Despite a middling launch due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Australian company that offers the ability to customize IKEA kitchens has embraced and just launched custom sizes for door and drawer fronts.
“We started midway through the pandemic and have had a great response overall, but it’s still a fairly new concept in Australia,” says co-founder Susannah Tauber. “We’ve had him at two shows in the past year and the bulk of the feedback is still that people didn’t know this stuff existed. We’re going to change that.” I am doing it!”
While products that “hack” IKEA kitchens and other units are very common in the US, Customea offers custom sizes to fit IKEA fronts and other cabinets in any Dulux color. is one of the few products in It can all be done self-service via the website. “Our goal is to make this kind of customization accessible to everyone,” says Susannah, who started the business with her partner Mathieu Gribault, an experienced joiner.
The concept is to combine affordable IKEA (or existing old) cabinets with custom doors, rather than having a completely bespoke kitchen or using the same IKEA kitchen as everyone else. It’s also an alternative to removing and replacing everything, which Susanna says saves about 30-40%. “You can achieve a beautiful finish while reducing the cost of functional parts.”
The most popular designs are Slim Shaker, Shaker, French Shaker and Coastal. “At the moment, we see not only deep blues, but also various greens. In terms of percentages, probably about 50 percent of customers choose custom colors and the other 50 percent choose variations of white.” You see, you can see the differences from state to state, and when we showed in Melbourne, we did a very bright and bold show and they liked it a lot.Sydneys are more neutral. You seem to like things.”
DIY (unpainted) fronts are also becoming more popular. The most cost effective option that allows you to paint your own. “Considering the current market, it makes sense that some would choose this.”
The next thing we’re working on is a long-requested shaker door made from different wood veneers. “It seems to be very popular and we are currently working on this product and look forward to announcing it soon.”
Susannah says she really likes the fact that people can put their own stamp on their projects with Customea products. On the other hand, due to the current economic climate, many are looking for ways to save money on remodeling without compromising the custom feel.
The new custom sized product has been in the spotlight since the beginning with many requests for different sizes, especially to match the Kaboodle series available at Bunnings. “Rather than creating separate collections for specific brands, Any Sized to upgrade any cabinet. Some of our designs don’t work with random sizes, so we made things a little easier by restricting custom sizes to only shaker and flat panel profiles. ”
Customea isn’t just for your kitchen. We also offer standard IKEA sizes for PAX wardrobes and BESTA TV units. And now, with the addition of custom size options, you can customize bookshelves, vanities, bedside tables, and more. The possibilities are endless!
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