ᐅ Handleless kitchen fronts, good quality and affordable – which manufacturer?
Created on: 2 Mar 2020 17:21
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PeterHawaii
Hello everyone,
we are currently looking into the kitchen for our newly built single-family home. After the first visits to suppliers (2 large chains and 1 small studio), the general conclusion is: a frustrating black box with no price transparency – the estimates were often well above the stated budget, and none of the appointments included a written quote to prevent easy comparison.
My question is: which provider/manufacturer would you consider for the following requirements:
Kitchen layout: G-shaped kitchen, no wall cabinets
Design: handleless kitchen
Kitchen length: just under 11m (36 feet), all base cabinets except for 2 tall cabinets for fridge-freezer combo and oven + microwave
Worktop height: 90cm (35 inches)
Worktop: integrated into window frame, replacing the windowsill. Option 1: laminate, thickness approx. 25mm (1 inch). Option 2: engineered stone, thickness approx. 25mm (1 inch).
Front price category: PG 3 or PG 4, real matte lacquer
Splashback: matte glass
Target price would be under €6,500 (including sink and faucet combined about €400 online) and laminate worktop, without appliances, including delivery and installation (kitchen and externally sourced appliances), so roughly €600 (about $660) per meter.
Current quote for electrical appliances: €5,180 gross including delivery to curbside.
Do you think this is achievable, or do we need to lower our requirements (fronts price group / appliances) to stay under €12,000? At Ikea, we would be around €3,500 plus assembly without appliances, but their selection of handleless fronts does not suit us.
Thank you very much for your advice.
we are currently looking into the kitchen for our newly built single-family home. After the first visits to suppliers (2 large chains and 1 small studio), the general conclusion is: a frustrating black box with no price transparency – the estimates were often well above the stated budget, and none of the appointments included a written quote to prevent easy comparison.
My question is: which provider/manufacturer would you consider for the following requirements:
Kitchen layout: G-shaped kitchen, no wall cabinets
Design: handleless kitchen
Kitchen length: just under 11m (36 feet), all base cabinets except for 2 tall cabinets for fridge-freezer combo and oven + microwave
Worktop height: 90cm (35 inches)
Worktop: integrated into window frame, replacing the windowsill. Option 1: laminate, thickness approx. 25mm (1 inch). Option 2: engineered stone, thickness approx. 25mm (1 inch).
Front price category: PG 3 or PG 4, real matte lacquer
Splashback: matte glass
Target price would be under €6,500 (including sink and faucet combined about €400 online) and laminate worktop, without appliances, including delivery and installation (kitchen and externally sourced appliances), so roughly €600 (about $660) per meter.
Current quote for electrical appliances: €5,180 gross including delivery to curbside.
Do you think this is achievable, or do we need to lower our requirements (fronts price group / appliances) to stay under €12,000? At Ikea, we would be around €3,500 plus assembly without appliances, but their selection of handleless fronts does not suit us.
Thank you very much for your advice.
P
pagoni202016 Jun 2020 11:21Bertram100 schrieb:
I have the Veddinge front with leather handles and a wooden countertop. I’m very satisfied, especially since the Veddinge is the most affordable front. That was a surprise—I didn’t know that when I bought it.
I couldn’t say what a more expensive kitchen would do better than this one, except offer more options in the standard sizes. Okay @Bertram100, unfortunately I could only upload a picture of the old kitchen setup. Very stylish. We wanted a higher countertop, so we chose the thicker IKEA countertop. Could you send me the skilled worker who prepared the kitchen so perfectly for photos? I already have the oranges...-
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Bertram10016 Jun 2020 13:05I would be happy to send you the "skilled worker." However, I live in Belgium, so that would be an international assignment, which is more expensive.
You can find installers in your local classified ads (in the West formerly known as "der Reviermarkt") or through Facebook. There is a group called "Ikea Kitchens." Join that group, and you can easily find someone there.
My simple two-line kitchen layout is easy to assemble. The cabinets hang on a rail (provided by Ikea) at a height specified in the assembly instructions. Then you hang the assembled cabinets on the rail. It’s really not difficult if you have a relatively new building and not a timber-framed house or something similar. It helps to have two people. Two amateurs can accomplish more than one. Corners are a bit trickier but still manageable for a DIY project.
You can find installers in your local classified ads (in the West formerly known as "der Reviermarkt") or through Facebook. There is a group called "Ikea Kitchens." Join that group, and you can easily find someone there.
