Customise Your Ikea Kitchen

We’re all familiar with the concept of the Ikea hack, a design phenomenon that is even supported by the store itself, but until now it has been mainly about DIY versions. I know people who have repainted their doors, or even had new ones made and spray painted. I bought the cupboards but sourced my own handles and worktop. Now, it turns out, there’s a company making new doors especially designed to fit onto Ikea kitchen cupboards and furniture.

They also supply handles – in brass, leather and different colours as well as several different shapes. You can mix up the patterns as you wish and choose from several colours, which they will send to you painted on an A5 sheet of plywood for just over €2. What about Grannie Pink below? Apparently, they were inspired by a little old lady they saw in Milan.

Superfront, which is based in Sweden but ships all over, also test their colours under lots of different lights so that they are satisfied they will always look good.

I rather like this quilted look I must say. I would have finished it off with a brass handle and just look at all the handles there are to choose from. All the prices and different colours are clearly marked and vary from around €15 to €26. Now you always need more handles than you think so the cost can mount up, but compare that with the price of a kitchen that doesn’t come from Ikea and it’s not so bad.

These all come in different finishes – brass, copper, nickel, black and white for the metal or rivets and the leather is black, nude, chestnut or red. Remember if you are juggling budgets (and, frankly, who isn’t) spend the money on the touch points as that is the most important element. People won’t think your cupboards are cheap if your handles feel great.

The door fronts will fit Ikea’s kitchens, sideboards and wardrobes and come with hinges and brackets that attach to pre-drilled holes. There are nine designs for the doors, 13 colours, eight handles and a version that pushes shut without a handle as well as legs and even cararra marble tops.

So don’t ever complain that you could only afford an Ikea kitchen again, because with hacks like this, pretty soon everyone will want one.