Seven brands to help you customise IKEA kitchen cabinets

IKEA’s functional, sturdy and affordable units are the obvious choice if you want a new kitchen without a huge spend, but the choice is lacking when it comes to outer colours and materials. The solution? Buying door and drawer fronts designed to fit standard IKEA cabinets but made elsewhere. It’s a great way to create a customised, high-end look for a fraction of the price that you’d normally pay for a bespoke kitchen, or to update an existing kitchen without having to rip everything out and start again from scratch.

An array of companies specialising in this area have sprung up in recent years, so I’ve picked out some of the best below. All focus primarily on making fronts for IKEA’s current ‘METOD’ system, but some can also cater for the discontinued ‘FAKTUM’ range or cabinets produced by other manufacturers, and I’ve stated where this is the case. If you want to stretch your kitchen budget as far as possible, they really do offer the ultimate IKEA hack!

Custom Fronts

East Sussex-based Custom Fronts was established by husband-and-wife team Ian and Rachel, who wanted to create high-quality, bespoke kitchens without an unreasonable price tag. Designed for IKEA’s ‘METOD’ units, their doors, panels and drawer fronts are made from durable birch ply, which can be supplied with various hardwood veneers, laminates or painted finishes, or sustainable bamboo. You can also choose between integrated handles in a range of designs, or hardware handles in brass, chrome, black or copper; worktops, shelves and benches are available, too. Everything is crafted under one roof and can be shipped throughout the UK or further afield. Prices for a full kitchen range from around £2,300 to £9,000, depending on size and spec.  

Reform

Founded by Jeppe Christensen and Michael Andersen in 2014, Copenhagen-based Reform is the place to go for striking modern doors, drawer fronts and worktops by the likes of Cecelie Mantz, Afteroom, Note Design Studio and Norm Architects. Its collection spans all sorts of styles, from the 1960s-inspired ‘Basis’ to the luxurious oak-veneer ‘Surface’, and can be made to fit the IKEA ‘METOD’ system or supplied with Reform’s own cabinets. The company ships worldwide and has showrooms in Denmark, Germany and the USA. The price for a small kitchen starts at around €8,000 (£7,000).

Husk

Based in Bristol, Husk was set up by Dave Young and Ross Norgate, who decided to expand into kitchens after 10 years running bespoke furniture and joinery brand Young & Norgate. Its original range (which I have in my own home) is made from a birch-ply core finished in scratch- and water-resistant Fenix NTM laminate in an array of colours, but they now also offer grooved oak fronts, textured fronts made from recycled wood, and MDF fronts that are primed and ready to paint yourself. They can be supplied with sleek push-to-open mechanisms or striking handles from Buster + Punch, and a selection of taps, sinks and worktops is available, too. Prices for a small kitchen start at around £1,300 for the fronts only or £4,000 with worktops included, and the entire range can be made to fit Howdens kitchens as well as IKEA’s ‘METOD’ system.

Ask og Eng

Kine Ask Stenersen and her partner Kristoffer Eng founded Norwegian studio Ask og Eng in 2016, having built several kitchens for themselves over the years. Their timeless, elegant fronts have appeared in many of the home tours I’ve featured here, and you really would never know the cupboards beneath came from IKEA. There are two ranges – the sustainable bamboo ‘A’ collection and the fully customisable ‘E’ collection – along with a selection of shelves and furniture add-ons. All can be shipped internationally, and prices for an average-sized kitchen start at around €7,000 (excluding VAT). If you want to see the designs in person, you can book an appointment to visit their show apartments in Oslo, Antwerp and Copenhagen. 

Plykea

London-based Plykea is the brainchild of Tim Diacon, who teamed up with his furniture-designer friend Adam Vergette after struggling to find stylish, affordable options for his own kitchen. The result is a range of plywood doors, drawer fronts, worktops and panels for IKEA cabinets, either faced with Formica or high-pressure laminate in a variety of colours, or finished with a matte, water-resistant lacquer for a natural look. There’s also a wide choice of handle options, from cut-out and semi-recessed grab handles to edge pulls in black, white or brass. Prices range from around £2,300 to £5,500, depending on the size of the kitchen and the options selected. Plykea currently ships throughout the UK, and also covers the US from a workshop in San Francisco.

HØLTE

Based on the principle that good design and high-quality materials should be accessible to all, London company HØLTE was set up in 2017 by designers Fi and Tom, who between them have more than 20 years’ experience in architecture and fashion. They believe that a beautiful, functional kitchen improves day-to-day life and their range encompasses plywood doors and drawer fronts covered with durable high-pressure laminate, MDF doors and fronts faced with Lino, and a selection of solid-wood veneers. There are also various handle options (including some beautiful half-moon designs), as well as a choice of worktops made from quartz, granite or stainless steel. HØLTE ships across the UK and Europe, and you can choose between IKEA base units or its own in-house cabinets. Prices for a small kitchen start at around £3,850 (including handles and worktops).

Superfront

One of the big names in IKEA customisation, Stockholm company Superfront makes fronts for both the ‘METOD’ and ‘FAKTUM’ systems. There’s a vast array of options, from sleek wood veneers to grooved designs and fronts embossed with eye-catching geometric patterns. In addition, there’s a selection of handles to choose from, and if you want to adapt your kitchen even further you can order legs for your cabinets and shelves for your wall. Superfront’s range can be shipped throughout Europe, and prices start at only €900 / £780 for a small kitchen.

Please note the cost examples quoted above do not include the IKEA cabinets, which normally need to be ordered separately. All the compnies featured have sections on their websites explaining the process involved. 

All photography via the respective brands above