good advice + IKEA ISLAND on WHEELS! + personal stories

Chapter 2 - A Rolling IKEA kitchen island.

That's right - a rolling IKEA island. This is not full reveal yet, Chris asked that I don't publish any more images of the work until it is fully completed - I asked that once finished - if he could provide an image, he's a professional photographer.*  Chris has a beautiful space, tall, tall loft, giant windows, a gorgeous view of the city of Toronto. Loft spaces always have their own quirks - and his is no exception. He commissioned a craftsman to build him this really cool storage - he's got his library built into these heavy stone stairs - what a great, creative, original idea! Each stone step flips up, revealing storage.

He wanted the flexibility of tucking his kitchen island away from the center when he was entertaining. That's a smart solution! Why not? He got the cabinets himself last year - they are the vintage AKURUMs - I shed a single tear for the good old AKRURUMs - had a custom steel base fabricated and powder-coated in white. Did the box assembly himself, and wanted everything ready for the stone countertop /w waterfall on both sides - island wrapped in stone - nice!

Nothing, but to wait for the stone guys.....
It's gonna look gorgeous. 


[EDIT]

I Got the pics! I got the pics!

Here is the island. Beauty and Function!

* Hey! 'Life's like that!' - Avril Lavigne, my 'go-2-girl-4-quotes'. Talk about a small world! He's the photographer for Nienkamper - an amazing contract furniture company. When I was in design school - it's got to be like 10 years now.... -  I won the scholarship to work at Nienkamper - I was there when Karim Rashid designed and prototyped the Kloud Chair - yea, that thing started as a giant cube of pink foam that was carved down, filed, sanded until it became the Kloud Chair! At the end of my stay at Nienkamper - for the last 3 days there - I talked to Gus, the GM, and managed to convince him to let me transfer to the upholstery department.  I wanted to see how great, commercial upholstery gets done - it's an incredible skill-set. I met some incredible, talented people there. Under their careful guidance I stretched some webbing, and, I guess it is safe to admit now that I tried/tested all their high-end sofas that they had ready for shipping....Anyways, for the exciting part, during those last three days they were upholstering the first ever KLOUD CHAIR - like no. 001 - first one ever in design history. And...I....upholstered....the....base.....!!

Yea!

If you google 'KLOUD chair red' - you will see a picture of contract club chair. And if you look closely - barely noticable, barely visible, you will notice underneath, is a round, dome-shaped base. I did it! And Chris took pictures of my work for Nienkamper..... ;)


Chapter 3 - How to do a SEKTION well - why you should hire me to design and install your IKEA SEKTION kitchen. 

There is much to be learned from the recent sale of SEKTION at IKEA. The sale was massive. IKEA could not keep their new kitchen cabinetry stocked. To this day people are still behind on some items from the first ever IKEA Kitchen Event. It was so large that they let people pick up straight from the warehouse - bypass the distribution point. I have witnessed people exploding on IKEA managers because by the time they finished calling IKEA and actually went to the store to pick up - say next morning - the product was already sold - out of stock and another 2 weeks delay.  So pay for your kitchen and get it delivered early - you might have to wait for final few pieces - up to 4 weeks and that's very annoying, given that you are buying from IKEA. IKEA should always have everything in stock. 

Dear reader, you cannot imagine the flexibility of the IKEA kitchen system. You can have a very well designed kitchen with no lead time - you are only limited by your delivery method - if you can haul it that day then you can start it that day. That is amazing news for anyone who needs to do a kitchen reno fast - like when you are selling or buying a home - and it needs a kitchen. Those are your best times to do it. It never takes 2 weeks - you will likely be out of your kitchen for 4 weeks. Tons of well - ideally coordinated - tradespeople like plumbers and electricians, painters, flooring, tiles, likely drywalling and taping [least favourite things of mine to do, and boy! do I have a reno horror story that is so bad that is great!*] will go through your house. If you are deciding to do some of the work yourself, you are only adding extra days onto the project. If you've got the flexibility and you are a semi-pro than sure, try doing some of the things yourself - you will save money. But then again, how much do you value your time? Good ethical professionals - like myself - will come in, know exactly what to do and how to resolve things. My services come with a bonus that I am also a designer - I build nice things - I pay attention to details - I source most of materials at IKEA for cost. And it ends up looking like a million bucks. 

