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Design DilemmaBefore & AfterKitchens
amboise1

I need help with choosing my Ikea kitchen

Sal
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago




Lerhyttan

Hi all,

I am struggling to make my decision. I am in the process of choosing an IKEA kitchen and it’s taking me too long to pick one.. I have seen 2 that I like but not sure about the quality of the doors of each one (Wood wise). One is called BODBYN in grey and the other one is called LERHTTAN in light grey Which is too light, you would think is white when under the light.

Has anybody bought or has/had any experience or know anything about these 2 kitchens. The LERHYTTAN doors are a bit dearer than the BODBYN, does this mean that they are made with a better quality Wood/material?!

Bodbyn

Featured Answer
  • Bianca
    2 years ago

    I have the dark Lerhyttan kitchen and am really happy with it. It’s my IKEA version of my fantasy devol kitchen! I went for the glass fronted top cupboards but made sure I got the sizes with square windows rather than the rectangular ones. If you do get the glass doors make sure when you clean them you spray the window cleaner on the cloth, not the pane of glass as it dribbles down on the inside and gets stuck behind the bars of wood - oops. You can only see it from the inside but it’s annoying! Also another vote for as many pot drawers as possible, everything is completely accessible and so organised.

    Comments (31)

    • rinked
      3 years ago

      The lattice will cost more to manufacture, I guess that's where the price difference is in. They're both painted mdf, right?

      Know that there are companies that do custom doors for ikea kitchen units, won't be cheap though.

    • Sal
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Thanks for your answer. The Bodbyn gray, the nice grey, the doors are made with fibreboard and the light grey, Lerhyttan doors have solid wood frame with bevelled edges and an inset veneer panel. The lattice is more expensive, £60 per door ( 40x80cm)

      the Bodbyn £46 for the same door.

      Dont know wether I go for the colour I like which is the Bodbyn grey but worried about the quality of the wood or for the lighter grey which judging by the price Is better quality but I find the grey too light almost white.

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    • 88wj88
      3 years ago

      It will depend on the size of the kitchen, how many units you are buying and also how many on the wall. The darker grey Bodbyn I have installed 4 years ago and wished I had lighter units on the walls as I found all that grey was too much. The quality is good, it wears and cleans well and is backed with a long guarantee Have just chosen a light grey kitchen in my new house and much happier with the look.

      Sal thanked 88wj88
    • ali270
      3 years ago

      I would go for Lerhyttan . I prefer lighter colours in a kitchen and the design is less fussy ...a lot of cross bars to wipe and clean .

      Sal thanked ali270
    • tamp75
      3 years ago

      I would also go for Lerhyttan. It looks a nice soft grey in the picture. If you went for white walls or a white worktop, the grey would def stand out.

      Sal thanked tamp75
    • Jen
      3 years ago

      Also agree: Lerhyttan.

      The profile on the Bodbyn doors, and particularly drawers, looks overly fussy. But Lerhyttan is a good, classic shaker style that has a timeless look about it.

      It’s also available in a black-stained woodgrain, if you wanted some contrasting units.

      Sal thanked Jen
    • Sal
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Thank you all for your help. It’s much appreciated.

    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Hi 88wj88 for sharing.

      was your previous kitchen in Bodbyn dark grey or just grey? The one I mentioned is grey. My kitchen is a bit big and has much natural light in too.

      Here are some photos of my actual kitchen and the design In Lerhyttan done online as ikea stores were closed. Until I went to Ikea 2 days ago and I saw the Bodbyn in grey and also saw how pale was the light grey in Lerhyttan





    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago





    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago



    • rinked
      2 years ago
      last modified: 2 years ago

      Advise: Use a shallow unit in front of the nib between the windows, so it looks like on flowing whole. Also remove the corner on the far right, go for the L-shape only.

      And place the hob on a 80cm drawer unit, or even better centered on 2x 80cm units.

      Also don't place a dishwasher in a corner.


      Are you changing the floor to ceramic wood? If not, I would pick neither grey for the lower units.

    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Interesting, thank you. I asked for a shallow
      Shelf unit between the windows but Ikea don’t do shallow unit, just normal box units.Spoke to the fitter who said , he can do it himself using the Ikea kitchen panels to have the same colour. As for the L shape in the far right corner, like it is at the moment but taller, I asked for it too, but the person who designed the kitchen said it won’t be possible apparently instead she has put a kind of tall ladder unit there.

    • rinked
      2 years ago
      last modified: 2 years ago

      As far as I know ikea doesn't do corner larders. They do have 37cm shallow units though.

