Why I Did IKEA Cabinets in a Multimillion Dollar Home

I did quite a few out-of-the-box things in my custom build. But this one probably takes the cake. I did IKEA cabinets in multi million dollar home. Gasp!

Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
My favorite peeps in my favorite space

The Recommended Path

When it came time to think about cabinets, I took my builder’s recommendation. He was a good guy and had worked with a custom cabinet-maker in town for decades. He really trusted them- they’d done a great job for his clients over the years.

We sat down and talked about what I was looking for. They took a couple of weeks and sent in their drawings. My heart sank. Was this what people raved about? Not only did it not fulfill many of the functionalities I was looking for, it did not look good either.

Worse still, the quote was $125k for the whole house. More than twice our budget.

I’d known my builder for several years, so I asked him outright what was going on. Turns out, it was the cost (always is!).

We had $60k in our line item budget for cabinets. And they had tried their darnedest to stick to it.

I knew right away it wasn’t going to work. I just needed to find something that would.

The Path Less Traveled

Like all good suggestions, this one also came from social media. I read about someone, another doc actually, who had used IKEA cabinets in her house and it looked really good! I googled all I could find on it and got more and more excited.

This might actually work.

The idea was to use IKEA cabinets in the kitchen and elsewhere. IKEA cabinets had apparently come along way in terms of quality. And to dress them up, one could use semi custom doors and panels. Doing this meant one couldn’t see the IKEA cabinet boxes at all, all visible parts are custom-made.

And boy, can you customize them. My mind was blown with all the different looks, ranging from traditional to modern and everything in between, that one could achieve.

The best part is, I would be right on budget.

Bringing the team on board

The Hubs

First I spoke to my husband. I brought him up to speed with what was going on in the world and told him that I wanted to do this. He was in.

It was a risk. But for people who see how fragile life can be, every day as part of work, cabinets don’t seem like that big a risk.

What’s the worst that could happen? It would look horrible. It would not last. It would wear poorly. The drawers would fall apart and take my Crate and Barrel plates with them.

Meh.

We’d wait a couple of years, maybe five, and redo them. Yes, it would be a miserable few months living through the renovation, but hey, no one’s life was at stake.

The Builder

We approached our builder. He fought with me a little bit, and then let me win.

He pointed out that it was not made of wood, but MDF, which in his words, was just a little better than cardboard. What he didn’t account for was the fact that it was wrapped in waterproof material, which made it really hardy and water resistant.

He was afraid of resale value in a home like this.

He was worried it would be a pain to install.

But, good man that he is, he agreed. Two down, one to go.

The Designer

We brought it up with the designer. To say that she did not take it well would be an understatement. She threw a fit. When I still didn’t listen, she quit the job.

She could not be associated with the project that included IKEA cabinets, she said. You have a beautiful house, she said, and I feel sad for what you were doing with it.

Meh, no one’s life is at stake.

We were going to do it.

Downsides to Doing IKEA Cabinets

These are some of the downsides of going with IKEA cabinets, they told us. They did not really feel like downsides to me, but I should point them out:

#1. IKEA cabinets are made of MDF, not wood. This makes them not water resistant. Not that wood is very water resistant either.

As I mentioned before, they come factory-wrapped with a plastic coating that makes them more water resistant than wood cabinets, as long as the coating is intact.

#2. Good quality wood cabinets last forever. Well, I’m not sure I want my cabinets to last forever. Tastes and trends change. As long as they last a decade, I’m good.

{I’ll report back in a decade, stay tuned!}

In fact, we often hear the stories where people are renovating a space 20 years after it was first built and the cabinets are in perfect condition. They just look dated. Many times, folks are unable to change out the cabinets because it is so expensive to do so.

#3. It is unconventional. It sure is. Folks in bigger cities like New York and Los Angeles are beginning to do this more commonly, but it is certainly not the norm in my neck of the woods. And that’s OK with me. It brings down the cost of the house, which may work in our favor if we need to sell.

#4. Installation is a pain. This one is true, especially in a project this size. When they delivered the cabinets, the crates were piled high over my entire great room. When the doors and panels came in, they took up all of the family room. And these are generous sized rooms.

My builder had no experience with IKEA cabinets but found a subcontractor who did. However, his crew was baffled at the volume. I had to step in. I practically lived at the construction site for a couple of weeks, sorting out parts for each cabinet so the installers could put them together.

IKEA cabinets are meant to be DIY projects- so they are not hard. Just the sheer number of cabinet parts to match was the hard part. It would’ve been a breeze if the project were smaller.

We actually did order each area separately and had them installed in batches. But construction was running late, so by the time we started on the cabinets, all of it, including doors and panels had been delivered.

If you’re able to, completely separate each area’s cabinets, so they’re easy to find. This may not be a big deal if you are dealing with a smaller area of the house.

Custom Doors and Panels for IKEA Cabinets

This was the funnest part!

