[barryc]

We have just completed a Manhattan galley kitchen and since I have used the input of many of you, I wanted to share some of my experiences.

Kitchen consists of:
Ikea cabinets - white wall cabinets with wenge base cabinets
Liebherr counter depth fridge
Blue Star 30" range
Miele 18" dishwasher
Prestige 30" recirculating range hood

First thing is that we used Bonnie and Ron at The Kitchen Couple for design and installation. I must say that we were very happy with their professionalism and willingness to work with us until we got the job just right. For example, when I had a last minute thought about a pull out cabinet to house our trash can under the sink, Ron came up with a few custom ideas, ordered and picked up the new parts and installed them. It was clear they have installed hundreds of kitchens. They came in and in two days were done.

There are a couple things to remember, however. While Bonnie knows how to design a kitchen, she is just doing the cabinets, and that is really only a small part of your overall renovation. You'll want to ask her lots of questions, but she'll really only be able to respond to the cabinet questions. Also, be sure to be around to make decisions during the process, particularly about placement of handles as they work so fast, things can move faster than you'll have a chance to review. Last, the cabinet installation is really a very small part of the overall job and be sure to select a reliable contractor as they have a much bigger job in the overall scope of things.


A few words about -

Blue Star Range: Great machine. Works beautifully and is actually better looking in person. Only "but" is that in a Manhattan apartment, it really is a bit of overkill. But, hey, its the same price as a Wolf or Viking and I think a much better product. You'll definately need a very sturdy range hood like the Prestige or Viking. Don't buy a cheap one or it will get burned up in no time.

Liebherr Fridge: So far so good. It will take you a while to line up the shelves to fit your stuff, but once you do, you'll find you can fit a lot into it. A few pet peeves....would probably prefer a pull out freezer rather than one that swings out...but we dont' use the freezer that much. Also, the fridge is so accurate that it starts giving beeping warnings when the temp is a few degrees off....You can turn this off. But, looks great and performs well. No reason to buy Subzero.

Miele 18" dishwasher: We opted for the small version to suit our relatively small kitchen and family of three. Works great so far. Quiet. Only qualm is that is has trouble drying plastics, but that's not a big deal to us. Also, I'm sure its the same with other brands, but the cycle time is really long.. almost 2 hours to complete a cycle. Would have preferred a mini-cycle if time is of the essence.

Range Hood: Here is the big dilema in a Manhattan apartment. Most places don't let you vent out. Thus, does a range hood do anything? So, here is my experience. The range hood does suck up grease so if you do lots of sauteeing or wok cooking, you will reduce the amount of grease that flows around you house. However, the heat is a different matter. The heat goes up from the burners through the baffles and filters and then back into your kitchen. Thus, it can get hot in the kitchen real fast. So, if you never cook things that spew out grease...and you don't like hot kitchens, then a big recirculating hood may not be for you. I think it looks great and does perform a meaningful function, despite the fact that it doesn't dissapate the heat as much as I would like.

Last comments. In a Manhattan kitchen, pay lots of attention to where the cabinets will open and if there is room to open them once installed. In small places, this becomes an issue.

Our Kitchen is about 3 months old now and the Ikea stuff is doing great.

Thanks for all your help and hope this is helpful to many of you.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Hi! thanks for sharing your experiences!

Where are the pictures?!? We gotta see pictures...

Susan

[trav86]

barryc, who was your contractor? we're also doing a kitchen in nyc and are info gathering. thanks.

[Turnip]

Originally Posted by trav86

barryc, who was your contractor? we're also doing a kitchen in nyc and are info gathering. thanks.

Yes Barry please post pics! I just completed a manhattan kitchen too.


I can recommend Simon Parson. He was referred by another Ikea member on here.

[barryc]

Trav,
I wish that I could recommend my contractor, but he was not as professional as The Kitchen Couple. Sorry. I'll post a few pics if you can tell me how.

[barryc]

Here are a few pictures of the Blue Star Range, Miele Dishwasher and Liebherr fridge.

[admin note: I've removed the attachments and uploaded them to the gallery as much smaller faster loading files. They are all up at the top of the thread now :-) James]

[stephcheff]

Barryc, your kitchen looks fantastic! Who made the wenge doors for the base cabs?

[barryc]

Steph,
Thanks! That is Ikea standard line...you will usually see the lighter color. They had originally offered the wenge...then it was not offered in the U.S....and now it is back.

[DesignDiva]

Then it isn't wenge...it's Nexus black-brown, which is a stained oak veneer.

Just wanted to make sure people didn't think they were real wenge wood.

[GardenOfDarwin]

The other options in Nexus are Nexus Birch, which is probably the 'lighter version' that you're referring to, and the new for 2009, Nexus Yellow Brown which is nice also. There were 'sales stops' due to quality concerns on Nexus Brown-Black for a period of time early last year which drove people to madness. The sales stops have been lifted, and our beloved NBB is now available widely.

It's gorgeous. I LOVE your kitchen. Love the counters contrasted against the dark base cabinets. Nice job!

Susan