IKEA kitchen or bath?

[SarahLovesJS]

Anyone bought kitchen or bath products from IKEA? I am somewhat skeptical, but I love what I have purchased from IKEA. I was thinking specifically about the GODMORGON vanity with 4 drawers + the legs + GODMORGON mirror + BRÅVIKEN sink. It looks like it might be brand new because I am having some issues with the website. But wanted to see if anyone had any experience with counter-tops, vanities, or sinks from IKEA?

 

[Kunzite]

No help here, but I''ve been thinking about doing the Godmorgon combo with two drawers for both bathrooms for awhile. I''m crazy about that style

Sooo.... if you do end up getting it please let me know your thoughts.

Good luck!

ETA - It''s not a new style but the 31 inch is listed as new because it''s a new size. I know because the old size was too large for our bathroom so I was over the moon when they just got the 31 inch set. They aren''t even displaying the new size in our store yet because I tried to look at it yesterday...

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

A good friend of mine has a kitchen from Ikea. He got it about 8 years ago and it still looks new.

Looks ridiculous in his 17th century farmhouse, but that''s a matter of taste rather than quality! It is holding up way better than the uber expensive super trendy designer kitchen that the previous owner of my house fitted (and which I detest but can''t quite justify ripping out until it falls apart completely). I would probably consider Ikea kitchens, they seem pretty tough and if you pick a plain enough style, won''t date as badly as ours has.

 

[Pandora II]

I have an IKEA kitchen - although it doesn't look like one anymore... I bought one of the solid oak ones and had my builder hand-paint it with Farrow & Ball paints. My house is early Georgian and it goes perfectly - it also looks like it cost about 3 times what it did and no-one yet suspects it's IKEA.

I do buy expensive worktops - marble or granite - expensive tiles, appliances and fixtures like taps and lighting - rather than the ones that IKEA stock. The cabinets are very solidly built and come in a HUGE range of sizes and shapes. I probably wouldn't buy any of their 'modern' ones though... I only know about their solid wood ones and they wear very well.

I haven't done a bathroom from there.

I like the site IKEA Fan which is great for ideas on customising your IKEA furniture. I did my daughter's room in the LEKSVIK baby range of furniture - but painted it with expensive F&B paint and changed the handles. Ta Dah, expensive looking nursery furniture in solid wood at bargain prices.

Hmm, can you tell that I really like IKEA?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Pandora, I''m coming round to loving Ikea more and more! Your kitchen sounds beautiful. The Farrow and Ball paints just have such an expensive look, such a lovely finish. I use them whenever we decorate a room and I''m slowly working my way round the house.

My friend''s kitchen looks new and very attractive, but he didn''t upgrade taps, handles and worksurfaces - I think that would have gone a long way to making it work better in his house. He has mixed and matched with a few pieces that have been in the house for ever - a refectory table and chairs and a gorgeous old dresser and while I like the not too fitted, ecclectic look, they are competing with the cabinets rather than enhancing them. I think if he changed the handles and re-finished the cabinets, maybe upgraded the worksurfaces, it would be beautiful. It was supposed to be a stop-gap until he could afford something else, but I''m going to suggest the above and I think that will make him happy with it. I think from what you''ve said it needs a tweak rather than a re-do.

 

[Pandora II]

Do you know which cabinets he has?

I''m an F&B addict! The chalky finish is gorgeous, and looks very expensive. I find that you get excellent coverage (although others disagree) and so even though the paint costs an arm and a leg per tin, it isn''t that bad when you compare quantities with cheaper brands.

I have lots of the sample pots left which I''m keeping for Daisy''s future dolls house - I plan to buy something old and decrepit on eBay and restore it.

I did walls in ''Breakfast Room Green'' and woodwork/cabinets in ''Pointing'' in the kitchen, the sitting room is in ''Off White'' (lovely putty colour) with ''Pointing'' woodwork, I''m about to do Daisy''s room in ''Farrow''s Cream'' and I''m looking at ideas for the bathroom and hallway.

The hallway is narrow and sadly has a dado rail that I''m going to leave for fear of finding worse underneath. Can''t decide whether to do same colour above and below or to do a darker shade underneath.

I''m not a fan of things like ''feature walls'' - although the previous owners did one wall in our bedroom in ''Skylight'' and the others in ''White Tie'' and it looks very nice.