SemiHandmade is a company that makes semicustom doors and panels for IKEA cabinets. That’s all they do. And boy, do they do it well! The inspiration pictures on their site are a dream.

They’re based in California and the products are all made right here in the USA- in their factory in Arizona. That’s a good enough reason to support them!

In going through SemiHandmade, your IKEA cabinet boxes are completely hidden. All you see is SemiHandmade: doors in front and any place where the cabinets do not die into a wall, you can put a panel.

Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
My kitchen

And it’s not just the kitchen. I did all the baths with IKEA/SemiHandmade, too.

Ikea Sektion cabinets and Semihandmade doors in master bath
Master bath vanity
The pool bath

And the master closet.

And the home office. {For which I am looking forward to taking a deduction.}

My little office

I also did my kids’ toy storage area this way. The toys are tucked away out of site. The bench is made of Ikea countertop and the storage below it are all Sektion cabinets with SemiHandmade drawer fronts.

Ikea Sektion bench with Semihandmade drawer fronts
Where the cool kids hang out

They have an enormous array of selections, many of them clean, more modern lines, right up my alley. And in some beautiful colors too. In fact, I chickened out- I did 90% of the cabinets in white and went for a pop of color only in a couple of spaces.

A few other points that were refreshing were that:

  • #1. their prices are very reasonable and transparent- easy to find on their website. No obscure pricing system, as is common in the custom building industry.
  • #2. Also, my point of contact in the beginning, Trenton, when I had roughly 3567 questions, was the same person who I interacted with throughout the process, no big call center where the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.
  • #3. Their turnaround time was quick and painless. I gave them my cabinet designs and my choice of door (shaker in most places) and they got back to me with drawings and an itemized list of doors and panels with pricing. Easy peasy.

In fact, I have been so impressed with them that I reached out to partner with them, to bring this option to more people. They were equally excited to reach an audience of mostly physicians. And this affiliate partnership was born. For full disclosure, ordering through the link on this post earns me a small portion, without any extra cost to you.

You get to avail of any promotions running on their site- and they have plenty of those! In fact, their spring sale with a hefty 20% off is going on at the time of writing this post.

Bells and Whistles

I got to do some fun stuff, without worrying about ripping a hole in my pocket. My favorite ones are:

Floating shelves. SemiHandmade makes beautiful floating shelves. I put them in my kitchen, pantry and laundry!

Floating shelves in the kitchen

Pull-out shelves in tall cabinets. Perfect everywhere: kitchen, pantry, laundry. Here is my mudroom with two high cabinets and pull out shelves within.

Ikea high cabinets with semi handmade doors and panels in mudroom
The Mudroom

Covered appliance garages. Ikea’s high cabinets are perfect as appliance garages. So all the little appliances are tucked away and the countertop can stay clean.

Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
…. opens up to reveal an appliance garage
Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels

Sektion high cabinet…

Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
… and another

Kitchen drawer organizers. This is still a work in progress, but IKEA has a bunch of fun things. I’ve done some peg boards, tall drawer separators and lid organizers. I got my spice organizer from Amazon. I have analysis paralysis for my flatware drawer, so it’s still a jumbled mess.

An Indian kitchen must-have!
Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
Pegboard drawer organizer
Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
Drawer separators
Ikea kitchen with SemiHandmade doors and panels
Lid organizer

Push-drive trash cabinet. when I’m cooking up a storm both my hands are often dirty and I cannot open the trash cabinet. So I got a push-drive from IKEA that lets me open the cabinet with a knee kick. Super cool!

The first one is the trash cabinet
Push drive ikea cabinet
The electric push-drive

In-drawer power outlets. I get to sock away my hair tools and electric toothbrushes inside my bathroom drawers.

Docking Drawer: in-drawer power outlet
Drawer organization: on my to-do list

The Numbers: Why I did IKEA cabinets in a Multimillion Dollar Home

Okay, now to the meat of the matter. Money. Numbers are accurate but rounded out.

  • Cabinet Design: $2000
  • IKEA cabinets and all other parts: $16,000
  • Semihandmade custom doors and panels: $32,000
  • Emtek Hardware: $3500
  • Labor for Installation: $9000

Grand total: $62,500

$2,500 above budget.

I went all out on the cabinets, since it was so affordable.

I did all lower drawers in the kitchen. I did not one, but two, covered appliance garages with pull-out drawers.

I did all lower drawers and full sized cabinets in the walk-in pantry, laundry and office. And more drawers in all the bathrooms.

I had done some back-of-the-napkin calculations at the time. And in my estimate, it would’ve cost $350-400k for all the bells and whistles I went for.

That’s 6 times as much.

I am not willing to drop that kind of cash on cabinets. It just doesn’t feel worth it to me. Wood or not.

When All is Done and Done

It’s been about 6 months since we’ve moved in and the cabinets are one the features I truly love in the house. We’re using them all the time, obviously, and they feel great. Nothing flimsy about them. That’s like a car.

A Toyota is not flimsier than a Mercedes, just because it’s priced less.

