Is IKEA a Trustworthy Affordable Cabinet Alternative for Residential Pros?

On the latest installment of The Weekly, two designers weigh in on how IKEA cabinets play into residential home design.

Many residential professionals turn to IKEA cabinets when working with a tight budget. The frameless European cabinet style the company offers cannot be found as available and as cheap anywhere else, says Jillian Lare, owner of Jillian Lare Interior Design in Des Moines, IA.

“I love IKEA cabinets,” says Lare. “I put them in three homes of my own now .... One of the reasons that I’ll recommend the IKEA cabinets is if somebody is on a tight budget, but also if they have a tight space and we really need to get the most out of every square inch.”

Lare even put IKEA cabinets into a multi-million dollar home in San Francisco last year and says clients seek her out knowing she uses them.

But Paul McAlary, president and senior designer at Main Line Kitchen Design, remains staunchly against the alternative.

“It’s not very hard to find many, many, many different cabinet brands that are well constructed, and IKEA is not one of them,” says McAlary. “There’s many, many, many brands to choose from. All that are good values and many that are far better made than IKEA and equal or less expensive—and already come built.”

Watch the full segment below.
Watch past episodes here.