IKEA Metod kitchen quality 2022: Quality and price, experiences?

Whoever can afford it, great. But you don't need expensive appliances to be a good hobby cook...

And even less a ridiculously expensive kitchen or the ridiculously expensive kitchen furniture ;) Apart from that, except for the Berbel hood (which is definitely worth its price for recirculating air), the equipment is just mid-range.

Now the question is whether the carcasses and fronts are worth a 10k surcharge?

No. However, as with many things, it is a very personal decision. Many will find the surcharge worth it – as with other pieces of furniture. The additional quality (if present, I rather see flexibility with kitchen furniture compared to the fixed division at Ikea) is not worth the extra cost. At least, that is my experience after the last four kitchens in roughly the past 17 years. They ranged between €7,500 and €40,000.

Specifically, this was Nobilia against Ikea with exactly the same appliances as well as countertop, sink, and faucet. Only the cabinets and fronts were Nobilia vs. Ikea. Now the question is, are the cabinets and fronts worth an additional 10k?

If you have the 10,000 EUR, then yes.
If you don’t have the 10,000 EUR and have to finance it with a personal loan at 3.5%, take the cheaper option...

Building a house on credit is okay. But with the luxury kitchen that nobody really needs, that's where it should stop.

I have an Ikea kitchen and it does what it’s supposed to: stay straight, offer many layout options or practical division, and look good. What more do you want? The quality difference to more expensive kitchens will probably only become apparent after 15 years. But until then, it’s a great kitchen. I know a Simatic kitchen where after 10 years the hinges are loose and everything hangs crooked and uneven. There is also quality loss in expensive ones. You only find out afterwards. Basically, you can’t go wrong, no matter what you do. A kitchen isn’t a high-tech thing.

I am a big IKEA fan. And recently I always had their kitchens including appliances. That is completely sufficient for me. My current kitchen is from 2011 and still works very well and also looks good, it has even been moved once. Unfortunately, it is still the old Faktum system and therefore not compatible with the new carcasses and fronts.
At first, we wanted to move the kitchen with us to our new terraced house. But since we want to replace some of the appliances and modify a few things (cooktop with integrated extractor, larger sink, new appliances, kitchen island) and a new countertop is necessary anyway, we decided on a completely new kitchen. We are only taking the refrigerator with us.
We then planned the kitchen at IKEA with their appliances and also visited a kitchen studio.
IKEA: approx. €8500 without delivery and installation
Kitchen studio: €12,000 including delivery, installation, Häcker brand, all Siemens appliances
The two designs are comparable, only at IKEA it was a real wood countertop and honestly we still got over €2000 discount at the kitchen studio.
With this constellation, we then decided on the kitchen studio.
In a rental apartment, however, I would always choose a (cheap) Ikea kitchen.

Why do you find the fronts and countertops in need of improvement?

The countertops are good quality per se, but ours (custom countertops) all had a significant bow. Of course, wood moves. Still, I believe this should not happen with proper manufacturing processes. The fronts as well. Some gaps in the middle deviate by several millimeters because the material is warped here too. It is not noticeable in the overall impression. However, you shouldn't look too closely. Considering that the fronts are not exactly "cheap" (these are AXSTAD), only half acceptable.