IKEA Kitchens - do alternatively sourced appliances fit?

stillfirm

we are looking to install an IKEA kitchen, along with 2 ovens, microwave, coffee machine, dishwasher and an electric hob.

A) has anyone any experience of IKEA appliances and
b) What about fitting alternate appliances - eg a fitted coffee machine?

heard a couple of folk say its not straight forward though not sure if this is due to the internal measurements of the units or the way the doors/panels are set up to accept their appliances?

jennifernil

I think most built in appliances are made in standard sizes these days, certainly ovens, dishwashers, washers, fridges/freezers and microwaves are, no idea about coffee makers. So apertures and doors to fit should not be a problem, whatever brand you use. Hobs can be standard or wider, so need a suitable width of base unit, but I would not see that as a problem.

I presume you would be choosing appliances first, so you would be able to check the fitting requirements before deciding.

georgehere

You need to mess around with shelf heights and that can leave different gaps in say a tower unit than with an ikea appliance. So then you might struggle to find an ikea door in exactly the right size to fit the gap.
I am currently fitting non ikea dwasher, double oven, microwave, wine fridge, freezer in a new ikea kitchen and i am not a pro by any means.
Getting the appliances to fit is easier than other fitting issues like making everything level and vertical for me as a diy-er.

I would go for it as having the right appliances is a big issue for me. I do currently have an odd gap and i think i am going to have to buy the ikea double draw front set, throw one away, keep the right size one and drill holes to turn it from a drawer into a hinged door - if that sort of thing doesnt put you off then i think you will be ok.

motherofstudents

My son recently had an Ikea kitchen installed including Ikea washing machine and dishwasher. I have heard they are made by whirlpool and have been recommended to us by a couple of people. They have only been in the house less than a month so I realise it's a bit soon to be saying the appliances are ok but so far, so good and they come with a 5 year warranty. There was a slightly fiddly bit because their cooker hood didn't fit the space - something to do with the cooker not being average size. Anyway the kitchen fitter managed to sort it out without any problems and the kitchen looks great.

jennifernil

We used Bosch single oven, hob, and built-under fridge in the Ikea kitchen at our Guide Hall. Everything fitted exactly without any alterations at all.

If you did find you had any small gaps in for example a tall housing, the matching pelmets and/or side panels that Ikea sell are very useful.

I would compare the dimensions of the appliances you really want with the Ikea ones and see if there is a difference first.

Width should be fine, and height on built-unders is adjustable. With a washing machine you need to watch the depth, but the Ikea units are deeper than most anyway. Also make sure any sockets or connection points will not be in the way of pushing an appliance far enough back.

Height in tall housing situations will be where you could get a problem.

With so many different brands of kitchens and appliances on the market, it would be stupid if you could only fit one brand of appliances in a particular brand of kitchen, so built-in appliance makers do seem to have agreed on standard sizes for most things.