While we're waiting for final quotes from builders and the agonising, last steps of the DA approval process I've been madly planning the heart of our home.
After finally deciding to bite the bullet and dig deep for a kitchen design company I just happened upon a beautiful image of a Hamptons-style kitchen in Australia's Home Beautiful magazine.
{can't find the image online otherwise I'd show you}
The image was beautiful and included children hanging off every available surface....this was a hard-working kitchen for a family with six kids! Can I get an amen?!
As I scanned through the details it turned out to be an Ikea "Lidingo" kitchen.
Really?
Ikea?
But it looked so good?
How could this be?
So I googled "Ikea Lidingo" and look what I found my friends:
Loving the look of the china cabinet here.
Oh. Yes.
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It is incredibly versatile. Crazy.
The subway tiles with grey grout and the glass front cabinets are fab.
We're also having a black rangehood, so I was so happy to see that it all blends okay.
Different style, same cabinets.
Suffice to say, I have done a complete about face and have gently broken up with my kitchen company.
Ikea's online 3D kitchen planner and I have since spent many happy hours configuring the kitchen and butler's pantry. Oh the joy!
But the real joy....
It prints out a huge document at the end which details all your plans, measurements, a shopping list to present to the kitchen people at Ikea {they have a couple of over-worked kitchen designers...you take a number and then wait. Glamorous it is not. No offer of cappuccino over blue prints here}
The end document also prints out the total cost, which is a FRACTION of what I was expecting. We are literally paying half what we were looking at originally....including the installation costs.
Soft-closing drawers and cupboards, tricked up cabinet organisers, integrated dishwasher cabinets. You name it, they've got it.
I know that this will be probably the only time during this whole build that I'll feel the warmth of such good value, so I'm basking in it for as long as possible.
After now reading so much online about Ikea kitchens, apparently the trick is to order everything except for the handles. Ikea handles will definitely make it look like an "Ikea" kitchen. Spending money on beautifully made handles, will mean the whole kitchen will respond to the call and rise up to meet the look you're after.
Sort of like when you mix a small amount of ludicrously expensive porcini mushrooms with store bought standard mushrooms and the whole dish tastes like you've only used porcini.
If you get what I mean.....
I'm hearing crickets.
Here's what I'm thinking:
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Anyhoo, just wanted to share the latest exploits.
Next up.
Bathroom vanity, bath etc....
Can seriously not fully envision finished product. It's weird. All I get is white noise.
It might just take a blog village to raise a bathroom at our house.
Love you more than my Allen key,
Meredy xo
p.s. am not sponsored by Ikea....just a little in love.
My parents put an Ikea kitchen in the family holiday house, as you can imagine it gets quite a battering but still holding up strong!!! Love your hardware choices as well. x
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of IKEA stuff. It's much hardier than people imagine.
ReplyDeletelove your kitchen choice and who doesn't love saving some moola. And I think your handle idea is genius.
ReplyDeletebathroom, I think just go white and durable, and if you have no need of a tub go for a big walk in shower with enough splash space that there is no need for glass or annoying curtains. I've seen one and think its BRILLIANT. Less to clean, a winner. Big vanity (storage underneath) double sinks, but none of those annoying raised on top of the bench top nonsense (those folks must have cleaning ladies)Obviously this is a family style bathroom!(and have toilet in the bathroom as well as a seperate one!) I have no ensuite ideas as I don't have one but perhaps if I thought about it I'd slip a tub in there? Although I rarely use the bathtub we have so would be inclined to do the same shower treatment just on a smaller scale. Hope this helps!
being a saddo small town Cantabrian I have never walked into an IKEA store. :(
ReplyDeleteIkea virgin I am.
Therefore my life is not yet complete.
I'm in love with subway tiles at the moment too while dreaming up ideas for our kitchen mini reno
SO AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of it! IKEA?? Wow.
We have IKEA envy here in NZ. To us it is a strnage exotic bird we can only dream about and bring nicknacks home from when visiting the Lucky Country.
NICE to see a post (or two) from you!
xx
I absolutely LOVE this kitchen....gorgeous choice Meredy!
ReplyDeleteSo envious of you planning a kitchen, wish I was.....it might be challenging but it's got to be easier than a hormonal 11 year girl right?! Am hanging in there and thanks for thinking of me XX
My friend Kim writes the blog Kimberley Taylor Images and this is her gorgeous kitchen, it reminded me of your choices....
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/82050024431568071
We put in an IKEA kitchen in our previous house and I loved it!!! There is every conceivable accessory available to make your kitchen work fabulously, it's as tough and longlasting as any kitchen company will sell you and it's a fraction of the cost. And it's such fun to plan it all.
ReplyDeletexxx