From Basic To Bespoke on a budget - How You Can Easily Transform An Ikea Kitchen
I will forever bang-on about how paint can cheaply transform a room. Take a room and paint it a colour which really complements it and it will feel like a completely different space. However, what do you do when you need to transform or create a kitchen on a budget? It is not as easy as just painting the walls when there are the units to consider. This is why many of us now own or are tempted to install a kitchen from purse-friendly flat-pack giants IKEA. Base or wall units from IKEA can come in at less than £100 each, where as a made-to-measure kitchen will set you back thousands upon thousands of pounds (most of that money will be spent on crafting the carcass of the units - the bits you use but don't actually see). The problem here is that you end up with a budget-friendly but very plain, generic-looking kitchen.
This is perhaps one of, if not the greatest challenge we face when designing the interiors of our home. How do you obtain something stylish, desirable and individual at an achievable price-point? I am always on the look-out for great companies that can help make this a reality, so today I want to introduce you to a new company that I’ve discovered - Noremax - a Norwegian brand who are the latest to offer bespoke, thoroughly beautiful kitchen unit fronts and panels for IKEA base units. Noremax can create for you to your specification doors, side panels and plinths that fit the basic METOD or FAKTUM IKEA carcass and it make it look sleek, stylish and like it cost loads more than it actually does! This is amazing if you own or inherited an Ikea kitchen, but you do not have the budget to fully replace it. It is also great if you need to install a kitchen and want something amazing for a few hundred pounds rather than a good few thousand!
Noremax kitchen in the ‘Nordic Black’ range.
Well-respected across Scandinavia, Noremax are now branching out to the UK consumer to help transform their kitchens. I have written before on this blog about the time I changed up my cabinet kitchen doors in my first home and it was like I owned a brand new kitchen - this was well over ten years ago and the design of the doors I used were very basic - but I was still astounded at the effect. In 2018, Noremax have taken replacement doors to a whole other level. They offer several different door front designs which can be painted in any colour or finish of your choice.
Top: ‘Elegance’ range, Bottom: ‘Ontime’ range, both by Noremax.
How it works is that you purchase a METOD or FAKTUM base or wall cabinet and instead of adding on the standard door, you order your chosen door-style from Noremax. The Noremax door is made of MDF and treated with a primer, which will then be sprayed for you in your desired paint colour and finish. Simply provide Noremax the paint NCS code (the Natural Colour System Code can be found on a tin of shop bought paint, or ask in a decorators merchant for help) and select a matt, satin or semi-gloss finish.
Noremax’s ‘InStyle’ range
If the sides of your units are on show, fear not, you can also order side panels, drawer fronts, plinths and decor strips to create a cohesive, bespoke design that will hide all aspects of your IKEA frames. If you choose a design that requires handles, you can also find a gorgeous selection of knobs and pulls to accompany the fronts on the Noremax website. Everything will then be delivered to you in 6 weeks! Easy!
Noremax’s ‘Classic Max’ and ‘Classic’ range.
So, lets talk through some of my favourite Noremax design options and how I would pair them with other kitchen fittings and accessories to create a desirable kitchen scheme……
The ‘Elegance’ range from Noremax is a great option for a modern, unfussy kitchen. The inset, angular cut away handles avoid the need for knobs or pulls, making it great for a small or slimline kitchen where space may be an issue and you do not want to be brushing past the handles. Elegance is also great if you prefer a gloss-finish kitchen which tends to look a lot better without obtrusive pulls or cups reflecting off the doors surface. I would embrace the modern design and geometric shape by having your Noremax Elegance range sprayed in a deep teal colour. Accessorise with on-trend, contemporary black taps and lighting and complement with teal and black furniture and kitchenware.
For a balance of modern with a homely, feminine feel, ‘Classic Max’ is a classic shaker-style with a wood-grain texture. Have your Classic Max sprayed in a soft, light grey and accessorise with Noremax’s ‘Prince’ overlap handles in a gold colourway. A white marble or minerva worktop would keep this kitchen looking light, while gold kitchen accessories would complement the handles and make the gold an accent colour in the space. Add dining chairs in soft blush pink which works so well with the grey and the gold.
For a traditional look with an edge, Noremax’s ‘Ontime’ range is sharp and practical. The cut-out box handle provides visual interest without feeling fussy. Have your base units painted in a deep, inky blue while having your wall units a crisp white so the dark colour does not feel too imposing. Complement the overall look with black wall lights, a butlers sink with a statement tap, plus speckled-blue crockery to keep the scheme relaxed yet stylish.
Noremax’s ‘Ontime’ range for the IKEA PAX wardrobe.
* This post is a paid collaboration with Noremax, however, as usual all thoughts, opinions and mood boarding is all my own.
