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Automated our IKEA SEKTION kitchen — thoughts on floating cabinets?

last month

We just finished a heavily customized IKEA SEKTION kitchen build — VOXTORP white matte fronts, Blum Aventos automation on the upper cabinets, and a floating island with hidden appliance lifts for a stand mixer and meat slicer.


The trickiest part was the floating dining cabinets — we added steel reinforcement inside the wall so they'd hang without any visible support, with LED lighting underneath for ambient glow at night.


Now that it's done, I keep going back and forth on whether the floating look reads as too minimal against the marble table, or if it's the right amount of contrast.


Would you keep the cabinets floating, or ground them with a toe-kick for a more traditional look? Any material or lighting tweaks you'd suggest before we call this room finished?





Comments (5)

  • last month

    I'd relax and enjoy it for awhile! It's not a traditional space, so I don't think you need to worry about adding a toe kick to look traditional. You did the work to achieve the floating cabinet look so I'd give it time to see how well you like the open, lit space under the cabinets after living with it for a bit.

    I love my light wood floors, but they show everything. (Immediately after cleaning the floors, I'll inevitably notice something - a piece of grass, a piece of fuzz, whatever. And we're a shoes-off house.) Since your floors are light and lit below the cabinets, wait to see if it's easy to keep it clean enough to turn on the lights without running for the broom or vacuum each time.

    Also - do you have young kid(s) or a pet? Just asking because I find a dog toy under the range (it's the pro kind on legs) once a week or so.


  • last month

    chicagoans, we had a dark hardwood floor in our last house, and EVERY dog hair and speck of dust showed! Now we have light oak floors, and stuff on the floor is much less noticeable (granted, we don't have a dog any more).

    The lighting under the cabinets might be a whole new ball game, however.

  • PRO
    last month

    Thanks! We actually have robot vacuums that clean under the floating cabinets every day, so keeping that area clean hasn't been an issue. We also switched from older yellow-toned hardwood to a light, washed-oak floor, and it hides dust much better. We do have an Old English Sheepdog, but fortunately they don't shed nearly as much as Golden Retrievers! I also built a built-in vacuum system with toe-kick inlets under the cabinets and refrigerator, so if any crumbs fall while cooking, I can simply sweep them over with my foot and they're gone. It's made everyday cleanup incredibly easy. 😊

  • 29 days ago

    Is this a Kosher kitchen? Lots of sinks and ovens, in separate zones, that would suggest it might be one.

  • 28 days ago

    Agree with @chicagoans - enjoy the space, i like the airiness of the cabs - terrific kitchen!


    (Fwiw i’d be tempted to change the outlets on the dark walls so they disappear a bit more)

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