      Here's my take on your kitchen layout:



      Drawers are fabulous for storing dry food, kitchenware, tableware. Cost a bit more, but so very worth it. (I have just ONE 80cm drawer unit in my kitchen and it holds ALL my plates, bowls, cutlery and such!).

      Keep the window wall open, no hutch look or uppers. Soothing.

      Far right start with 40cm storage unit, 60cm for oven(s). Fridge right next to the worktop. 60cm lower with door for symmetry, our brains love that. Hob in the centre of 2x 80cm units, corner unit. Then some handywork might be required, but if it fits is great: 20cm pullout, because I see you want an apron sink, then sink, dishwasher, shallow unit and 3x 80cm drawer units (again soothing horizontal lines). One 60cm upper with closed door, two 60cm with glass. Alcove full width, because of the (flat model) extraction duct and perhaps some dimmable lights.

      And if this isn't enough storage yet, simply place a nice hutch where the fridge is now.

      Sal thanked rinked
    • Jen
      2 years ago

      Excellent design rinked! Practical and aesthetically pleasing too.

      Sal thanked Jen
    • pjdklm
      2 years ago

      I remodelled my kitchen last year with Lerhyttan base units and Axstad wall units, with a Duropal Carrara 22mm worktop, (non-IKEA)satin brass handles, and a white oak herringbone floor. I did briefly consider the Bodbyn. The Lerhyttan doors are pale, soft grey, but they definitely don’t come across as white in my kitchen.

      The fact the Lerhyttan was painted wood proved really beneficial. The doors and matching panels could be cut cleanly for some “bespoke” additions I had done during installation, and it was easy to colour and finish match the Lerhyttan paint, too.

      Sal thanked pjdklm
    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thank you all for the feedback And comments. great design rinked. It flows nicely. I will consider your suggestions.

    • cavgirl
      2 years ago

      My ikea kitchen has the ash veneer doors, which I painted in a copy of Slaked Lime mid (walls) and deep (base). Granted, that was mainly because three years ago the Lerhytton door wasn’t available! It was worked very well, even with three different dogs in and out all the time. I also got two sets of 80 cm wide drawers for either side of the cooker. On both sides it looks like two super deep drawers, but in reality the top drawer is three-a super skinny drawer for cutlery, a slightly deeper one for spices and chopping boards, then dry food. Bottom drawer takes pots and pans. The space is amazing, so I totally endorse the drawers recommendation above. It’s a bit more expensive, but you won’t regret it. Oh, and it’s meant that I have no wall cabinets over the main cooking stretch of my worktop. I did worry about that before, but the drawers are fab and I haven’t missed wall cabs in the least.

    • Katie Duke
      2 years ago

      Hi - this is blog I follow written by a woman in Manchester, UK. She fitted a Bodbyn kitchen in grey and has written quite a bit about the process. You might find it useful and/or enjoy the pictures. This is a link to an article talking about installation but if you search her blog there are lots of other articles too. Good luck! https://www.simplythenest.com/simplythenestjournal/2018/8/18/ikea-kitchen-diy-hints-tips

      Sal thanked Katie Duke
    • moorlikeit
      2 years ago

      Another vote for the Lerhyttan as It has a simple, classic elegance that's missing from the Bodbyn. The colour is also less deadening/overbearing IMHO.

      I would love to see pics of pjdklm's remodelled kitchen as it sounds very much in line with my own thoughts for a new kitchen.



    • zwetsloot67
      2 years ago

      BODBYN grey is a traditional door with a smooth robust finish (acrylic paint on fibreboard) that will cope well with the abuse of family life. LERHYTTAN light grey is also traditional in style, made with a solid ash frame with an ash veneer central panel and finished with a tinted acrylic lacquer. The surface finish on LERHYTTAN is not as robust as BODBYN, however, it's simpler lines make it more versatile - it will work well in traditional and more contemporary homes, and therefore has a wider appeal. If your kitchen is north or east facing I would steer clear of BODBYN grey as it could make the space feel gloomy and cold. Grey kitchens have been fashionable for a number of years and the popularity of mid-grey is on the wane (dark grey is on the up), so another advantage of LERHYTTAN is that the doors may be successfully painted when you fancy a change. Personally, I prefer LERHYTTAN, and I'm a kitchen planner working for IKEA!

    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thank you so much for your helpful comments. Thanks to all.

    • zwetsloot67
      2 years ago

      The design by Rinked is better than your original one from IKEA, and the symmetry is very pleasing. However, the sink is too close to the corner. This is a busy area and you need more space around the sink, so put the dishwasher to the right. I think you can do something more interesting to the left of the wall nub. I would build a window seat here with storage under. Rinked design has A LOT of storage ... do you really need all those cabinets? Human nature is such that the more storage you have the more stuff you keep - less is definitely more!