I am coming to the discovery of another IKEA SEKTION deficiency [the first one is the systems complexity, great for designers and challenging for twice in a lifetime users of the planning software] - it has a very rigid install system. The planning software is a great limit - I have never had a positive experience with IKEA kitchen planner, when I work from home. And apparently I am not alone in my experience - people universally hate it. Once I take note of the measurements I go to IKEA off-peak - usually off-peak - breakfast+design. 

Example - IKEA planner would not let you do anything with this wall. Because the main floor was opened up, there had to be a beam that was put running the length of the house - that put a limit on the height. There is also a box at the bottom - that box is required there for the headroom - stairs going into the basement. To IKEA planner that was is useless - the key is being creative with the SEKTION box. 

Want a tear-jerker story? Computer not-savvy seniors are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous unsavoury 'designers' who charged in the range of $120 dollars to convert their on-the-paper designs into the digital design - I got ethics, I don't do that.  If you are computer illiterate, then my advice is as follows - go to IKEA on a Monday morning for 9:30. Get yourself the $1 breakfast and free coffee - you want to be well caffeinated.  They open at 10am. Register for a computer - you are in the system now, eligible to receive IKEA Kitchens Associate's help - and just do it with their help, on a clunky black computer - yea, the early 90's first paged and then called - they want their computers back.  Mondays are the slowest [as opposed to the weekends when every IKEA turns into a ZOO]. Added benefit is that you can test your ideas right away in the store, they've got all cabinetry and hardware on display. 

Anyhow, what you get with my service is great flexibility - that SEKTION box is like putty in my hands. I can put it anywhere, anyhow, at any height, in any configuration I desire.  Pair that up with the flexibility to add any custom elements that your heart desiers.....and you got a custom kitchen.

Only nicest designs coming out of Studio Kosnik. 

on the picture - IKEA planner would not allow us to squeeze in a full size gable, so instead of adding full 3/4", I laminated the gable in matching high gloss laminate from ABET. 

Custom solutions for challenging space - on IKEA budget. This is a 3-piece base-kick for my last kitchen project - because it made more sense to built the vent into the kick than to rip out the basement ceiling to move it. Savings $$$!

* so the funny story goes like this. A reno is being done, the owner is thrifty and hires 2 guys who do it 'after-hours' - like they have full time jobs and do side gigs. These guys take their sweet-a** time and take 62 [sixty two!!!] days to drywall and tape his small basement. He was going insane, he was telling me that story and I was laughing out loud - real hard.  SIXTY......TWO......DAYS........

IKEA the Beautiful [also important stuff about IKEA kitchen islands]

Confessions of an IKEA Hacker.


*HEY! Before I forget Here is a tip from IKEA Hacker - you get a $100 back for every $1000 you spend. Buy the core with the the $1000's  - like boxes and doors - spend the refund on the interior fittings! 

In Toronto, Canada, IKEA has a kitchen on sale right now. I know because I went through it - intentionally, on the weekend - with my son - the restaurant was overwhelmed, we were lucky we found a table to eat. The kitchen planning department was busy, with extra staff on hands. I hear from from e-mail exchanges - via quotes - that IKEA is very extra busy on the weekends - they often run out of specific the Sektion cabinets and the people come back on the weekday. I speculate that they renovated - enlarged - the IKEA Etobicoke location specifically because they anticipated higher traffic and warehousing needs due to their kitchen launch - what a smooth oiled machine, IKEA is!

