ᐅ First Ikea Kitchen... Now with Backsplash (p. 7)

Hi dear community,

My girlfriend and I will soon be moving into a new apartment. Our current kitchen will stay in the apartment or alternatively be sold on eBay.

Since the prices for kitchens we like at various kitchen studios or furniture stores are simply too expensive, we will definitely buy the new kitchen from IKEA. We just can’t justify paying over €10,000 (about $11,000) just for the cabinets.

We have set a budget of around €7,000 (about $7,700), including appliances.

We have already purchased a Siemens oven with pyrolysis cleaning, a built-in Neff induction cooktop, and a freestanding Siemens stainless steel refrigerator. We will also get a dishwasher and a range hood, both from Siemens. Altogether, this brings us to about €3,100–3,300 (around $3,400–3,600). This leaves us with approximately €3,500 (about $3,850) for the cabinets. Initial planning suggests this should work.

First, I would like some advice about the cabinet fronts.

We generally like the country style but want to keep it somewhat modern, for example with the handles (Örrnas or VÄRDE). We like Bodbyn, Kroktorp, GRYTNÄS, and Laxarby.

Are there any general pros and cons of the mentioned fronts? Laxarby, for example, is significantly more expensive than GRYTNÄS. My girlfriend especially likes Bodbyn in gray, but I would prefer something lighter.

For the countertop, we want the 2.8cm (1.1 inch) oak wood slab, which matches our dining table perfectly.

Secondly, about the installation.

There are no stupid questions, but… is the assembly difficult? I would consider myself and my dad fairly handy.

The kitchen will basically be a single line along a wall about 4.00–4.50m (13–15 feet) long; I still need to measure exactly. I would like a small L-shape, but on the back wall this is hardly possible because the radiator starts after about 1.00m (3.3 feet). Since the kitchen is also open on the other side, I wanted to create a subtle L there. However, the online planner complains because this L-piece is not attached to the wall. Does it have to be placed against a wall… or how does it work?

For the fully integrated dishwasher, you definitely need that rail — the name escapes me!

The oven will go in a tall cabinet; is there anything specific to keep in mind here?

For the backsplash, I would like to use aluminum panels with printed images. These are available on various websites in 2mm (0.08 inch) thickness and should fit into the IKEA rails, right?

Any general advice and tips are very welcome.

To give a better idea, I can also post the floor plan or design as a picture.