European kitchen cabinetry is modern, energetic and functional. With the right color and finish, it can add excitement and drama to your home, be it a house, condominium, or for that matter a second home at the beach. This is the first of two installments that look at European style kitchen cabinetry from two sources: IKEA and Porcelanosa.

While European cabinetry is suitable for rooms that are enclosed, we think they are especially good for open floor plans.[See our article on Selecting Kitchen Cabinets] In the latter, a modern European kitchen cabinet can enhance your space. Maybe it's because the cabinets' finish (matte, glossy, etc), clean sharp angles, and linear hardware does double duty as furniture, especially when it is tied in with the modern pieces in an adjoining family room or living space.

IKEA European Kitchens
Swedish retailer IKEA has been the choice of many people who want good design and function in a European kitchen cabinet, but don't want to spend a fortune on it. Now before we go on, we want to make it clear that IKEA kitchen cabinets may be inexpensive relative to other brands, but that in no way means that the materials are cheap. IKEA stands behind it kitchen cabinetry with a 10 year guarantee, while some more expensive brands only provide a 5 year guarantee.

On a recent visit to two IKEA stores in the Washington DC area, we were amazed at the selection and the look of the European kitchen cabinetry. There are sleek, high gloss blues, whites and reds as well as more traditional woods. The medium brown cabinet (get name) looks pretty shop. At the beach house or a loft apartment in the city or an urban village, we think the bolder colors create a wow effect.



IKEA Kitchens for Small Spaces
The IKEA stores we visited had vignettes set up that showed how to live in a relatively small spaces (most less than 500 square feet). That's pretty small by US standards, but not if you live in large cities like New York, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, etc.

Not only are the cabinets designed to accommodate small spaces, but kitchen appliances, sinks and faucets are too. The folks at IKEA go even further and have devised many cool ways of storing plates, cutlery and other kitchen equipment. We found to our delight that IKEA seems to delight in hanging things on shelves and to maximize space.

Irrespective of where you live, if your kitchen is small and you want to maximize your entire space, it might pay to look into IKEA European cabinets. Bring a schematic and photographs of your existing kitchen and adjoining rooms. You might just want to knock down a wall to create that open space.

Kitchen remodeling can range from simple tasks to more complex tasks. Even if you're considering doing a lot of work yourself, you might need help or want to talk to someone about:

• Refacing your existing cabinets,
• Installing new cabinets, or
• A full kitchen remodel that included design, cabinets, appliances, etc.

You can talk with a pre-screened kitchen expert in your area about the above subjects. Please visit our Guide to Kitchen Remodeling. You are under no obligation and your information will be protected.

Why are IKEA Cabinets relatively inexpensive?
Form, function and low price seem to be IKEA's guiding principles. With stores in 34 countries, IKEA can and probably does drive a pretty hard bargain and gets a good price on anything it has manufactured and sells. It's simply economies of scale. When IKEA adds something to its inventory, it's a huge number. They are similar to Walmart in their purchasing power. However, this is a double edged sword. While the kitchen cabinetry and other kitchen accessories are inexpensive, they have to hold up and provide value for the money.

IKEA cabinets are made of MDF. This is relatively inexpensive and is found on many stock cabinets and some semi-custom lines like Porcelanosa Kitchen Cabinetry. The cabinet facing though can be either MDF or wood or a combination of wood and laminate. Cabinet hinges and drawers are also tested.