IKEA Kitchen lets customer really get cooking

One of the keys to this IKEA kitchen was for it to match the overall style of the home. “We wanted to match the character of our 100-year-old house at least in spirit — which meant we wanted no super modern stuff. We wanted a color scheme we loved versus something neutral for resale value, and also wanted warm, bright lighting. Overall, we wanted a space that felt great to work in and that meant laying things out so when we cook it feels easy.” Making this happen meant incorporating an externally venting hood into this IKEA kitchen. “This way our house wouldn’t smell like whatever we cooked over the past three days,” he says. In addition, the couple’s budget included materials and labor for the cabinets, countertops, refinished floor, tiling, lighting, the nice range and hood and Bosch dishwasher. This also includes the custom cabinet fronts and panels from Semihandmade, which are seen on the white upper cabinetry and dark base cabinetry. (By the way, the New York Times recommends us as a design resource for customers considering custom doors for their cabinets.) The base cabinetry flows from the refrigerator along past the dishwasher and onto the other side of the oven. This provides ample storage options for dishtowels and other cooking supplies. The upper cabinetry provides storage for dishes and runs from either side of the external venting hood into the corner by the window. Open shelving is above the sink area, providing additional storage for pots and pans as well. Capping off the look is gold knobs and pulls from Rejuvenation, adding to the warm, classic feel.