Dear IKEA fans – I/we urgently need your valued advice, tips, and suggestions regarding our planned IKEA kitchen.
This is my first post here, and whether I will truly become an IKEA fan remains to be seen – but this is a fantastic forum, many thanks for the contributions so far! They have already helped us make some important decisions (one of which was/ is to choose an IKEA kitchen ).
We (that is, my wife and I) live in Switzerland and are currently working on the detailed planning of a medium-sized (or rather small) kitchen. Unfortunately, we keep going back and forth in our evaluation (and upcoming purchase) of the components.
In particular, there are hardly any useful experiences or reliable test results online about some of the electrical appliances (apparently because these are new models from IKEA). It is even harder for us to make a decision because the IKEA electrical appliances cost almost twice as much here in Switzerland (the refrigerator even more than double)! Sometimes I wonder whether it would make more sense to buy so-called “brand-name” appliances instead of IKEA devices… since the price differences to Germany (or the EU) are not that big and there might be more experience available with those appliances… But that is another topic.
Okay, IKEA apparently also uses so-called brand appliances, BUT we have had VERY bad experiences with, for example, Electrolux. Most appliances from this manufacturer (like vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, washing machines) have already been disposed of and replaced by other brand appliances. The remaining ones (stove, cooktop, refrigerator) are ALL more or less (partly) defective and only function with significant limitations (but can still be used). However, this is not an acceptable situation. We have little to no experience with Whirlpool appliances.
The partly defective Electrolux appliances have not yet been replaced (or we have not been able to) because they comply with the so-called Swiss standard, which we are fed up with and no longer want in our home. However, compromises have to be made here, as some “parts” simply no longer fit. For this reason, we are now “forced” to take, for example, a 45cm (18 inches) dishwasher because with the 113cm (44½ inches) available width, it is either a 60 cm (24 inches) dishwasher and a 50 cm (20 inches) base cabinet for the sink (current situation) or a 60 cm (24 inches) IKEA base cabinet and an IKEA “medelstor” dishwasher that fits.
Now I would like to summarize what we have planned so far. But first, I will try to describe the existing kitchen or rather the kitchen space (and I hope this works out somewhat).
It is an open-plan kitchen in the shape of an “I” and “C.” The “C” shape is not curved and is “turned upside down,” meaning the opening of the “C” does not face to the right but towards the “I.” The “I” represents a central island (dimensions: L 2.5 m (8 feet 2 inches), W 62 cm (24½ inches), and H 2.12 m (6 feet 11½ inches)) and the (rotated) “C” represents the typical kitchen setup, i.e., wet area, cooking zone, and base cabinets with a 1.8 m x 40 cm (5 feet 11 inches x 16 inches) bar top above. There is about 1 m (3 feet 3 inches) of space between the “I” and the (rotated) “C” (a garden door above and a passage below).
Phew, this is not easy to explain! However, I hope I have managed to describe how the kitchen looks now.
We have very little or almost no flexibility for “major” changes to the existing design. Only the central island – we call it the island because it stands between the entrance and garden doors – can be extended from 2.5 to max. 3 m (8 feet 2 inches to 9 feet 10 inches) (using either five 60 cm (24 inches) wide or one 40 cm (16 inches) and four 60 cm (24 inches) tall cabinets) and can be increased in height from 2.12 m to 2.28 m (6 feet 11½ inches to 7 feet 6 inches). The 45, 50, or 55 cm (18, 20, or 22 inches) cabinets in the “C” letter will disappear permanently. The existing 60 cm (24 inches) ceramic cooktop will be replaced with an 80 cm (31½ inches) induction cooktop. Furthermore, the central column will be fitted with a larger refrigerator (without freezer) and newly equipped with an oven and a microwave oven.
Okay, last Friday, we spent almost 12 hours (!) at IKEA and came up with a new kitchen composed of the following components and appliances:
Furniture:
- We chose METOD with white gloss fronts and Lansa handles (the gloss white brings a certain elegance) and a solid wood countertop (oak? beech? brings warmth, or maybe granite??)