    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      I agree, the sink is too close to the corner. I mentioned this to the person who planned the kitchen but there isn’t really much space in the area to move it away from the corner as next to it is the dishwasher. At the moment, the sink is on the right and the dishwasher on the left. I wanted it to stay like that but not possible as the sink sticks out from the counter and will stop the carousel cabinet door on the right from opening fully and for this reason the sink has been moved to the left. I also for more symmetry,wanted a narrow book/display shelf between the windows but apparently Ikea does only boxes stacked on top of each other.
      As to the number of cabinets, I really need space for all my cooking appliances as I like my worktops to be completely empty.

    • rinked
      2 years ago

      Thank you, zwetsloot67. Some thoughts though:


      Better have a sink in the corner (actually 20cm out) then a dishwasher. Remember there is 85cms of worktop on the right hand side of the sink towards the wall, even though you won't use it all, there is plenty elbow space. Add another meter to that between the corner and hub, I see no issues there. A 60cm dishwasher in a corner menas bending over a lot to fill/empty and more splashes against cabinet fronts.


      And yes there is a LOT of storage, but the units left of the dishwasher could be used for other things than kitchen related. But.. it might be a nice idea to drop the cabinet height of those left 3x 80cm units, to create a window seat. Depends on family size and habits, I guess, as that wide worktop would be great for baking, serving food buffet style at family gatherings, etc.


    • cathy_boorer
      2 years ago

      Hi, we purchased Lerhyttan light grey last year for the kitchen and absolutely love it! Just in case you want a paint colour that goes well with it too, I splashed out for Farrow & Ball 'Wevet'. It's very close to white but isn't. We have a white ceiling and you can easily see a difference in colour. It keeps the kitchen looking light. We have a wooden floor and a wooden worktop, plus put in a welsh slate windowsill and then some dark blue roller blinds. It all looks fantastic. One thing my partner did is make a 'pull out' cup

      ard from normal drawers and doors. It is fab, so much so that he's going to make me another as you can get right to the back of the cupboard. Why Ikea does not promote these hacks I do not know.

      To fit everything in, my partner also designed a breakfast bar that has the washing machine underneath it on one side (opposite the tumble dryer) and then on the other side of the island is the dishwasher. It's a great use of space as he's closed up a window that looked onto my waterbutts, fence and neighbour's extension and put in more storage for me.. We played with the Ikea planning app for maybe 1/2 a year before taking the plunge. You can really make it work it you just take the time to plan it properly. He wanted to warn you about the price of cover panels though - the large ones are £127 a pop - a huge price for just a bit of coloured wood, and you'll end up using them all over. For under the breakfast bar, he got some MDF and then glued on some floor tiles, cut through the door of the washing machine and saved us approx £220! (Came to £40 instead of £260). One thing that I cannot stress enough is that it's REALLY worth looking for returns in the 2nd hand bit. You can pick up doors at a completely bargain price so always go and have a look. Ours still isn't finished as we're doing it ourselves (so please excuse the floor protector), but it looks completely amazing already compared to what it was before! Our friends love it. Lights are from Ikea too. Go for Lerhyttan. Good luck!






    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thanks Cathy for your input, it’s much appreciated. Your kitchen looks super. I was Looking at the handles, they look great. I am still between cups handles or handles?!

    • zwetsloot67
      2 years ago

      Cup handles are traditionally used on drawers, and handles, or knobs, on doors. I would normally design a kitchen with knobs on the wall cabinets doors as they are visually more discrete. I would definitely recommend handles on any integrated appliances as you need a bit more effort to open these, and cup handles here will damage your manicure!

    • Sal
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thank you for your reply. Yeah I am using knobs on the wall cabinets and for now, cups on the rest.

    • zwetsloot67
      2 years ago

      I was looking at your original IKEA design and comparing it to the design that Rinked did. Did you provide the kitchen measurements to Rinked? I was doing a quick design myself and was having difficultly working out the measurements, and it seemed to me that on Rinked design the hob wall is longer than on the IKEA design. If you send through the Project Number of the IKEA design I would be happy to have a look at it for you.

    • cathy_boorer
      2 years ago

      @Sal - thanks! Our handles are FANTASTIC as they are not intense black. They also happen to be the cheapest there is in the Ikea range. They are slightly mottled which works really well and they look a lot pricier than their £5 for 2 pricetag!! https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/moellarp-handle-black-70265247/

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