Our IKEA cabinets cost less than the countertops we put on them. Of course you can mix. IKEA makes good kitchens.

Is that budget with or without appliances? Just the 2 appliances you mentioned plus the hood needed for a 48" range ... you've used up around $32k of your budget.

I am doing it. And have spent a ridiclous amount of money on appliances.

The planning and execution of the IKEA cabinetry is the key. They won't have every single size, or unlimited trim pieces, etc - but if you can keep the installation reltaively simple, and IKEA kitchen can be pretty high end looking.

And easy to change in the future if you want to change the look.....

IMO no one needs a 48" range and in that size kitchen for sure not. I think if you have the budget for those 2 appliances you should do a custom kitchen design .I love Ikea I love functional appliances but no matter how much money I had I would not do either of those over priced over rated appliances .I do Ikea kitchens in all kinds of homes from fixer uppers to very expensive high end homes but I discourage my clients from buying appliances that are more than they need to spand . Think about how you cook do you ever need a 48" range . I run a catering biz from my home I have a 36" 6 burner all gas range and electric walls ovens I have never neede a 48" range and even most restaurants don't have them. I think sub zero re great but I have all fridge all freezer pieces from Fridgedaire with a built in kit so very attractive but more than that they are 15 yrs old not one service call and the cost less than 3K . IMO they owe me nothing and I can replace for another 15 yrs ad still be ahead of one sub zero regular size fridge . So my advice is design a kitchen for how you cook and not for impressing someone else.

@princesselsa - Way to stick up for yourself :)

Some Pros here get their jollies by shaming posters while offering no real advice of any value. It's obnoxious.

There's nothing wrong with mixing Ikea appliances and high end appliances. I have a cheap Ikea slipcovered sofa paired with two expensive Palecek chairs and a DWR console in my sunroom. It makes me very happy. If it makes you happy, fits your budget, and you think it looks good - go for it.

Sorry if you addressed it - but does your 80K budget include your appliance package? If so - I'm not sure if it's realistic. I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel now - using a 36" french door SubZ, a 30" Wolf ag range, Bosch dishwasher, 24" SUbZ fridge drawers. Appliances are $22k. For perspective, our kitchen is 12x12 with a 4x5 butlers pantry included in the remodel, and it's coming in around $140K, inclusive of appliances. We aren't moving walls, but moving appliances. Our home is 100 years old, so it is a down-to-the studs gut - new electrical, new plumbing, insulation, and getting walls, floors, and ceiling back to plumb. A good chunk of money is being spent on all of that stuff we'll never see but needs to be done. Cabinets are $44k of the budget - custom, inset, painted. I used this handy dandy website (who knows how accurate it is) https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/houston-tx/grosse-pointe-mi/50000 and it does look like I live in a higher cost of living city. But even taking that into account, and reducing the cost of cabinets down to Ikea - if your $80K includes appliances - I don't think it's realistic. However, I would absolutely love for you to post here in about a year and tell me I was wrong :)

Ikeas's 25 year warranty on cabs is real. Do all 3 drawer wide lowers 36+ when you can.

Yeah, I think it's a little nuts, because my understanding is that Wolf is more about prestige than performance, so I would think that if you want a 48" range, there would be a better value 48" range out there.

I had a Subzero and it wasn't any great shakes. Not energy efficient (maybe they're better now?) and no more enjoyable to use than other fridges.

I think within reason kitchen cabinet quality and appliance quality can be two unrelated considerations. There are very modest kitchens in very small houses here with Subzero refrigerators because they are true counter-depth and they make a 30" and used to make a 27" width. My kitchen is going to be 7'6" x 13'6" when it is enlarged, and it is getting a Subzero because I need true counter-depth and I want build in because I hate crevices and such, and pulling out fridge to clean around it in a small kitchen is very difficult. My counter-depth fridge now is so small and lightweight that if there is not a lot of stuff in you can move it just pulling the door open.

I had an integrated SZ in my last apartment because technically in the LR outside the kitchen. It was not perfect, but the unit has sold twice and the refrigerator is still there 15 years or so after I bought it, and I know people who are on their third regular refrigerator in 15 years.

We are also having two ovens in the 7'6" kitchen. Two different sizes, one gas one electric and it's probably overkill but there is a former chef/pastry chef/baker in the house and it makes sense to cram it all in. The cooktop is small (27") and not highly powered because we don't need that.