- HÄLLVIKEN built-in sink, single bowl, black quartz composite – possibly less sensitive than stainless steel
Electrical appliances:
- Högvärdig induction cooktop, bridge function, black
- Underverk stainless steel built-in hood (also 80 cm (31½ inches))
- Kulinarisk oven, stainless steel
- GENAST microwave with convection
- MEDELSTOR integrated dishwasher
- FROSTIG built-in refrigerator, 319 liters (11.3 cubic feet), A energy rating
As mentioned before, unfortunately we have hardly found any useful information online about the electrical appliances, except for:
- Frostig refrigerator – a French YouTube review showing quite a high noise level (instead of the declared 34 dB). This video has made us very uncertain!
- Medelstor dishwasher – no quality reviews, but several people are trying to sell these dishwashers used (they are rather new models, so what could that mean: bad purchase??? dissatisfaction??)
- Högvärdig induction cooktop – no useful information or user experiences found
- Underverk hood – same, no information found
I would really appreciate any hints, tips, links but especially warnings or “do not recommend” experiences regarding our plan. Everything that helps us move forward with this matter (or even discourages certain ideas) is very important to us. We are not young anymore but both still working full-time, and we have little energy (often health is also an issue) to deal with potential complaints, repairs, and replacements. We no longer trust so-called brand-name appliances either, as what was valid a few years ago unfortunately no longer applies. Here I am specifically referring to the so-called “Chinese products” (representing cheap production). Sadly, these have become almost ubiquitous and the blame usually lies not with the poor “Chinese” but with those commissioning them (i.e., managers) who are more interested in lining their own pockets than delivering consistent quality… but that is yet another topic and probably won’t help us much here.
Thank you very much in advance for EVERYTHING that helps us move forward (and/or holds us back ) – and warm greetings from Switzerland
Chris
This is my first post here, and whether I will truly become an IKEA fan remains to be seen – but this is a fantastic forum, many thanks for the contributions so far! They have already helped us make some important decisions (one of which was/ is to choose an IKEA kitchen ).
We (that is, my wife and I) live in Switzerland and are currently working on the detailed planning of a medium-sized (or rather small) kitchen. Unfortunately, we keep going back and forth in our evaluation (and upcoming purchase) of the components.
In particular, there are hardly any useful experiences or reliable test results online about some of the electrical appliances (apparently because these are new models from IKEA). It is even harder for us to make a decision because the IKEA electrical appliances cost almost twice as much here in Switzerland (the refrigerator even more than double)! Sometimes I wonder whether it would make more sense to buy so-called “brand-name” appliances instead of IKEA devices… since the price differences to Germany (or the EU) are not that big and there might be more experience available with those appliances… But that is another topic.
Okay, IKEA apparently also uses so-called brand appliances, BUT we have had VERY bad experiences with, for example, Electrolux. Most appliances from this manufacturer (like vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, washing machines) have already been disposed of and replaced by other brand appliances. The remaining ones (stove, cooktop, refrigerator) are ALL more or less (partly) defective and only function with significant limitations (but can still be used). However, this is not an acceptable situation. We have little to no experience with Whirlpool appliances.
The partly defective Electrolux appliances have not yet been replaced (or we have not been able to) because they comply with the so-called Swiss standard, which we are fed up with and no longer want in our home. However, compromises have to be made here, as some “parts” simply no longer fit. For this reason, we are now “forced” to take, for example, a 45cm (18 inches) dishwasher because with the 113cm (44½ inches) available width, it is either a 60 cm (24 inches) dishwasher and a 50 cm (20 inches) base cabinet for the sink (current situation) or a 60 cm (24 inches) IKEA base cabinet and an IKEA “medelstor” dishwasher that fits.
Now I would like to summarize what we have planned so far. But first, I will try to describe the existing kitchen or rather the kitchen space (and I hope this works out somewhat).
It is an open-plan kitchen in the shape of an “I” and “C.” The “C” shape is not curved and is “turned upside down,” meaning the opening of the “C” does not face to the right but towards the “I.” The “I” represents a central island (dimensions: L 2.5 m (8 feet 2 inches), W 62 cm (24½ inches), and H 2.12 m (6 feet 11½ inches)) and the (rotated) “C” represents the typical kitchen setup, i.e., wet area, cooking zone, and base cabinets with a 1.8 m x 40 cm (5 feet 11 inches x 16 inches) bar top above. There is about 1 m (3 feet 3 inches) of space between the “I” and the (rotated) “C” (a garden door above and a passage below).
