Filed Under Home Improvement · Tagged: Home Improvement, ikea, kitchen, remodel · Print This Article
In the last week I have met with a seller and a buyer who are both considering a minor kitchen remodel. In Cincinnati, Kitchens and Baths are keys to the successful sale of a home. Weather you are a home seller, looking to compete in this beauty contest we call a buyers market… or a buyer looking to take advantage of this market, get a house for a great deal, and do your own upgrades, this article is for you.
The National Association of Realtors does a Cost vs Value assessment every year that I participate in. They evaluate renovations and repairs that each city can make on their homes and what the homeowner can expect in return of his investment. In Cincinnati, Minor Kitchen remodel is a close #3, bringing the home owner 83% return. Only behind a Deck (85%) as the #1, and Siding replacement as #2 at 83.2%. The fourth best item was window replacement at 81%. Cincinnati projects and their returns here: NAR 2007 Cost vs Value Report for Cincinnati OH.
Kitchens is the focus for this article and in particular IKEA Kitchens. Not that there aren’t other kitchens, but these are affordable options for any seller of buyer, hoping to change the look of the kitchen affordably and easily. Many of you know IDEA opened up in Cincinnati this Spring causing long lines and lots of hype. In a traditional, conservative market like Cincinnati, we will soon see how IKEA turns Cincinnati from Traditional to Contemporary, only time will tell. My bet and advice as your Realtor, Keep It Traditional! As Mark Twain once said of Cincinnati, “When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it’s always twenty years behind the times.”
In my quest to show you how you can buy IKEA, keep it simple, affordable and traditional, I went on a trip to IKEA and took photos to share ideas with you. I found 4-5 kitchens that would work GREAT in Cincinnati, do wonderful things for your enjoyment, resale and value. Check them out….
STAT!
The first kitchen is great for an area like Hyde Park where the homes have such character and charm with white painted thick moldings. This kitchen is named STAT and has white cabinets with a beaded board look, with character, on the verge of country. This look is clean and white, traditional. You can accent these cabinets with darker counter tops, stainless steel, and a colored back splash. This white will keep the room bright and open! In the photos you will see a kitchen, as well as a floating island with two bar stools. I find so many people want to add an island in a large kitchen to provide some extra counter space or seating, this is great and so very affordable! In addition, a butlers pantry/china cabinet can be built in the dining room as seen in the third example. All great uses of this traditional look! You can start with the kitchen and move from room to room with this style.
Fagerland, Ja?
The second kitchen in the photos is called FAGERLAND. It is a wood/knotty pine look that goes great in older homes or new homes. It is a natural wood, and it works well with any type of counter or wall color. You can pair this with some nice oil rubbed hardware and black or stainless steel appliances for a great look! Very warm and traditional.
Liljestad
Another option with a darker color is the wood LILJESTAD style. This is a wonderfully warm look for a house that displays natural color wood work, beautiful dark hardwood floors, or use it for a contrast to some light counter tops like you see in this photo. This is a very traditional look that would fit in very well in a Cincinnati home. It is rich and strong, and makes your kitchen feel welcoming and warm. Accenting with almost any color will work with this look!
The ADEL style gives you a slightly Contemporary look if you are so inclined, but keeps that light maple that warms the kitchen in perspective. This light wood keeps the kitchen bright. Accenting with darker colors works great with this design. In the photos you see a very clean contemporary hardware on the cabinets, but you can make it look more traditional with some different hardware, there is so much to choose from!
Great ways to accent the cabinets are the window cabinets that look like window panes, in cabinet lighting and under cabinet lighting and a neutral flooring.
They have plenty of glass font cabinets, and metal and other contemporary looks, those just don’t sell well in Cincinnati. Try to keep it traditional and you can’t go wrong!
There is another basic white cabinet design that they have and I took one photo of that as well, which would be fine to use in Cincinnati. I attempted to show you the cost of the whole kitchen project, and pair that with the kitchen I photographed so you can see how much your money will get you. If you ever get a chance on a weekday, go out to IKEA and see what they have. It is amazing!
Just a warning, the reason this is so affordable is mostly because you or your carpenter has to assemble these cabinets. Once they are together, you have a great looking kitchen, affordable and great for resale in Cincinnati!
Take your old cabinets to the laundry room, basement or garage to use as storage in those areas. Paint them if they are beat up or not the right look for the room. It will add a little bit of value to those areas of your house that don’t get too much TLC and provide cabinet storage for all of your paint cans, detergents, or crafts!
I’d love to see your Cincinnati kitchen renovation! Send me photos and your thoughts!
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