I would like to share with you (if you are interested) the construction phases of my kitchen.
What we liked very much or still like.
The hanging rail. A great thing. If it is hung level, the carcasses are also almost always level automatically and only require minimal adjustments to be truly identical. At the same time, it is also a big weak point. Our wall bulges out slightly at the bottom, just a tiny bit according to the spirit level. But you can still see it in the end. Our tall cabinet is on the upper rail, the first carcass on the lower rail. Tall cabinet to end panel has an overhang of 1.5 cm, with the first carcass it is only 1.2 cm. Not a big deal, but I doubt that the walls in apartments are always 100% level.
The drawers, top-notch to assemble, super adjustable. Nothing to complain about.
The quality of the carcasses. Again, no complaints here. Very good quality, easy to assemble.
All in all, we paid 2138€ including transport at Ikea. For that price, we would have been laughed at in the kitchen studio. Additionally, about 3600€ for electrical appliances and nearly 500€ for two solid oak boards (4 cm thick). So in total just over 6000€. For that, we have our current dream kitchen.
You can always discuss layout etc., it is always a matter of taste. In the end, you always have to adapt somewhat to the conditions of an apartment. When building a house, you can plan the room dimensions according to the kitchen.
Our goal was to create/maintain a country house style kitchen that still radiates modernity.
The only thing I would wish from Ikea would be a bit more individuality. End panels always have to be cut, there are no variants adapted to the carcasses. For example, with the tall cabinet, why are there only 2.20 m and not 2.00 m? Here a bit more flexibility would enormously ease the work, without drastically changing the prices.
Corner cabinet, why does Ikea always have the long side on the rail or on the wall? I now have to adjust three end panels for the back wall; here a continuous end panel would be nice and simple.
Some creativity or inventiveness is absolutely necessary at Ikea.
We have now needed about 5 days, but we also worked very precisely. On Sunday, the dishwasher and the crown- and baseboards will be taken care of. Soon after, the back paneling of the corner carcass.
What we are really still puzzling over is the back wall. Ideally, we would like printed aluminum composite panels. There is one site where 2 mm thick variants are available. Surely, Ikea's rails for wall panels could be used here. The second advantage is the price. For the entire wall, we would pay just under 400€. The disadvantage is the motifs; we would prefer a stone wall. There is a nice one, but it does not quite match our color taste 100%.
On another site, there is the perfect stone wall composite panel. The disadvantage is the thickness at 3 mm; the rails would not work here. So, magnets or something similar would have to be used. Even worse is the price. We would have to pay over 600€.
Hence the question, cover the entire wall, from the left tall cabinet to the right tall cabinet, or only above the cooktop?
Best regards, Cole