I love Pointing as a woodwork shade, the slight hint of pink just warms it up a bit and it goes really well against an ''All White'' ceiling.

Although it''s pastiche, the house is Soanian in style, with very high ceilings and big arched floor to ceiling window, so I can use quite strong colours - took DH to the Soane museum the other week as I was tempted to paint a room in ''Print Room Yellow'' and the drawing room there is in a very deep yellow. It was a worthwhile trip as I didn''t like it when I really looked carefully. Got lots of ideas for other things though.

Sorry for thread jack!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Not sure what the cabinets are - they aren''t sold anymore. They are timber, rather than melanine or laminate, so they''ll take paint ok. I''m going to suggest it tonight when we''re there for a visit.

I''m obviously not the original thinker I liked to believe I was - our living room is Off White with Pointing woodwork and cornice and Amelia''s room is Farrow Cream.

I do love the stronger colours in the range, but our house is a cottage style, so the rooms are quite small. We have at least two windows in most of the rooms though, so there''s a fair bit of light, but I''m nervous of making it too dark.

The dining room is nearly ready to paint and I''m tempted to go with Eating Room Red (for obvious reasons) except that I thought it was the perfect colour to paint my freestanding bathtub a few years ago. Do I really want the dining room to match the sides of the bath? LOL.

I have used these paints from the start of the endless project that is our house. Seven years on, I can say that the emulsions were worth every penny - the high pigment means that the colours have stayed true and the finish is still attractive. I will say that the water based eggshell for woodwork hasn''t held up quite so well. It''s Pointing all through the rooms we''ve decorated and it''s starting to discolour slightly and go grey in the rooms we did first. My uncle Bob is a painter and decorator and he said that if we want to stick with heritage colours and compounds, we could try Craig and Rose eggshell next time.

Sorry - I''ve wandered off topic again. Sorry! Yes, Ikea kitchen stuff holds up well.

Jen

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/30/2010 3:48:04 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Not sure what the cabinets are - they aren''t sold anymore. They are timber, rather than melanine or laminate, so they''ll take paint ok. I''m going to suggest it tonight when we''re there for a visit.

I''m obviously not the original thinker I liked to believe I was - our living room is Off White with Pointing woodwork and cornice and Amelia''s room is Farrow Cream.

I do love the stronger colours in the range, but our house is a cottage style, so the rooms are quite small. We have at least two windows in most of the rooms though, so there''s a fair bit of light, but I''m nervous of making it too dark.

The dining room is nearly ready to paint and I''m tempted to go with Eating Room Red (for obvious reasons) except that I thought it was the perfect colour to paint my freestanding bathtub a few years ago. Do I really want the dining room to match the sides of the bath? LOL.

I have used these paints from the start of the endless project that is our house. Seven years on, I can say that the emulsions were worth every penny - the high pigment means that the colours have stayed true and the finish is still attractive. I will say that the water based eggshell for woodwork hasn''t held up quite so well. It''s Pointing all through the rooms we''ve decorated and it''s starting to discolour slightly and go grey in the rooms we did first. My uncle Bob is a painter and decorator and he said that if we want to stick with heritage colours and compounds, we could try Craig and Rose eggshell next time.

Sorry - I''ve wandered off topic again. Sorry! Yes, Ikea kitchen stuff holds up well.

Jen

LOL, that is too funny!

What does Farrow''s Cream look like when it''s up? Is it almost an apricot on the walls?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I was about to say no, but then I remembered that yes it was a peachy shade and we thought it was a bit too dark. We mixed it with a white (and I can''t remember which one now, but I can check the tin in the garage when it stops snowing).

It''s a very light shade of creamy yellow with just a hint of peachy warmth (I want to say M colour hahaha).

We mixed it by adding about 1/3 of the Farrow cream to 2/3 of the white emulsion. I tried a few versions, but that one gave the softest colour without being too insipid. I''d totally forgotten about the painting nursery while pregnant drama.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Oooh ty everyone! Pandora you''re winning me over as well!

I am thinking about buying counter-tops from there at some point as well.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Sarah, sorry for turning your thread into a discussion about paint!
Hope you get what you''re looking for.

Jen

 

[SarahLovesJS]

No problem, I am looking for paint tips as well! If you can''t tell I am in major nesting mode. No babies on the way or anything, just nesting like crazy.