New Ikea Kitchen

When I moved to South Carolina from Texas, I found a cute 1960’s brick bungalow that sits on a corner lot in a great little neighborhood close to downtown. The house has good bones and other than the kitchen, it basically just needed some cosmetic updating. Before we moved in, I had the carpet in the living area and a back bedroom ripped out leaving hardwoods throughout. Luckily, the floors underneath were in pristine condition. That’s pretty darn perfect in my books.
The kitchen, however, was not pretty darn perfect and it had to go immediately!


Can you image anyone walking into a flooring store, spotting that linoleum, and gushing, “I have to have that in my kitchen!” ???


As with many of these small bungalows, the washer/dryer is located right smack dab in the corner of the kitchen. The cabinetry was reminiscent of little cabin in the woods and featured lots of wasted space.
Habitat for Humanity deconstructed the kitchen taking with them the cabinets, appliances, and sink. At the end of the day, the kitchen was ready for renovations to begin.
Essentially the kitchen space measured 10′ x 15′ and housed the washer and dryer, as well as the usual kitchen space. I wasn’t terribly excited about having my laundry space in my cooking space, but there really was no other place to move it without knocking out walls…exterior walls.


So first things first, I drew a floor plan. I use CAD in my design business, so this was an easy option for me. But anyone can draw a floor plan using graph paper. Draw your plan to scale so you can easily decide what cabinets you need and where your appliances will fit.
I decided to create a closet for the washer and dryer and use louvered doors. This allowed me to move the refrigerator from the corner by the range and add a tall cabinet for a wall oven. The original layout of the kitchen worked pretty well, so I did not need to move plumbing. I did have a gas line pulled in for a gas range. Got to have my gas cooking!


I hired a small crew to frame in the utility closet and install a new tile floor. Although the original hardwood floor was still intact, it had been covered with a new sub-floor and several layers of linoleum with lots of glue and a gazillion staples.
Next I primed and painted the walls and ceiling, had the gas line installed, added some can lights and a ceiling fan, and moved the water line for the refrigerator. Although I am pretty handy, I don’t do electricity or plumbing or, for that matter, framing or tile installation. But, I do install cabinets!


In my previous home I used Ikea cabinetry everywhere…kitchen, bathrooms, mud hall, and utility room. After using these cabinets for five years, I fell in love with them so I chose Ikea cabinets for my new home as well.
I decided to use a non-Ikea Lazy Susan in the corner base cabinet. I found it online and cut a shelf for it to be mounted on. Although Ikea does a lot of things right, I don’t like their corner carousel.
Next came countertops and the sink. I used Silestone quartz countertops in my last home and loved them! Although granite is indeed beautiful, it is porous and it has to be sealed. Sorry, Charlie, I am just not going to have a product in a working area that requires so much care. Silestone is nonporous and, therefore, doesn’t harbor bacteria nor can it be ruined by oil rings. And my Silestone–Stellar Night–even sparkles! I has 35% recycled glass to give it that special touch!
The sink is a fantastic find from Ikea. It is their single-bowl, farmhouse sink. (Domsjo) It is ceramic and weighs a ton! They do have a double-bowl as well, but it is just too large for my little kitchen. I topped it off with a faucet from, you guessed it, Ikea. (Glittran)
The backsplash was next. My little bungalow has the original subway tile floors in the bathrooms…classic black and white. I wanted the kitchen to look like it belonged in the house, and so I decided to carry the black and white theme into the kitchen. I found all the tile at Home Depot and Lowes.
Finally the appliances were installed–GE Profile gas range, dishwasher, and Advantium speed cooker. The range hood from IKEA was installed. I finished up the cabinets with drawers, doors, and handles (Ikea Faglavik). The schoolhouse light fixtures added a nice touch and kept the feel of the 1960’s bungalow.
All in all, I think my Ikea kitchen turned out pretty well! The full post can be found here: http://southernwilddesign.com/new-ikea-kitchen/


Check out my blog for details on how to achieve the built-in refridgerator look here: http://southernwilddesign.com/ikeas-fridge-cabinet/


~Julie
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  • Jul68091888 Jul68091888 on Jul 06, 2022

    Hi - beautiful job on the remodel! I feel exactly the same way about ikea corner carousels. Can I ask, did you buy the ikea corner cabinet (the smaller one that measures about 38 inches wide) and no shelving? My main question, is where did you find the perfects sized lazy susan to fit ? Also, regarding the shelving the susan's sit on, I believe you made them, and then how did you secure them?

    THANK YOU!

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  • Denise Hardy Denise Hardy on Jul 05, 2015
    This looks stunning - I hate those old brown pine doors - how much lighter and brighter it now looks - well done to fitting the kitchen :) I have the Stellar Silestone worktops exactly like yours in our villa in spain - and it's a great surface to have :)
  • Becky Partain Becky Partain on May 30, 2017

    Wow, so very beautiful!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!

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