My favourite thing about being an IKEA hacker, is that IKEA forces you to be efficient, to constantly evolve and adapt. Example - from now on, I will answer e-mails and blog at the same time. The questions that I get - majority from North America   [that's my IKEA perspective], but they come from  from literally all over the world - wherever IKEA sells - are all good and relevant questions and I want to share the answers with a wider audience. 

Richard asks about my IKEA kitchen island install - does the quote include fixing to the floor? Yes, it absolutely does - I build custom kicks for all IKEA cabinetry. I developed a nice system for creating sturdy, rigid and stable frames that the actual SEKTION boxes are installed onto. They are fabricated on site to ensure proper size and accommodate site conditions -  I do not use IKEA's plastic legs as it's a weakness of the system, in my opinion. This was particularly evident when it came to the islands. SEKTION partially addresses that issue with the introduction of 'stabilizing kit' for islands - I bought one and am yet to open it and inspect it. 

My philosophy is though - why 'stabilize' when you can 'set it down' properly? So I build my own kicks - they are all constructed out of Canadian, 3/4", exterior grade ply that's nailed and screwed together - it aint' a looker - but it is a quality product that will survive a flood, other than being easy to level and will work with any subfloor - wood, concrete, tiles, vinyl, anything. The kicks get clad with standard IKEA mouldings or toe-kick covers. 

Wanna see what it looks like - here is my system




And now, for something totally different! - 


Look - 

 and here is another shot - 

Now, before you say 'hold-on! it's blue and oak!' or 'no! it's grey and oak!' - here is another issue to consider. IKEA introduced new mouldings - as illustrated above - for their SEKTION kitchens - remember? 'everything is new and there is more of everything'. That island is solid - I know because I tried rocking it - I am sure that they did not spare on the 'island stabilizing kit' on this one - the geometry also helps [see, my system works well regardless of geometry - you can go with any crazy design that you want, including cantilevers! ]. But notice that nice moulding around the base? - it is flush with the exterior. 'So what?' you ask.

Here - kitchen islands have a purpose. One of the functions of an island is to increase the overall work- surface area of the kitchen - increase functionality. There is a lot of ergonomics that goes into designing a kitchen - like heights and depths and radiuses, etc. One of those dimensions is the set-back on the kitchen kick - it's a space about 4"x4". That space is allocated for your feet, it allows you to stand right against the work-surface for a more comfortable work position. In the image you will notice that IKEA eliminated that element from the island - I am assuming that was done to showcase their new SEKTION base mouldings. And that is perfectly OK - from the ergonomics perspective - if the island is used for storage, or it is used for brief intervals. But try spending 3 to 4 hours leaning forward over your island while preparing a large Thanksgiving dinner for your family and guests and I assure you that you will feel the pain! 

CHALLENGE - do it. Go to your kitchen right now and stand back about 4" from the edge of the countertop. Try making a sandwich, or better yet, prepare yourself lunch. It is uncomfortable, isn't it? Yea. 

So, when making a decision whether to install the IKEA base moulding on your island consider how will that island function? - sure the mouldings are 'perrty lookin' - but if you intend to spend extended periods of time standing against it - the island - you want to make sure that you will be comfortable and efficient - you don't want to end-up with lower-back pain every time you cook dinner!

And hey! Want to add some flair to your island? Hire me for the install - not only will I do a good job, but I will let you know in what ways you can customize it with readily available IKEA pieces - your design style need not impact your love of cooking! Hey! I like cooking myself! 

Chapter 2 -  IKEA the Beautiful

I love IKEA. It is a such a wonderful corporation! 
Other than them doing their taxes in that little European duchy of Lichetenstein [sp?] I think that they are flawless. 

here - IKEA fantasy booth! In an attempt to reach out to a younger demographic - mainly the one using '#' they set up this cool 'fantasy booth'. 'Imagine yourself in a new bedroom' was the tagline. My youngest one sure did! Their frozen yogurt is a good deal too!