Thank you for reading. I look forward to your questions, comments and stories!!

There are affiliate links in this post, which means I may make a commission if you place an order through the links here. If you choose to use these products, I really do appreciate your support!

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Dave Bijal

    I am so inspired by your story. We are building our home too. Can you give us the details on how to start, what to look for and what not to do while choosing cabinets, doors and panels ? Thanks so much

    1. admin

      Thank you and many congratulations on the new build!! I know it doesn’t feel quite congratulatory at this time, but believe me, once you’re in, you’ll love it. With regard to cabinets, you really need to think through how you will utilize a space and therefore what cabinetry you need. And the aesthetics you want. In the kitchen, for instance, think of you work flow and therefore where the big appliances will go. The cabinetry is designed around this. For instance, close to the stovetop, one needs room for pots and pans and spices/oils. I put all the regular use plates, bowls and cups close to to the dishwasher, so unloading would be easier- and I am thankful for this every morning when I unload the dishwasher. Cookie sheets close to to the oven and so on. I would recommend against overcustomizing, like the rest of the house, in general- because what seems like a great idea in theory doesn’t always work out as expected.
      You repeat this process for every space where you need cabinetry.
      I did all lower drawers throughout my kitchen and also wanted drawers in my bathrooms. That way, there isn’t a cavernous under-sink space that is hard to utilize well. Drawers are expensive, so going the Ikea/Semihandmade route really paid off.
      Good luck!
      PFB

  2. Margaret

    Was your first step working with the IKEA design team to determine what you needed and where it would go?

    1. admin

      Hi, yes that needs to be the first step. I already had a very good idea of the cabinet layout- I’d gone over my needs with the custom cabinet company earlier and frankly, once the big appliances are in, the rest of the cabinetry is easy. Ikea also comes only in specific sizes, making the process even simpler. I worked with a cabinet design company since it was just so much- but for a smaller project, it’s definitely diy’able. Ikea has a cool online design tool- you can access that at home or in their stores, if you are working with one of their designers. I hope this helps!
      Best,
      PFB

  3. Gwynne

    Did you go with thermafoil Semihandmade doors or painted semihandmade doors? We have done several ikea kitchens and I was always pleased with the grimslov doors – they held up great! I have seen mixed reviews on thermafoil so not sure whether to go with painted doors from semihandmade or thermafoil

    1. admin

      Hi, thank you for your question. I got the pre-fabricated (or factory finished) semihandmade doors for all most all of my cabinets except a couple. I wanted a navy blue mudroom and for some reason, I did’t think their remade navy cabinets were vibrant enough. So, I got the unfinished cabinet doors (DIY Sektion door) with the idea of getting them painted by my painters. Easier said than done. For the smooth shiny flawless finish that we expect from cabinet doors, they need to be spray painted by someone who has the right setup. I was able to get it done since my house was getting custom built and my painter had that ability. But, looking back, I’d recommend not going with the unfinished doors and getting whichever of their finished looks you want to go with.
      Wish you all the best and happy cabinet door-shopping!!

  4. JT

    Hello- wondering how at this point the cabinets are holding up. I’m considering this route of ikea cabinets with semi handmade fronts on my million plus dollar home.

    1. admin

      Hi, they look good as new! no wear and tear so far at all-let alone damage. Admittedly, we are rough on our things. Its just our family of 4- and the kids are not toddlers or destructive any more. The drawers are holding up amazing. My designer, in trying to dissaude me, had said that her Ikea desk drawer which held a MacBook fell apart in a couple of years. Not sure what she was doing with it. I have appliances in some of my drawers: a Breville air fryer, a Rotimatic, my Brother printer in the office- and a ton of dishes in some others. Nothing has crashed to the floor yet and not looking like it will anytime soon. So, all in all, I’d do this a thousand times over.
      All the best with your build!

  5. Jodi

    Hello, how should I approach my custom builder about installing an IKEA kitchen. Having toured IKEA, I have dreamt of an IKEA kitchen for a few years. Right now my builder wants me to use cabinets from his suppliers. The look and feel is not what I desire. I love that ikea has a drawer or accessories for everything imaginable in your kitchen.

    1. Mitra Sadhu

      Hi, so sorry.. your comment slipped right by me!
      So, custom builders are not fond of Ikea cabinets. It’s too much work for them- so you may have to build in some incentive. My builder is a doll, so he let me- but truth be told- he had never done it before and had no idea how hard it is the first time around. I mean, its not hard for someone used to it- after all, Ikea cabinets are supposed to be a weekend dIY project. But my project was ginormous. Not only is my kitchen huge but I also did Ikea in the rest of the house. So, it was hard.
      I am with you- I was not not too impressed with the “gold-standard” custom cabinetry either- and the pricepoint make me nauseated.
      and yes, the drawers are divine! I cannot imagine going back to regular bottom cabinets and looking for things on my hands and knees!
      Good luck!!

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