Ikea Kitchen Makeover Reveal

Well if you’ve been following us on the blog or on our Instagram over the last few weeks, you will have found it hard to miss the fact that I – Athina aka one half of Topology – have been documenting my IKEA kitchen makeover. As part of a collaboration with IKEA, I was given the challenge of taking my previously cramped & outdated kitchen and turning it into something special. I’ve been writing about my kitchen journey since October, so I’m absolutely thrilled to be announcing that the project is complete. And whatsmore, the kitchen of my dreams has come to life! Before you scroll down though, do take the time to read about my initial trip to the IKEA Planning Store in central London as it’s where my kitchen journey first began. Click here to read.

The Installation Process:

Since that first initial blog post regarding the planning, I’ve had the installation itself completed. All of which was organised by IKEA – a hugely convenient part of the design process –  but carried out by external companies. For example, ‘PMH Installations’ were the team that carried out the install works. Regardless of whether the task at hand was electrical work or cabinet building, the team were complete pros and carried out the work with total professionalism. To set the scene, we had around 2-3 tradesmen in each day for the duration of a week. After this, there was a short break whilst we waited for our worktop to be templated (approximately 10 days). From there it was a further speedy 3 days installation. The final three days were the most exciting as you could really see it all come to life (the splash-back went in, the walls were painted and we could use the appliances!).

The Worktop :

Whilst I’ve been documenting the process and giving our Instagram followers sneak previews of the reveal, I’ve been inundated with questions about the worktop. The worktop is a quartz with a marble pattern running through it to give the effect of marble without the price tag. Whilst this worktop option is not advertised on the IKEA website, it is something you can view in the Tottenham Court Road store. Additionally, you can  organise through IKEA. I’d highly recommend it as an option for those wanting the luxe look for a lower cost.

My Favourite Kitchen Feature

Without a doubt one of my favourite features of the kitchen is the inclusion of IKEA’s smart lighting range ‘tradfri’. We had this installed underneath the top cabinets & within the floating oak shelves on either side. These lights are essentially dimmable lights controlled by an external remote (which you can stick on the wall) that create soft pools of light. I have them turned up on their brightest mode when cooking but when entertaining the option to dim them to create ambience is such a luxury. The kits start from just £65 and I can’t recommend them enough.

Life Post Renovation:

Previously in my kitchen, the lack of space meant you couldn’t open a cupboard without something falling on top of you, the tired laminate surface was rotting from water damage, the appliances were old and no matter how much you cleaned it, it always looked dirty.

So what’s life been like since the kitchen has been fitted? A total game changer. Just walking into my open plan kitchen-living-dining space gives me a new lease of life and a positive start to the day. My partner and I often find ourselves just standing in the room, staring at it saying ‘I love my new kitchen’. Our humble apartment has a new flair to it that’s transformed the entire feel of the flat. But it’s not all about the looks! Being avid chef’s we’re thoroughly enjoying life. There’s more worktop space to chop on, fully functioning high tech appliances and much more storage. It goes without saying that our new kitchen of dreams has bought us more joy that we could have ever imagined. So, if you’ve been teetering with the idea of a new kitchen, why not take a trip to Ikea’s central London planning store? Go on, see what you can conjure up…

A breakdown of some of the main items used..

Havsen Sink – £115

Eneryda Cup Handle – £9 for 2

Ringhult Cupboard Front – £36

Omlopp Lighting Strips – £25

Hektar Ceiling Lighting – £25

Tillagd Black Cutlery – £40

Bojon Mixer Tap – £100

Finsmakare Microware Combi – £600

Bagganas Knobs – £5 for two

Matalskare Extractor – £195

Livslaga Gas Hob – £150

Fintorp Magnetic Knife Rack – £7

Vaxmyra LED Spotlight – £9 for 2

My top rated IKEA products

For more information about the products used, please contact us on instagram via instant message and we’ll endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible. You can find us on instagram here.

This blog has been a sponsored post.

Photo Credit: Georgia Burns