I think when it comes to "impressing" people with appliances, that really depends upon your milieu, and I think it's not that much of a thing, honestly. If you live in the sort of narrow-spread demographic of a typical development, whoever you have as guests may have similar appliances, so why would they be impressed? At the other end of the spectrum, people may not be impressed because brand recognition is not great. Most people I know had never seen a built in refrigerator before, and a lot of people I know would have no idea you can pay $10,000 or $20,000 for a range or a refrigerator, and most people are not going to talk about it either.

What you don't need is someone who doesn't know anything about you, your family, or location, telling you what you need or don't need in your own house!

We put a 48" Wolf DF range in our last house. Was it more than I needed for my style of cooking? Probably was, but for the size and price point of the house (desirable Los Angeles area) it was the right appliance. We got all our money back when we sold, plus extra, for all the updates we did to that house. Glad I didn't listen to that "pro" when she said the same thing 4 years ago!

I am building in a different state and RE market now, and did downsize to a 36" range plus extra oven and smaller SZ fridge, because that is what made sense for our current needs/wants and for the housing market here.

One size does not fit all!

You guys are both busy. You may not be up to speed on some current options for cooking. Things to check out include a combisteam oven(CSO) like a Miele XXL. Many who have one use it almost exclusively. Another is induction cooktops. Lots here have changed over and would not go back. Lastly look into makeup air for the large hood you'll want for a 48" range. The cost is significant.

Patricia Colwell is always bad mouthing Sub Zero as overpriced, and not worth the money. She doesn’t own one, and has no first hand experience with the brand. And, since Patricia brought up esthetics…She might like to think the Frigidaire units she spoke about, are ”very attractive” with the built in kit. I’ve seen pics of her kitchen many times on this site. Frigidaire’s ”built in” kit is no way near as esthetically pleasing as the true built in SZs.

As for IKEA cabs being worthy of the spendy, high end SZ…in 1990, when updating the small kitchen in our first home, DH and I were quite young, with a young child. We were on a very tight budget. The one splurge I insisted on, was a SZ fridge. So, we put in a linoleum floor, Formica counters, a very basic 4 burner stove, and a microwave over the stove. Our cabinets were stock Kraftmaid, from Cabinets to Go.

That SZ (36” over/under), was a godsend. During Hurricane Sandy (2012), we were without power for 2 weeks. That 22 yo fridge stayed cold for 10 days. Everyone else in the neighborhood, with other brand fridges, had to throw out the contents by the end of day 2. Without a doubt, that fridge paid for itself many times over. And, it was still going strong when we sold that house in 2015. It was a no-brainer, that we’d get another SZ for the kitchen in the new-to-us home we moved to. This time, we got the 42” FD. It’s now almost 6 years old, with not one issue.

The fact is, Sub Zero is reknown for having the best customer service in the business. They have always been innovators in refrigeration…they introduced duel processors, years before other manufacturers copied them, for example. They are also the best insulated fridges on the market, with the tightest seal.

Rule of thumb…get the best appliances that fit your budget, and don’t go for a package. No one manufacturer is the best across the board, which is why we chose Miele double ovens, including a combi-steam, over Wolf.

And, don’t let others tell you what you should or shouldn't spend, or what you do or don’t need. If you’ve had a vision of your dream appliances, and can now afford them, then go for it. IKEA may be budget friendly, but they are well made, and long lasting.

Sure, if it is what you want and it fits how you cook, why not. I am all for people building a kitchen FOR THEM and not for what others will think.

This said, some here have a way to put down people who do not want to spend as much (or CANNOT AFFORD IT, which is 95+ % of the population in this country). I am sure a SubZero fridge is great, but let be realistic, most of us cannot afford it.

But for the OP, sure, if it is what you want, go for it.

Subzero gets dinged by places like Consumer Reports because of their repair record, and one of the parts of the equation is that people repair old ones rather than replacing them. People who tend to buy typical appliances will often just get new ones rather than even attempting to have them repaired. (Even though the repairs are sometimes not that expensive).

I think one of the pieces is cost benefit analysis of each category. An appliance slides in and out as a unit, and more or less they are standard sizes and if something happens to one of them, you replace them.

Factory produced cabinets, if something starts to happen to them or they start falling apart, it's a different story. It may mean a complete replacement of cabinets.

