Jump to: Fast facts | Key features | Upsides and downsides | How do IKEA kitchens work? | Competitor comparison | Cost | Maintenance | Expert opinions | Customer reviews | Our recommendation | Methodology
IKEA has been a retailer that many UK homeowners have relied on since opening in 1943. In fact, it is regarded as one of the best furniture stores worldwide and has a fantastic reputation, seeing it receive amazing reviews on Trustpilot. With a strong focus on Scandinavian design choices that are both affordable and stylish, IKEA’s furnishings offer excellent quality and have become a staple globally.
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IKEA caters to all customers, and it’s evident in its fitted kitchen ranges. If you’ve got a small studio space and need some easy-to-assemble mini kitchens, you can opt for IKEA’s SUNNERSTA range, or if you have a higher budget and want something more luxurious, there’s METOD or ENHET. You can also select from different cabinets and worktop finishes to truly customise your kitchen to your tastes.
IKEA also offers a comprehensive kitchen planning tool allowing you to design your kitchen. But, if you don’t have time for that, you can also pick one of their ready-made options.
Fast facts about IKEA fitted kitchens
- Styles: Four
- Worktop materials: Four
- Finance options: Yes
- Installation service: Yes
- Kitchen design planning service: Yes
IKEA kitchens are available in four styles, METOD, ENHUT, SUNNERSTA, and KNOXHULT. Each style has its own set of advantages and can suit different kitchens. From there, customers can choose from a range of traditional, shaker, or modern kitchens. Kitchen worktops are made from either plastic, solid wood, a thick veneer, metal, or laminate. All equipment comes in various sizes to suit your kitchen space.
Key features
- Highlights: IKEA kitchens come in various options to suit every individual, no matter how large or small the space. You can see this in the company’s selection of kitchen styles.
- METOD: This flexible kitchen style comes in a range of customisable options, which can suit any size of room and match any budget. It comes with a 25-year guarantee.
The METOD range is available in the more traditional shaker style or modern designs. (Image credit: IKEA)
- ENHET: ENHET kitchens are made to be customised and are easily assembled. It can come with you when you move properties, too. They’ve won a Which? Best Buy Kitchen Units award in 2022 and have a 10-year guarantee.
The ENHET range is fully customisable and can easily be taken with you when you move. (Image credit: IKEA)
- SUNNERSTA: These kitchens are designed for small spaces. They’re mini and can suit those with a lower budget. You could use this in student halls or a studio space to give all the essential functions of a kitchen without it being a separate room.
The SUNNERSTA range is designed for very small spaces such as student flats. (Image credit: IKEA)
- METOD: This flexible kitchen style comes in a range of customisable options, which can suit any size of room and match any budget. It comes with a 25-year guarantee.
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- KNOXHULT: KNOXHULT kitchens are pre-designed to suit your space and can act as the base for your kitchen before you add additional accessories like handles.
The KNOXHULT range can be customised with accessories such as handles and shelving units. (Image credit: IKEA)
- KNOXHULT: KNOXHULT kitchens are pre-designed to suit your space and can act as the base for your kitchen before you add additional accessories like handles.
- Warranty: METOD kitchen styles come with a 25-year guarantee, whereas ENHET has a 10-year guarantee. All appliances come with a five-year guarantee, too. KNOXHULT and SUNNERSTA kitchen pieces have a five-year guarantee in line with the appliances.
- Cost: IKEA kitchen costs vary depending on the range you select, materials used, and the additional services you want. However, they have a helpful kitchen quoter tool, which allows you to estimate the total overall cost of your new kitchen. ENHET kitchen pieces can cost from £300-£1,334 depending on style or the size, and METOD kitchen cabinets are around £700-£1,100.
- Payment options: You can pay upfront or use an IKEA finance option, which gives 0% APR for up to five years.
- Key benefit: IKEA offers a range of kitchens to suit any size and budget, with highly customisable and flexible fitting options.
Upsides and downsides of IKEA fitted kitchens
Choosing the proper kitchen for your home is a big decision and one you should take time over. Do your research. It would be best if you always weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of every kitchen supplier you’re considering.
Planning: IKEA offers a detailed kitchen planning service, giving you a two-hour appointment to discuss your kitchen with an advisor in-store, or you can use the online kitchen planning service.
Mass produced: You can end up with a kitchen that looks identical to someone else, so if you like your rooms to be unique and individual, opt for a more bespoke range of kitchens.
Budget: It doesn’t matter how much or how little you can afford to spend. IKEA has an option for you. The company has everything from movable units in the SUNNERSTA range to bespoke, professional METOD kitchens.
Installation not included: You will have to pay extra for installation as well as measuring if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Warranty: The METOD and ENHET kitchens come with excellent extended warranties of up to 25 years, meaning your kitchen is guaranteed to last.
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Complicated DIY: Unless you’ve got some idea of how to fit an entire kitchen, IKEA kitchens can be complicated to install yourself, as everything comes flat packed with hundreds of parts.
Customer Service: IKEA is consistently rated highly for its in-store customer service, making you feel valued.
How do IKEA fitted kitchens work?