When there is a need to spend time some man-to-man time with your oldest - he is practically a teenager, IKEA is an excellent venue. The variety of healthy and hearty meals and a very reasonable price. The 'limited time' beef is saucy and rich - cooked in a slow cooker? - the mash potatoes are mashy and the veggies? - well, you got to eat them right? The fish and chips are good too - benign enough that even my 12 year old - who is still a picky eater - will eat the whole thing. I'm loving' it! It helps that I live about 5 min away from IKEA Etobicoke, too. 

While on the weekends IKEA turns into a zoo, the weekdays are much slower and easy going. Slow-n-Easy Mondays - IKEA supports  entire senior ecosystem - healthy and affordable $1 breakfast and free wi-fi attract top senior crowds. 

Example - grandmas lounging on display.  

And my favourite: IKEA is my other office....

IKEA's SEKTION - The Good, the Bad and the Functional - REVIEW part 2

Chapter 1 - First Impressions*  - the installation.

*without all that glitz and glitter of the IDS show. 

It was a dark and stormy night in Toronto. On February 2nd, IKEA's SEKTION public launch, the city woke up to cancelled school bus routes, closed schools and un-plowed roads - lucky IKEA Etobicoke has a underground parking garage - but their top level parking lot was clear, in anticipation of the crowds.

It was also an exciting day for IKEA co-workers, still setting up, still putting up signage, and there were already eager customers trying out IKEA's new kitchen planner software. IKEA spared nothing, including upgrading their playlist - more youthful, hip - I heard Weezer, Buddy Holly song! There was cake and non-alcoholic champagne for first guests! Look - 

I had some cake and cookies. 

The first kitchen I stumbled across was 'the new Lidi' called 'Bodbyn' - who comes up with those names? - I guess it is that 'Swedish Charm'. This time around the doors are again manufactured in Portugal - most likely the setup was just re-programmed. 

[ ASIDE Ha! Barenaked Ladies on the playlist in IKEA! I'm writing the review at the store...]

IKEA installers - under the direction of the designer - did the best of that standard limited decorative moulding - some nice detailing that I am sure to copy - and maybe expand? I think there could be nicer, more impressive top mouldings - IKEA uses the same moulding for all application.

All the kitchens featured quartz countertops - with matching profiles - but they do add significant cost - can come close to the price of the cabinetry. I like that IKEA is upfront about that cost, and offers a lower price point. Look - 

But the biggest, 'Ah! Ha!' moment came for me, when I tested the first kitchen island! For real! It was wobbly! I could not believe it! I recorded a video of it, just so that nobody accuses me of fabricating stuff! This is how I test all my cabinetry - I stand at one end of the island, firmly grab the ends and give it a shake - try to wobble it [!!!] - my cabinetry is SOLID, like a rock! - shot with my Blackberry* - Look - 

Now, I know that it was the first kitchen island that I encountered, and that I tested all the kitchen islands - and some were sturdier than others, probably due to geometry - and that IKEA now offers a 'kitchen island stabilizing kit', that I am yet to get my hands on and test it. Look - [A]

  

IKEA did come out with hardware to accommodate mounting island cabinets back-to-back, or mounting the large panels - I am looking forward to trying out that piece of hardware. 

[EDIT: March, 2015] - IKEA has not had the hardware for mounting the panels in the store yet! I cannot believe that they would launch their kitchens without that. On several occasions, the bracket for mounting the back panels was omitted from the design [!!] - I had to improvise with L-brackets, 1/4 ply to join the panels, proper length screws so they don't puncture the panel. Or IKEA associate would substitute the pieces for the 'stabilizing kit'. Yea, I was angry - but in my defence I will say that the sea/lake Ontario was angry too, nasty weather that day! - I went to IKEA, because I was doing an island install and I specifically asked for the hardware, tapped my index finger on the image - this one please! - pay for it, wait 20 minutes in the line-up - just to receive the 'stabilizing block'! What?! And then another 20 minutes wait to return the block....Oh IKEA, how much I love you....Anyhow....I am waiting for that piece of hardware to arrive so I can use it and write about it. 