Phew, this is not easy to explain! However, I hope I have managed to describe how the kitchen looks now.
We have very little or almost no flexibility for “major” changes to the existing design. Only the central island – we call it the island because it stands between the entrance and garden doors – can be extended from 2.5 to max. 3 m (8 feet 2 inches to 9 feet 10 inches) (using either five 60 cm (24 inches) wide or one 40 cm (16 inches) and four 60 cm (24 inches) tall cabinets) and can be increased in height from 2.12 m to 2.28 m (6 feet 11½ inches to 7 feet 6 inches). The 45, 50, or 55 cm (18, 20, or 22 inches) cabinets in the “C” letter will disappear permanently. The existing 60 cm (24 inches) ceramic cooktop will be replaced with an 80 cm (31½ inches) induction cooktop. Furthermore, the central column will be fitted with a larger refrigerator (without freezer) and newly equipped with an oven and a microwave oven.
Okay, last Friday, we spent almost 12 hours (!) at IKEA and came up with a new kitchen composed of the following components and appliances:
Furniture:
- We chose METOD with white gloss fronts and Lansa handles (the gloss white brings a certain elegance) and a solid wood countertop (oak? beech? brings warmth, or maybe granite??)
- HÄLLVIKEN built-in sink, single bowl, black quartz composite – possibly less sensitive than stainless steel
Electrical appliances:
- Högvärdig induction cooktop, bridge function, black
- Underverk stainless steel built-in hood (also 80 cm (31½ inches))
- Kulinarisk oven, stainless steel
- GENAST microwave with convection
- MEDELSTOR integrated dishwasher
- FROSTIG built-in refrigerator, 319 liters (11.3 cubic feet), A energy rating
As mentioned before, unfortunately we have hardly found any useful information online about the electrical appliances, except for:
- Frostig refrigerator – a French YouTube review showing quite a high noise level (instead of the declared 34 dB). This video has made us very uncertain!
- Medelstor dishwasher – no quality reviews, but several people are trying to sell these dishwashers used (they are rather new models, so what could that mean: bad purchase??? dissatisfaction??)
- Högvärdig induction cooktop – no useful information or user experiences found
- Underverk hood – same, no information found
I would really appreciate any hints, tips, links but especially warnings or “do not recommend” experiences regarding our plan. Everything that helps us move forward with this matter (or even discourages certain ideas) is very important to us. We are not young anymore but both still working full-time, and we have little energy (often health is also an issue) to deal with potential complaints, repairs, and replacements. We no longer trust so-called brand-name appliances either, as what was valid a few years ago unfortunately no longer applies. Here I am specifically referring to the so-called “Chinese products” (representing cheap production). Sadly, these have become almost ubiquitous and the blame usually lies not with the poor “Chinese” but with those commissioning them (i.e., managers) who are more interested in lining their own pockets than delivering consistent quality… but that is yet another topic and probably won’t help us much here.
Thank you very much in advance for EVERYTHING that helps us move forward (and/or holds us back ) – and warm greetings from Switzerland
Chris
I
IKEA-Experte2 May 2015 20:06Bosch and Siemens mostly differ only in design, and the appliances are manufactured in the same factories. Depending on the model, this can be, for example, in Germany or Turkey.
My Bosch dishwasher has been running for 11 years, my Siemens vacuum cleaner for 22 years.
If you choose the appliances from Ikea, that is also fine, but you mentioned having doubts.
Craftsmen are not cheap in Germany either. The work can only be completed quickly if the pipes underneath are laid conveniently.
My Bosch dishwasher has been running for 11 years, my Siemens vacuum cleaner for 22 years.
If you choose the appliances from Ikea, that is also fine, but you mentioned having doubts.
Craftsmen are not cheap in Germany either. The work can only be completed quickly if the pipes underneath are laid conveniently.
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