We've got one of those currently. It certainly does the job but wasn't cheap.
We'd definitely go for the same again.
It's only at the hypothetical stage yet. We haven't bought the new place yet (and may not) but it's one of things we need to consider as the kitchen is quite old and our one in our current place is perfect.
Who makes the kitchens at the high-end place?
Elbau via Bisag in Frauenfeld
In just over 2 weeks we will have 2 different designs and will have a better idea of prices. (Eisenring are the second place)
The place that built our existing kitchen offered Elbau kitchens but at the time they were only available in Swiss 55cm widths so we went for a German Rational instead which was cheaper but still customisable.
Bisag have their own carpenters so I have no idea whether they take standard cupboards and create from there. Thanks for the link - I will try and find a local dealer.
We used Renova in Thalwil. I can recommend them 110%.
You may be too far away for them.
Just been perusing their website. What is going on with kitchen design - it has gone all LA/Hollywood
As some of you know I make furniture. Kitchens are not my thing but I have installed a few including Ikea. I love cooking so I place a bit more importance on kitchens than other people. Probably the best analogy is to think of it like a car purchase, budget comes into it but fit for purpose and duty cycle is more critical long term. As with all Ikea stuff you are taking a big hit on quality that is not visible, board density is lower so screws won't hold as well, surface coatings are thinner and less wear resistant ect. But they look good. So if you are a family of 5 who loves to cook then it might not be the best choice but if your a couple who just needs some where to put the bespoke coffee machine it's probably okay. I will add some tips later on simple things to make them more durable.
That's what I've heard but I wasn't sure whether it was fact or just opinion.
I've checked the doors very carefully. and even in Ikea itself the cheap ones are less than half the weight of the good ones. For me, the cheap ones are actually too cheap, the good ones are a sweet spot on cost/quality but I'm not sure about their latest wood/colour options.
It's a shame they don't do a better option in the carcasses too, although things like the shelf fittings are very solid anyway. My biggest concern would be shelves - you don't want them bowing after a few years.
I can vouch for the appliances being very good - we have the top of the range oven and ceramic hob; well put together, very fast, very quiet and the controls are very easy. Half the price of a Bosch, a third the price of a V-Zug.
on appliances I would not recommend the dishwasher. we bought one and after a year the wheels of the trays broke and IKEA doesn't have any spares. Then the plastic holder of cutlery lost its strength and needed replacement. The plastics don't seem to wear well. Now the thing where we need to put the gloss rinse is not taking any refills anymore. We have it less than 3 years
I would also not recommend the IKEA suction hood.
I would have liked to say that it sucks, but unfortunately it doesn't even do that very well. It has three suction levels but you only have a noticeable effect on the highest and even that is unnacceptably weak. Furthermore, it gets filthy very quickly and isn't exactly easy to keep clean.
The up side is that its so noisy that you wouldn't want to use it much anyway.
My parents back home have an Ikea kitchen. I believe it is somewhere between 10-13 years old now. They are super happy with it. And it still looks like new to me. And believe me, my mother spends a lot of time in her kitchen and does a lots of cooking and baking. But on the other hand she also cleans her kitchen daily (yep, kitchen doors too) ...so it is always shiny.
They did, however, order a countertop from a local seller –because they wanted an extra thick countertop made of solid wood and those that weren't available at Ikea at that time.
Also, the guests are all surprised it’s an Ikea kitchen. It just looks really good.
So, if we ever find a house to buy here, we will for sure install an Ikea kitchen there.
In a short word: yes.
Just a quick refresher: we have a big kitchen. Equivalent at Fust was a quote for 70+ k CHF excluding fitting using the cheapest components. We bought the IKEA one, with pretty much all the most expensive options for 24 k CHF including fitting.
Problems:
One of the surfaces cracked and had to be replaced - replaced under guarantee - given that this was a new build, this could just be "settlement" issues. Not had a problem since the replacement
Hob cracked (user error) - replaced under guarantee
Oven light burns out after about 10 seconds and difficult to replace (not replaced, cooking in the dark doesn't affect the sugar-free food )
Kitchen tap - "calced" up - not replaced and probably not covered by guarantee - will need to be replaced. We live in a high-calc area and only fitted an adapter recently. Should have done from the off. Ho-hum.
Dishwasher - it is an electrolux without labels, so can't blame IKEA for that (noted comment above - if you want replacements, order them on-line (I have done so)
Hinges - no problems per se, but a couple of the spring load attachments (door dampers) have fallen off. If I could be arsed, I would get the replacements, but it has only affected one cupboard... and I can't.
Doors/coves - OK, but they no longer make the parts - one of the doors cracked and they had to order it specially from Sweden - done under guarantee
Positives:
Kitchen - despite wear and tear of a family of 6 with small children it still looks good and functions well.
All major replacements have been dealt with and are not out of the ordinary (if you agree with the settlement story)
We've modified the layout a couple of times, but simply buying the bits we want from IKEA and fitting ourselves. Dead easy. Ultimately, you won't get it right first time, few do, but it won't cost you a fortune to experiment and adapt as needed. And you won't need an appointment!
Do differently:
Buy a different hob, but primarily for its configuration rather than any issues.
A couple of design elements - but that's not IKEA's fault.
Comment on taking a big hit: we're a family of 6 and love cooking. Yes it is "lower quality" than expensive stuff, but I flat don't agree that you are taking a bit hit and you gain heaps in the 25 year guarantee that you get. Drop by some time if you want confirmation.
Comment on shelves bowing: shrug shoulders: why would they? And if they do and if not covered by the guarantee, you won't need to remortgage to get a replacement.
Comment on dishwasher: see above - don't blame IKEA and you can get replacements online. Though I agree, 2 of our lower tray wheels are broken - but still functioning - and I've replaced the cutlery tray. But you don't have to use IKEA for the electrics.
Comment on suction cover: ours works fine, but it is connected to the outside... even though the building manager tried to persuade us otherwise... the filters are metal and go in the dishwasher.
As a final comment: most people are surprised to learn that it is an IKEA kitchen (usually told after they've commented on how nice it is).
Really pleased to have stumbled across this thread as I'm another with a potential kitchen renovation in my future. How did you find the Ikea kitchen planning software? Is the one in-store better than the one online? And what about fitting? Do Ikea have recommended fitters? I have no issue putting cabinets together, but not so sure about worktops/mitring etc
I used the Ikea sofware to design our current kitchen which is not Ikea. I then took the drawings to our kitchen designer/fitter and said we wanted the layout like that.
He made some brilliant but fairly subtle suggestions for changes and additions which he incorporated into the plans he drew up.
Wow, you're kitchen must be bloody huge. For our build with a 13.7 sqm kitchen, our final kitchen cost is 26.5k inc fitting. The budget was 23k and original quotes from 3 local companies were around 29 - 30k and we budgeted down a little to where we were happy with the cost/quality balance. We've got all Miele appliances and granite work surfaces. We eventually went with Rasco in Wünnewil.
I've got the basics done - but the software gets slower and slower the more units you add (currently at 20)
Is that base units?
Just checked, 18 base units and 1 wall unit. My plan for tonight is to save the design into 4 chunks - and then design each chunk on its own (reducing the cabinet count).
This will hopefully mean less work for the software and it actually working.