It depends on how hard people are on things, some people are hard on things and break or damage things, some people don't. And people who are, if they are self aware enough to know it should probably spend money on better structure and better hardware for the cabinets.

@palimpsest, you are spot on. Our first, long lasting SZ, which I spoke above, had several repairs over the years…All, but two, were done by DH.

We learned early on, that we could call SZ, when there was an issue. My husband would call, describe the problem, and the technician would tell him what part was needed. DH, then drove 25 mins to the SZ distributor, and purchase the part…usually no more than $25/$30. Often, the cost was less. Once home, DH called SZ again, and they talked him through the repair. Quite easy, and cost effective. We had about 8 repairs over 25 years, all but two, minor. Our present Sub Zero, now almost 6 years old, has never needed a repair.

I used Scheers RTA cabinets for a middle/upper end renovation. I hired a designer to help me with the layout and a CAD design for Scheers to use. The cabinets were truly custom. I loved the quality. I reused some appliances, double convection Thermador ovens and Vent-a-Hood. I also purchased a 36" BlueStar rangetop and a KitchenAid 36" Architect II FD refrigerator/freezer. So, it was a mixture of good, better and best.

Here are a few things that I have learned. When you install larger than standard sizes, you pay an additional premium for them. I've had a 48" all gas range. It required a ridiculous amount of structural bracing to accept the weight of the unit. As a professionally trained chef, I can cook just as well on the 6-burner as I can on the 8-burner. The ventilation cost to compliment the increase in size was ridiculous. I urge you to not go any larger than 36" because of this price premium. Buy the best you can afford at 36". When time comes to replace the rangetop, it's easy to find a replacement.

The same philosophy holds for the refrigerator. I've currently got a 20-year-old 48" refrigerator freezer and it's going to cost a fortune to replace it. I just hope I sell this house before it goes kaput. I suggest a nice 36" refrigerator/freezer with a second unit of lesser quality or greater age in the garage. You get all the utility bang for so much less buck.

The RTA cabinets were great. I would use Scheers in a nanosecond should the opportunity arise. I love frameless cabinets. I would not use IKEA for cabinets, not because of inferior quality to other cabinets. Rather, lack of supply. My SIL put in a new kitchen in their summer cabin this last year. It only required six base cabinets. She was able to get four of the cabinets from one of her metropolitan area IKEA. The other two were not available for at least the four months that she tried. In total desperation, she called me to see if I could get them for her and I live 10 hours away. (I was able to get them and shipped them to her.) This availability issue with the nuts and bolts of IKEA supply has been an issue for many years. It's not a new phenomenon. Plus, you will have to go through the adventure of adapting them to your design.

I suggest that you consider speaking with a few custom cabinet shops in your area. They will offer better quality and a competitive price with HD or Lowes.

Get ready to get in line. At this point, I wouldn't start a renovation. I'd just limp along until supply chains unkink.

In answer to your initial question, if the cabinets were RTA from Scheers, yes, I would use top of the line appliances. But I would look at a custom shop in my community.

I absolutely love my ikea cabinents, and used Bertazzoni appliances (24 inch) for my city apartment (not as high end as Wolf but they are extremely nice). Next time I ever get to do a kitchen again in a house, I would defintely consider ikea cabinents mixed in with either Wolf appliances and/or Miele depending on the look i am going for. The ikea cabinents have a modern, "sexy" look to them that is a real wow factor more than I have seen in many many custom cabinents in homes (not all though, it's true). I also added my own vintage ceiling lights, slate flooring, ceasarstone counters, etc. It is how you mix everything together that give a wonderful look, not cookie cutter. The one thing I would change, however, is that i was kind of rushing at the end and choose the ikea sink and faucet, both nice, but next time I would pick a Kohler faucet with a better quality sink. And, I totally understand you wanting the 48inch appliances, no is not practical i guess, but this is your ONE kitchen, why not live the way you want, if you have the budget. I love that.

