer fronts (which are slightly thicker than AXSTAD from IKEA), a modest kitchen island, and a stone countertop.

If you have a little more room in your budget, you may consider adding some of the following features:

1. SEKTION cabinet frames – $70-$175 each
2. MAXIMERA drawers – $42-$86 each
3. Semihandmade white supermatte shaker doors and drawer fronts – $80- $548 each
4. KASKER quartz countertop (for kitchen perimeter) – $95/sq. ft.
5. KARLBY butcher block veneer countertop (for the island) – $399
6. VADHOLMA open storage – $81
7. Rev-A-Shelf maple bottom-mount waste container – $317
8. GRIBBOL handles in silver – $10/2-pack

A High-End Modern Farmhouse IKEA Kitchen Design – $$$

We create gorgeous kitchen designs for those with more to invest but still use SEKTION cabinets as a starting point. Those who can afford a pricier kitchen didn’t get there by spending more than they had to. Semihandmade cabinet doors and drawer fronts are high quality and pre-measured to fit SEKTION cabinets.

Here is an example of elements that belong in an IKEA kitchen design that pulls out all the stops:

1. SEKTION cabinet frames – $70-$175 each
2. MAXIMERA drawers – $42-$86 each
3. Semihandmade white supermatte shaker doors and drawer fronts – $80- $548 each
4. Semihandmade white supermatte glass ready shaker doors – $198-$354 each
5. MITTLED cabinet lights – $15-$24 each
6. Semihandmade floating wood shelves – $208-$577 each
7. Third-party marble countertops – up to $250 per sq. ft.
8. Third-party butcher block countertops – up to $150 per sq. ft.
9. Multiple Rev-A-Shelf organizers – $37-$1147

You might consider other elements here, like an integrated fridge or custom island, and IKD can incorporate these features in your design. Again, you can stick with IKEA hardware or find trendy pulls and knobs for anywhere between $2 and $150 each.

With IKD, you choose your level of luxury.

When you go to an IKEA store and view their showroom, what you see is what you get. You have no say in the quality or options available. The IKEA planners (in-store or online) certainly won’t entertain the idea of incorporating competitor products.

We design with IKEA cabinets, doors, countertops, hardware, etc. because they’re solid, reliable, and affordable. But if our kitchen design customers want an element that doesn’t come from IKEA, we have the freedom to incorporate that into the design.

We don’t work for IKEA. We work for our customers.