Parlor Kitchen #7: Doing It On The Cheap
Not everyone can afford to drop $50,000 or more on a kitchen, so we were interested to receive this submission from a couple who did their kitchen for a fraction of the price. This is not a high-end kitchen, cabinets being IKEA, Summit refrigerator and Magic Chef range, but for us it’s plenty functional (and…
Not everyone can afford to drop $50,000 or more on a kitchen, so we were interested to receive this submission from a couple who did their kitchen for a fraction of the price.
This is not a high-end kitchen, cabinets being IKEA, Summit refrigerator and Magic Chef range, but for us it’s plenty functional (and my wife does cook a lot.) It also cost about $15k including plumbing from basement in 2001. We decided to put the appliances on the door side of the 16×17 room, so that the cook could be part of the living room action. The room was bare when we moved in and we had some non-so-useful help from IKEA. For one thing, we were not told that we could have put less-deep top cabinets in front of the radiator, towards the right, and continued the counter top to the wall (which is why there’s only a table there now.) To forestall any criticism of the placement of the d/w, getting round it when open is quite possible and not an issue. We replaced the right window with door to deck, which is not quite finished yet. In retrospect, we should have leveled the opening. The plan was also to have a couple of small barstools at the counter, but our dining table is too wide for now.
How have other readers found using Ikea cabinets? They can be a bitch to install unless you know what you’re doing, but they’ve ended up working out well for us.
Ideas for the Parlor Floor Kitchen? [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #1: Architect-Designed in The Slope [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #2: Contractor’s Own Kitchen [Brownstoner]
Parlor Floor Kitchen #3: Jeffrey’s 35-Footer [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #4: Spreading Out in a 22-Footer [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #5: Where the Party’s At [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #6: Modern in Prospect Heights [Brownstoner]
Can you tell me more about your Summit refrigerator and what you know about the company? They make the only fridge that is the perfect size for my kitchen, but I have never heard of the brand and am a little concerned about going out on a limb. Thanks!
in answer to the question about how marble countertops work -we ahve had ours for 3 years and love it – you have to let it age with grace and not obsess over everything. I prefer it to all other surfaces – we’ve had butcher block, formica, stainless, granite and this has been the best in terms of look, feel and durability
Great that they did this kitchen on the cheap and it’s functional and looks OK, but it can’t compare to those on previous threads.
3:19, I didn’t think it was weird to leave out appliances on the counters. Didn’t say that. I was saying it was weird to be so obsessed about promoting the concept so ardently on Brownstoner, like you have on all the kitchen reno threads. It’s becoming very tiresome and nobody thinks it is worth debating as much as you do. Sorry, not taking it back, I still say it’s weird to obsess over it. Plus why is it okay for you to continually insult minimalist kitchens, but not okay for somebody to express why they do not like things sitting out all the time? Double-standard is what it’s called.
Just had a summit range and fridge delivered from here along with a ge dishwasher – free delivery and no sales tax – cheaper than anyplace else i found in greater nyc
http://www.appliancesbuyphone.com/
I have a clue for the poster who thinks it is weird and “dirty” to leave appliances out on the counter, and yes, I do see a toaster and a blender in the picture, you have a chemical imbalence in your brain that makes you an anal compulsive nut. Others are not “dirty” you are “wacked out”. -Got it?
Re scratch and dent: I got a GE Profile bottom-freezer refrigerator and gas stove from Craigslist for $150 total. The sellers were redoing the kitchen and had to get rid of them. THe appliances were almost new and in perfect condition, although off-white which I understand is not as desirable as stainless. They had sold new for almost $1k each.
It cost me more to have them delivered than to pay for them.
We renovated our (*very* small galley) kitchen last year, and used Ikea because we wanted simple, white, high-gloss cabinets and didn’t think it seemed worth paying a lot more for them. (It also left room in our budget for “fancier” appliances and some custom woodworking.:) Our contractor installed it all very quickly and easily, and noted that the hardware was of excellent quality. We’ve been delighted with the results, both aesthetically and practically. Personally, I think a lot of Ikea’s *furniture* is real junk, but I think their kitchen cabinets are great value for the money.
P.S. We did exactly what the original poster descibed above–used a shallower-depth wall cabinet on the floor next to our stove, where the wall was less deep (because of the exhaust column behind it). Worked perfectly, and you’d never tell the difference.
Oh and by the way, the toaster and blender are NOT sitting out. Look at the photo again.