​I am currently in the process of doing a similar size Ikea kitchen (24x14ft no upper cabinets) with and 8x5ft island and chose to go with subzero and wolf appliances. I chose to do the designer panel ready refrigerator and freezer, which we will have to make custom panels for (I know Semihandmade and other companies will do panels, but they are too expensive for me). I am doing the 30" M Series wall oven and 30" M Series steam oven. I also opted for the Wolf 36" induction cooktop because I have lived with electric, gas and induction before and induction is the best for my needs. The other benefit of a cooktop vs range is you don't have crap collecting in your range and countertop crevice, and you can put drawers below it and store all your pots and pans. You also don't have to cook above a hot oven. After pricing it just the other day, all my ikea cabinets came out to be about $6500 with tax for my cabinets, all soft close drawers, with lights in all the drawers, and fronts for everything except the high cabinets and panels for the fridge/freezer which will be custom made by my husband... (which he has no experience doing, so wish us luck lol).

The nice thing about Ikea is... you can always find a way to change it later if you don't like it, and it wont cost an arm and a leg for new cabinets vs doing custom cabinets (which who knows if the cabinet maker would still be in business!). My last kitchen was all Ikea and I don't regret it one bit. I didn't worry if my kids would destroy the drawer fronts because I could just go buy a new one real quick! They were easy to clean and worked great.

So, it is not crazy to do Wolf/Sub-Zero in an Ikea kitchen.. cause I am doing the same thing! I would recommend deal hunting the appliances, though. I have gotten all my appliances used/floor models and have saved close to $10k (the floor models come with a warranty). I also don't have to wait for it be ordered. I see it, I buy it!

Thank you for all the comments. We went to wolf showroom recently and we were told there’s a 10 months wait for a 48” range and SZ! We shop around and they all said pretty much the same thing. Yikes!
So now I’m looking at a 36” range and a 30” wall oven. Double ovens are a must in our household.

Allysa J, hmm I never thought about the heat coming out of the oven while you’re cooking.

One of my main concerns is the all the bending down while using the oven. Currently we have a gas cooktop and a double wall oven. So we never had to bend down to put/take food out of the oven. I just hope That I won’t regret buying a 48” range. And I was told to physically have the appliances first before any demolition so I guess I won’t have my dream kitchen until next year.

OP, youre not crazy. I use IKEA kitchens in almost all my projects. To many of my clients, half the point of using IKEA is to free up more funds for nice counters, backsplash tile and appliances. And by all means go for the 48" range if you love it...I don't understand why others are questioning it.

This is a good (but old) blog post by a designer which makes pretty much the same case for IKEA...http://carolreeddesign.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-i-love-ikea-kitchens.html

Expect to wait months for any range, GE Cafe, is a ten month wait as well. I started a small ikea pantry in 2018 and had to wait over two and a half years for some cabinets! I was using 15x15x90 which are more european sizing but even before covid ikea had terrible delays in their supply chains. If unable to wait source other venues.

I've had Viking, Wolf, and Bluestar range tops. Of the three, Bluestar won hands down. I suggest that you consider the Bluestar in your choices. Thermador makes a really nice range top, too. Perhaps the availability will be better.

There really isn't a great competitor to SubZero in the refrigeration space. I have recommended the Thermador columns to a friend and she is very satisfied.

There is a hack to the Ikea cabinets, you can get the cabinets and order the doors of your choice from Scherr's RTA. They have the jigs to adapt to Ikea cabinet. Using Scherr's would give you some additional door and drawer choices.

I have a full IKEA kitchen—ringhult high gloss white-and i have s 48” Jenn air stove, miele coffee maker and warming drawer, a 48” thermador built in refrigerator/freezer and 24“ thermador built in wine fridge. We just swapped out our non-built in fridge for these thermadors and we changed the cabinets above the fridge to 2 - 36x 10” cabinets. The nice thing about IKEA is that it was easy to change this. Our ceilngs are 16’ so we arent going all the way up. The built-in appliances absolutely changed the look, for the better, of the kitchen and it goes fabulously with the cabinets. It looks very high end.

if there‘s going to be a wait, try finding an appliance outlet. Best Buy has appliance outlets and I often see Viking and sub-zero there. I was able to get my Thermador built ins from there for a grand total of $8000 for a 30” fridge, 18”freezer and 24” wine fridge-all built-ins. They were the floor models from stores and they had over 50 in stock a couple months ago. The list price for the 3 i bought was $23,000 so I saved $15,000 and got the appliances right away.

Is this your forever home or do you plan on selling? IKEA cabinets will turn off a lot of buyers on the high end, and will lower the value. If it’s just for you, then go for it.