[end EDIT]

VERDICT: So as much as I love their boxes and their hardware, IKEA's kitchen islands still remain a weakness of the system. Upon closer inspections I noticed some awkward hardware creeping into the cabinets; the much touted 'new base mouldings' felt awkward and there was very little flexibility. You really should get me to design and build you an IKEA kitchen islands - my system eliminates all those deficiencies - it is a custom solution, that will open up possibilities. 

IKEA SEKTION doors

So once you get past the well made SEKTION box, once you get past the super functional hardware and organizers [they truly are amazing!], you get to the doors. The doors and the panels are where you make your true design statement about your kitchen. Right off the bat, I will disclose my 'conflict of interest' - I am a professional woodworker and a finisher, and I have built and finished some pretty impressive doors and panels in my career. I know how to gauge the quality of a door by its built and by the quality of the finish - I am a perfectionist - my previous employers and my past clients will attest to that.  

So, how do IKEA doors stack up? Let's start:

A] they are production doors - there are millions of these being made, and for the sheer volume produced the quality it excellent. A lot of the doors run on an automated line - no human handling - and such any defects are 'the robot's fault' - if there is ever an issue, you can always take it back to IKEA and they will exchange, no questions asked - that has been my experience - I have had some doors with minor damage that were replaced immediately - you just have to make a trip to IKEA and have a receipt handy. 

B] they are production doors - upon closer inspection I can immediately spot where a bit of 'human hand'*** involved in the process might have produced a better result. This is especially obvious on the lacqured doors - the MDF end grain is a little bumpy - this would not pass under my watch - I recall spending significant amount of time in the finishing room sealing the end-grain with two-part filler, to ensure that the sealer coat would go on equally smooth - face and edge are of the same quality. That's the 'custom' vs. 'production' door dilemma.  

C] their high gloss slab doors are good - for production doors they are nice, flawless and glossy. 

D] wood grains or wood grain imitation - well....that's a different story. There are several wood grain scenarios: 

Scenario A - the doors are 'shaded' with stain - to even out the 'tone'. It's a professional finishing technique, where stain/colour is mixed into the top-coat, and applied over already sealed wood. This results in wood-grain doors that are consistent in their overall 'colour' and 'tone' - but wood grain ends up looking 'muddy' - personally, I don't like that look. That's how you get IKEA's 'white ash' doors, that's how you get their 'black grain doors' - the grain is completely obscured by pigment. 

EXAMPLE - look - shaded doors. 

Scenario B - the doors end up-looking a patchy. Again these are production doors and there is no way to ensure consistent matching grain from door to door.  Look - 

Scenario C - best looking wood grain doors, in my opinion, are simply 'clear coated' - they showcase the wood's natural grain and beauty. 

Remember, IKEA's doors are meant to appeal to widest possible audiences; satisfy the most popular looks; provide widest possible price-point spread; give best possible quality under automated production settings, and if those are the criteria that we are judging them, then yes, they are successful.**

[To be continued...]

*shameless plug - I love my Blackberry phone. 

** remember, you can always hire my to design and build you some IKEA doors and panels -  it is one of the services that I offer.
*** Yep, I am a professional finisher....way back throw back...

IKEA's SEKTION and the 'last kitchen' you will ever need - REVIEW

Chapter 1 - Confessions of an IKEA hacker - why I love the SEKTION kitchen!

[edit] this is my most popular review, but I got a much more detailed and technical review of SEKTION here. 

You should buy an IKEA SEKTION kitchen. I am buying it for my dream kitchen - with few mods, mind you. 

Often times people get confused what it means to have a 'custom kitchen' - it's the IKEA vs. Custom dillemma. People feel that they cannot get a good enough of a product going with mass produced. In fact, I am aware of a trend - people disliking the IKEA model perceiving it as cheap, lacking in quality. 

This could be farther from the truth when it comes to IKEA's kitchens. IKEA's kitchens are well made, 3/4" construction and are well edged - premium features in my opinion.  You can do so much to improve on the original assembly - I offer that service. But you can do an awesome job assembling and installing it yourself. You should get a professional plumber and a licensed electrician if you need any of that work done - plumbing or electrical. 