There are five simple steps to buying your IKEA kitchen. First, you can look at the IKEA kitchen buying guide to determine what products, colours, and type of kitchen style you’d like to go for. The second part is measuring: You can use IKEA’s measuring service to ensure accurate measurements, but it’ll cost an extra £35.
Once your kitchen has been measured, you’re ready to start planning your kitchen design. You can go to an IKEA store to do this, or have a virtual kitchen planning appointment. After that, you’ll order your kitchen, paying upfront or opting for their finance option.
Lastly, your kitchen gets installed. Now, you can do this yourself, pay a company, or use IKEA’S installation service. This will cost extra, and you’ll be quoted a price based on the type of kitchen you’ve bought.
IKEA fitted kitchens versus competitors
IKEA kitchens are suitable for the UK market because they’re an inexpensive option to get a brand new kitchen that perfectly suits your space. We recommend Magnet kitchens for a stylish finish and more upmarket options. They are more expensive but can be suitable if you can afford them.
If you’re looking at other mass-produced kitchens in the UK with a similar budget, you can also go to Wren, which supplies a kitchen planning service similar to IKEA and has options of getting kitchens for around £2,000. If you’re working with a contractor, they may also get trade prices from Howdens.
How much do IKEA fitted kitchens cost?
For pricing, IKEA is one of the more affordable options, with an entire wall unit with base cabinets, drawers and doors, hooks, hob, oven, and all the essentials costing around £3,863. You can also get basic ENHET kitchen units for about £818.
You’ll be aware of all the costs attached when you plan your kitchen. IKEA has no hidden fees, but you will have to pay extra for services like installation and measuring. Measuring costs an additional £35, and the installation price is bespoke to you based on the amount of work needed.
How to maintain your IKEA fitted kitchen
If you’ve opted for an IKEA installation, your kitchen has a five-year workmanship guarantee. But you’ll need to clean your kitchen regularly to ensure it’s long-lasting. A standard household cleaner with a soft cloth should be enough to keep your IKEA kitchen sparkling.
You can check the IKEA kitchen cleaning guide to ensure you’re on the right track.
What the experts say
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“IKEA says its kitchens are designed to be installed by you, and its new ENHET range is fitted together using your hands by clicking parts into place. IKEA also has a kitchen installation service, or you can choose your own installer to fit your IKEA kitchen.
There is a free kitchen-planning service in-store. During your two-hour appointment, you’ll work with an IKEA kitchen specialist to create your dream kitchen. You can have your planning appointment over video call instead. The planner will share their screen so you can see your kitchen design take shape. You’ll need to measure your space before your appointment, but if you’re ready, you can order your kitchen as part of your appointment. IKEA also offers free online kitchen-planning software.” —Which.co.uk
Customer reviews
“We absolutely love the way you can have a drawer inside a drawer, so that the kitchen design appears much more streamlined and cleaner but still allows you to have several smaller drawers for storage. We also adore the fact that IKEA has developed so many organisers that fit perfectly within their drawers so that everything you need can be well-organised and easily within reach.” —The Happy Housie
“We planned a kitchen online with the Tottenham Court Road studio, and I must say we had the BEST possible experience with Federica [the IKEA person who helped to plan our kitchen]! She has been patient, kind, very knowledgeable and also just super nice with us despite all of our changes. So great experience overall on the kitchen side with that London Planning Studio. We also spoke to two other people in the studio, but Federica was just well above everybody else! Thanks! And as an interior designer myself I’ll happily use their services again.” —Aurore via TrustPilot
“We bought our kitchen from IKEA early this year, and I have been very impressed with the quality by comparison with other kitchens I have had in the past that we paid more for. The units are well-designed and the doors are sturdy, with a tough finish that stands up to family use.
“I don’t have any connection to IKEA, and usually I only feel prompted to write reviews for products when I have had a bad experience, but I am delighted with our kitchen, and the design service has helped us to fit lots of extra storage into a relatively small space. IKEA has many clever ideas to maximise storage, such as drawers within drawers. Its kitchen design service was really impressive, and the person who planned our kitchen came up with lots of helpful suggestions that I had not even considered.
“We went for the Voxtorp matte white kitchen with solid oak worktops, and all of it has exceeded my expectations. It looks beautiful.” —Gill via TrustPilot
Our recommendation
We love IKEA kitchens because they’re suitable for every budget and highly customisable, so you can get an affordable kitchen that showcases your personality. There are different styles of IKEA kitchens, so there’s something for everyone. They also provide extensive warranties and extra services like measuring and installation.
IKEA will provide you with all the prices at your planning appointment, meaning you won’t get any hidden fees during the process. You can select a kitchen that suits your space, no matter the size, and finish it with high-quality appliances.
The only downside to an IKEA kitchen is that you can end up with a kitchen that looks identical to someone else’s. If you have the budget to go for a high-quality kitchen wholly bespoke and tailored to your tastes, you might want to choose that option instead of one of the mass-produced choices at IKEA.
How we chose the top fitted kitchen companies
Each of the fitted kitchen companies we’ve reviewed has been scored using our Reviews Standards matrix across multiple categories. The categories include how many showroom kitchens styles are offered, length of guarantees, payment options, reputation on Trustpilot, and any additional benefits offered, such as virtual appointments, complementary services, how many showrooms nationwide, and customer support available.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens