Creative design brings clever kitchen storage and functionality for these homeowners.
Shannon and Ernest from Portland, Oregon asked us to redesign their small kitchen. It turned out to be the perfect project to showcase some of IKEA’s innovative kitchen hacks.
The kitchen should complement the functions of the home. Don’t settle for lack of counter space or storage space. We may be able to come up with a solution within your budget and DIY skill set. Hacking an IKEA SEKTION cabinet is not a new concept, but you might be surprised at how creative our certified designers are.
IKD Hack #1: High Cabinet Microwave Shelf Drawer
In the 1970s, the microwave was the perfect way to heat up leftovers or cook dinner for TV shows. It is now a tool used by even the most serious home cooks.
“We were excited about the new kitchen, but the thing I was most excited about was removing the microwave from the counter. I didn’t think about how it would affect the way I work: I use the microwave every day to heat up my kids’ food and make side dishes for my family’s meals.
There was a refrigerator between the microwave and the counter, so there was no prep or rest space right next to the microwave/oven. I wanted you to like my new kitchen, but that was holding me back. I contacted IKD and Merari suggested a solution that we could easily fix ourselves in just a few hours. – Shannon, IKD Customer
The Merari hack started with a Sektion high cabinet with two drawers and two doors, an oven/microwave. She removed the 5-inch bottom drawer under the oven, leaving a 15-inch bottom drawer for storage. She then moved the oven’s reinforced shelf down 5 inches from her and re-installed the drawer under the microwave’s reinforced shelf so that between the microwave and oven she had a 5-inch drawer. I created what it looks like. Then, according to Merari’s detailed drawings, she cut the IKEA cabinet side panel to 28″ x 21″ and with adhesive silicone she simply fastened it securely to the top of the 5″ drawer, where Shannon I was able to create the extra work plane I needed.
“I couldn’t believe the solution was so easy. I never would have thought of it myself. That’s why I hired a designer.”
IKD Hack #2: Charging Station Cabinet for Today’s Students
Not long ago, children needed nothing more than a pencil and paper to do their homework. Then came computers. Now a kindergartener often needs her Chromebook or tablet to get the most out of school. This reality has given her two common problems:
- Too many plugs and not enough outlets
- messed up wires
Shannon’s husband, Ernest, wanted IKEA’s new kitchen design to ensure that the kitchen island included a neat and organized place to charge and store devices.
“Ernesto said that the kids always do their homework on the island, so when I was designing the new kitchen, he asked me to also create storage for hidden devices. This was achieved by reducing the cabinet depth from 12 inches to 8 inches and mounting it on the side of the island.
Although Ernesto had decided to do most of the installation for this project himself, he hired an electrician to install the outlets. Next, he cut the side panels of the cabinets to create shelves and added small ledges to the edges to keep the device from slipping. We could have left the open storage, but we also added AXSTAD cabinet doors because we preferred the clean look of the enclosed cabinets. – Merari, IKD Designer
IKD Hack #3: Clean out a storage niche in a hacked high cabinet.
At IKD, we like to utilize every inch of storage space in our designs. Many people accomplish this with filler organizers like those sold at Rev-A-Shelf, but the best way to maximize storage is with IKEA hacks and creative designs. is to use.
That’s exactly how we dealt with Shannon and Ernest’s final challenge: home storage.
“This was what we wanted in the original design. Our laundry room is like a closet near the kitchen. A versatile item for cleaning items that don’t fit under the kitchen sink.” We asked if there was a way to have dedicated cabinets for household items such as Clorox wipes, paper towels, air fresheners, laundry detergent and children’s step stools.
IKD planned to hack a tall IKEA cabinet to create end caps. So we didn’t even have to sacrifice space elsewhere. Home cabinets are right next to the entrance to the laundry room, so everything in that category is in or near the same place. – Shannon, IKD Customer
Ms. Merali shrunk a 90-inch-tall IKEA cabinet to 8 inches deep and 21 inches wide to create this shallow but functional end cap (3 inches to the right for door swings). ). Lower the side panels to 8 inches to hide the side seams and use the remaining panels to create shelves inside the cabinet.
IKD makes it easy to manage your renovations.
Shannon and Ernest wanted to save money by doing most of the installation work themselves. They’re used to building his SEKTION cabinets and researched how to install them using the unique rail and bumper system of IKEA kitchen cabinets.
(We hired a professional for electrical and plumbing changes, which we always recommend.)
You can certainly hire an experienced installer, but IKD supports DIY renovators. We provide easy-to-understand design plans, IKEA shopping lists, and detailed store drawings that show you how to perform the necessary hacks for your design.
“We appreciate Merali’s attention to detail. She saved us money on installation and made our kitchen a pleasure to use.” –Shannon, IKD customer
Get Professional IKEA Kitchen Designs Online
Work with one of our certified kitchen designers to get a personalized kitchen designed to suit your needs and vision. If you want to learn more about our services, be sure to check out our IKEA kitchen design services.