IKEA is amazing at its hardware. Here check out this video from BLUM that I shot at IDS - this is BLUM's premium hardware line -

and this one - 

 

and this one - 

Nah, you will not find these on an IKEA SEKTION kitchen, but IKEA worked with BLUM and they created - in my opinion - the optimal solution - I have not seen that many organizers since ever. I am yet to check out the pricing - but if you can afford to add their bells and whistles - it makes your kitchen infinitely more practical. There is storage for practically everything - small and light to big, heavy and awkward - the kitchen is designed to anticipate changes. In my opinion, at the IDS, no kitchen exhibitor showed anything closely as practical as IKEA - with the closest one being Scavolini - and they had their awkward moments.  I was very impressed - it really made me question why I build premium baltic birch drawers - tradition*? This is the photo that gets me -

The geometry of the boxes is very clever, it allows for any style to be expressed especially when paired up with SEKTION doors - modernist, classic, contemporary. Nobody can beat them on their slab, solid colour doors. That style doors is the staple of any modernist looking kitchen - they do it plenty, they do it well. It is when you get into the wood grains is when you run into trouble - the grain - door-to-door - does not match, it may end-up looking like a patchwork, a wooden quilt. IKEA does best to minimize that with the choice of darker, evened-out, 'shaded' [proper finishing term] tone to their wood grains. As a purist, I have to disagree with IKEA on the wood grain doors - all the finishing completely obscures the grain - in some ways you might as well just paint it. 

And this is precisely why I am offering nice matching wood grain slab doors for IKEA SEKTION boxes. I also make matching cover panels for kitchen islands, fridge panels, full length dishwasher panels [IKEA doesn't do that!], and any required fillers - you always need those. 

And finally the price. IKEA has the lowest market option. You cannot possibly get a better quality kitchen - some exceptions. It is the economy of scale that lets you purchase one of the most versatile and practical and amazing kitchen system for so little money - it would not have been possible before. From what I have been able to gather at the Toronto Interior Design Show, is that unless you are purchasing a kitchen like Scavolini or Boffi, which I think are bought for their specific, unique design features, IKEA does not have a competitor. All the other exhibitors built well with 3/4" materials, but none offered such a range of interior fittings. True that IKEA uses white powder-coated steel instead of chrome and glass, but IKEA BLUM hardware is essentially 'the best' of BLUM - here - 

minus the motorized option - you are still getting the best design on hardware for an incredible price. 

And if you think that by paying more - you get something of superior quality, then think about this: 

A] this kitchen must have cost tons of money, and it advertised itself as such,  but the hardware on it was so utterly impractical. This piece of hardware gets a complete fail grade - look - 

How big does your kitchen need to be so that you Kitchen Aid mixer gets its own lower cabinet? That's just an inefficient use of space. I was really unimpressed with the expensive kitchens. Yes, they had tons of detailing, tons - beading and arches, and fancy solid wood countertops that definitely attracted the eye, but were in no way practical - to maintain them and run a normal kitchen would be a nightmare. 

SEKTION truly is an amazing system.  

SEKTION being so modular, so versatile needs to be properly designed. There are thousands of combinations and thousands of price points. I think first time ever, it will make sense to hire a professional designer - I think this may be the only weakness of the SEKTION system. Look, it almost feels like you need a rocket scientist for the job - you really don't, all you need is me - 

Oh, and the plastic legs on the kitchen islands - they never work - wobbly! You have to use my system - I honestly believe it is the best option. It makes the entire IKEA kitchen solid - the electrical and plumbing are easy to do properly. 

Tomorrow I am heading straight to IKEA to catch a peek at the kitchens - first thing in the morning.



[EDIT: April 2015] 
Want to know how SEKTION is an improvement over the old AKURUM system? 
Read my side by side comparison, changes and improvements - here.



*they look good in wardrobes;