"Home idea with IKEA": starting fresh in the upgraded kitchen
Meet the heroes of this week: a couple who have recently updated their living room on their own and decided to continue to the kitchen with a helping hand of IKEA interior designer Kristina Tamašauskaitė.
Old, but not gold
The old 10 sqm kitchen has not been restored for many years. Although Božena and Pavel love cooking and spend a lot of their time in the kitchen, the small space is not that comfortable as they would like. The couple lacks a counter space for preparing food, since a clutter of cookware, dinnerware and household chemicals eats up the whole worktop. "I was always dreaming of a luminous modern kitchen with plenty of space for storage and chopping, where all the stuff and appliances are in place. I would like to set up a cosy nook for me and my husband, where we could have a cup of coffee together," shared Božena.
It's time to free up the worktop
Dealing with a smaller kitchen can seem extremely tricky, but only until you find the right solutions. For the limited space like this, Kristina recommends choosing a smaller sized MÖJLIG hob and a small yet deep LÅNGUDDEN inset sink to get more room on the worktop. Using the walls for storage can also help: SUNNERSTA rail with hooks and containers free up space on the worktop while keeping cooking utensils close at hand.
Customizable kitchen
In the upgraded kitchen, there's nothing left of the old one, except for a layout of kitchen appliances. Besides the new sink, hob and washing machine, the upgraded kitchen now features completely new METOD cabinets and three dominating colours: the white, the black and the light wood. ASKERSUND fronts in blonde ash effect combined with white VEDDINGE doors and drawer fronts bring a modern expression and light Nordic touch to the kitchen. They both go well with EKBACKEN laminate worktop that is very durable and easy to maintain.
Welcome to the other side
On the other side of the kitchen, there is a bar table with two DALFRED bar stools and a drawer cabinet for cutlery and table textiles. The new bar table offers enough space for a coffee machine and even a mini chest of drawers, where Božena can keep her cosmetics. Due to the natural daylight, she comes here not only to eat or drink coffee, but also to do her make-up.
Extra storage on the wall
Kristina dedicated the whole wall above the bar table for storage. Three BERGSHULT wall shelves on EKBY VALTER brackets are firm enough to carry all couple's dinnerware, tea/coffee sets and containers with groceries.
The lower part of the wall was painted black as a chalkboard, so now it can be used to write different notes, motivational quotes or lovely messages for each other.
"Set up your kitchen in stages. With IKEA modular kitchens, you don't have to purchase the entire kitchen at once. Start with base cabinets, install a hob and a sink. Later on, add the wall cabinets and install wall panels. Then, get a dining table and chairs. As a finishing touch, think about the accessories - they will unify your style."