My simple two-line kitchen layout is easy to assemble. The cabinets hang on a rail (provided by Ikea) at a height specified in the assembly instructions. Then you hang the assembled cabinets on the rail. It’s really not difficult if you have a relatively new building and not a timber-framed house or something similar. It helps to have two people. Two amateurs can accomplish more than one. Corners are a bit trickier but still manageable for a DIY project.
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Bertram10016 Jun 2020 13:12One more important thing about Ikea: the cabinets are 80cm (31.5 inches) high, and Ikea divides the modular system into 20cm (7.9 inches) units. There are drawers that are 40cm (15.7 inches), 20cm (7.9 inches), and 10cm (3.9 inches) high. Regardless of the supplier, you should plan your storage space carefully to know what you want to store and use where.
Since Ikea’s 20cm (7.9 inches) drawers are lower than the X-height drawers from other brands, you get less volume per drawer but more drawers overall.
If you have many larger items (like stand mixers, bottles, bulk containers…), good planning is essential. But it’s definitely possible. I find it very practical that there is hardly any empty space in the drawers because they are so shallow and most package sizes fit well inside.
Only soup ladles do not fit properly. They are too tall for the 10cm (3.9 inches) drawers, and a 20cm (7.9 inches) drawer would be overkill.
If you want a raised built-in dishwasher as well: you will need to cut and modify the unit at Ikea. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Even McGuyver managed it.
Since Ikea’s 20cm (7.9 inches) drawers are lower than the X-height drawers from other brands, you get less volume per drawer but more drawers overall.
If you have many larger items (like stand mixers, bottles, bulk containers…), good planning is essential. But it’s definitely possible. I find it very practical that there is hardly any empty space in the drawers because they are so shallow and most package sizes fit well inside.
Only soup ladles do not fit properly. They are too tall for the 10cm (3.9 inches) drawers, and a 20cm (7.9 inches) drawer would be overkill.
If you want a raised built-in dishwasher as well: you will need to cut and modify the unit at Ikea. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Even McGuyver managed it.
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Anmacatili16 Jun 2020 14:20Wow, this all sounds very interesting, and the kitchens actually look great. Is it possible to have the kitchens fully designed there, or do you have to do it yourself? I’ve already received some excellent kitchen plans here and could try to recreate them at IKEA to at least get an idea of the IKEA price. We really like the IKEA Metod system with VOXTORP fronts. I’ll see when I can find time for that in the next few days. If you buy the appliances elsewhere, you need to be careful with the dishwasher if it’s going to be installed as a built-in unit, right? Or are there good models that fit directly? Are the IKEA appliances not any good?
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Bertram10016 Jun 2020 14:28You can design the kitchen yourself. Ikea offers an online planner. It’s somewhat basic but fully adequate for kitchen planning.
Most Ikea appliances are from AEG, while their most expensive dishwasher is from Bosch. If you want to use external appliances, that’s no problem. For the dishwasher, make sure it is XXL size (you can tell if an 80cm (31.5 inches) front panel can be installed) and has a Vario hinge. The term "Vario hinge" comes from Siemens, but other manufacturers call it differently. AEG includes this as standard in all their dishwashers. You just need to watch out for the XXL size. That fits right away.
I myself have an AEG dishwasher. The interior feels a bit plastic, but it cleans and dries really well. It was also cheaper than an Ikea model.
I would not buy extractor hoods from Ikea at all. They are all noisy and mainly just serve as lights.
If the budget is not very high, it’s worth looking for second-hand ovens. Right now, many good ones are being discarded because new technologies like steam ovens are coming out. Ikea ovens are really good. You can’t go wrong with the better models there. Ikea refrigerators are okay, but not particularly quiet.
Most Ikea appliances are from AEG, while their most expensive dishwasher is from Bosch. If you want to use external appliances, that’s no problem. For the dishwasher, make sure it is XXL size (you can tell if an 80cm (31.5 inches) front panel can be installed) and has a Vario hinge. The term "Vario hinge" comes from Siemens, but other manufacturers call it differently. AEG includes this as standard in all their dishwashers. You just need to watch out for the XXL size. That fits right away.
I myself have an AEG dishwasher. The interior feels a bit plastic, but it cleans and dries really well. It was also cheaper than an Ikea model.
I would not buy extractor hoods from Ikea at all. They are all noisy and mainly just serve as lights.
If the budget is not very high, it’s worth looking for second-hand ovens. Right now, many good ones are being discarded because new technologies like steam ovens are coming out. Ikea ovens are really good. You can’t go wrong with the better models there. Ikea refrigerators are okay, but not particularly quiet.
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