10 Real-Life IKEA Kitchens

It’s no secret that IKEA offers an affordable, off-the-shelf alternative to a custom kitchen. With the flexibility to mix and match finishes and styles, the Swedish store is a go-to source for renovators, but it’s also ubiquitous. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to personalize an IKEA kitchen, and we need look no further than the Apartment Therapy house tour archives for ideas.

1. Roy and Jen’s Akurum kitchen cabinets and Lansa handles are from IKEA, but the table (built from a restaurant supply store base and a butcher block top) and the wraparound shelving give the kitchen a custom feel.
2. Andreas’ home is a beautiful mix of high (Florence Knoll, Arne Jacobsen) and low (IKEA) pieces. He used IKEA wall cabinets in both the kitchen and the living room – click here for the full tour.
3. Jason Weinbeck’s home is full of Mid-Century style, but the kitchen is IKEA. It looks to us like Jason chose the Solar finish, a rich beech with a visible grain that perfectly complements the floors and marble countertops.
4. School house light fixtures, marble counters, and subway tile contrast beautifully with the modern cabinets in Sybylla’s kitchen. We’re not sure, but the cabinets look like IKEA’s Akurum in white gloss finish with Varde hardware.
5. We love the laid-back vintage style of Anna’s kitchen, which she renovated on a budget. Notice the sturdy and inexpensive Grundtal shelving above the sink.
6. Meredith chose IKEA’s Akurum cabinets in a beige matte finish for her small galley kitchen. The color looks great against the sage green walls and Crossville “Chopsticks” tile backsplash.
7. Stephanie and Bob’s kitchen is bright and cheerful. The high-gloss blue finish on the cabinets goes perfectly with the shell barstools and painted orange runner.
8. When Form Design Firm remodeled their space, they used solid beech cabinets from IKEA. To add a little bit of custom style, they replaced the standard glass in the doors with frosted.
9. Jacob and Laurie redid their kitchen all by themselves with IKEA cabinets, cork flooring, Bosch appliances, discounted tile from Maestro Mosaics, and marble countertops.
10. Steve’s North End kitchen is a nice mix of off-the-shelf IKEA against the backdrop of a silver and white tile pattern, which he designed himself.

Photos: Steve Wilson, Andreas Larsson, Jason Weinbeck, Ronee Saroff, Jill Slater, Gregory Han, Evan Thomas, Kyle Freeman