Ikea Kitchen Installation Begins

So the kitchen installation did not begin as scheduled last week because of contractor delays but it got off to a great start yesterday. By today I think almost all 174 boxes of cabinet parts have been assembled and installed. The installation company that is affiliated with Ikea has been great. Now there are the little details like hardware and filler strips and toekicks left to do.

Don't you love the blue accents? Not to worry that is just a protective paper used to cover the high gloss white cabinets. And what about the pendant lighting? Ha! Those are just the high hat housings that the electrician has to leave open for inspection.

You would think that would just about complete the kitchen but anyone who has ever tackled this project will tell you there is ever so much more. The appliances are a biggie. We have a wall oven going under a cook top and the wall oven is in place but not hooked up. So all the other appliances will be installed by our contractor including the beautiful stainless steel hood.

The day after tomorrow the fabricators will make a template for our quartz countertop....also purchased through Ikea. Once the countertop is installed then our fabulous white fractured glass back splash will go in behind the hood all the way to the ceiling. It will be spectacular!

Tomorrow the electrician will finish the lighting and then the electrical work must pass inspection. Yes there is still a long way to go!

Ikea Kitchen Project.....Delivery Day

Bottom line the delivery did get done on Monday but not as scheduled. Our project is located in a high rise so we had to reserve the elevator, which we did for 10 - 1. We had it written all over the delivery form but when they called to confirm, they said 10-2. I corrected them but on Monday the delivery actually did not occur until almost 3 pm. I have made friends with the condo office staff, who are very accommodating. We got the elevator reservation extended so in the end we were just fine....all 174 boxes plus all the appliances! We are ready for the big day.

Oh, and did I mention, the cell phone reception in the building is spotty which added a bit of drama to the situation. Everytime we would try to check on the delivery the service would cut out. Luckily the view from the condo is absolutely spectacular so we had that to take our mind off the delivery delay.

Wednesday the installation, or should I say the assembling begins. We are having some other issues to deal with like permits. So far it has just caused some indigestion and architect and permit fees but we are going with the flow. The contractor is wonderful and he is doing his best to get the kitchen ready for the installation.

Today I ordered some incredible fractured glass tile for the backsplash. It is going to be very elegant.

Stay tuned.

Ikea Kitchen .....Step Two

My client, who is my Co - PM, Co-project manager, and I spent a few hours with an Ikea kitchen consultant at their local store. You can actually go to their website and design your kitchen yourself, if you dare. Luckily we had already spent time laying out a design plan so our time with the Ikea designer went well. Still it took several hours. But when we were done we had a plan and a print out of what the kitchen would look like from various angles as well as a list and a price!

Of course the price is for the unassembled cabinets only. Add to that installation and countertops and the inserts for the cabinets and drawers and hardware, and appliances.

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Ikea has an installation company that also offers great services, like measuring, picking and more. Our next step was to meet with their consultant on site to measure. She was wonderful and so knowledgeable. We tweaked our design to fit with the measurements of what Ikea carries. Next, I returned to the store one more time to make the changes in the kitchen design on the computer with the in-store consultant.

We opted for the installation company's "picking" and valet service. Picking means they will meet you at the store and go through your list to make sure everything you need is "picked" from the warehouse and ready to deliver. Valet service means they will guide you through selecting the inserts for the drawers and cabinets. But it is really so much more. We had 2 people working with us to help the whole process go smoothly, and it did! The only snag was that our cooktop was out of stock, but since it is due in on Wednesday, we will pick it up and bring it with us.

We proceeded to checkout, paid for everything and went to set up delievery and that was that. Delivery is set for Monday morning! Installation will start on Wednesday and finish on Friday.

I will keep you posted.....pun intended!

Ikea Kitchen Project

Who would think that after my last 8 hour experience at Ikea that I would undertake doing a kitchen through Ikea. But let me tell you so far, so good. They really do have a system to help you.

Here are three kitchens I saw recently at our local Ikea store. Surprisingly, they really did impress me. I love the red kitchen. It really makes a WOW statement. The white kitchen makes it's own wow statement too, crisp, clean, and elegant.

I am embarking on a new project using an Ikea kitchen and will update you on how it is going.

This could be the fastest kitchen I have ever done!

Woolly Pockets hanging garden resource

I have discovered a resource for the kind of hanging garden wall pockets can be obtained through a website called http://www.woollypocket.com/ . For those of you interested in more info or even growing a vertical garden this will show you how.

I believe this is the planting system used in the Living Wall Hanging Garden I saw at the local West Palm Beach Red Cross Showcase House that I blogged about earlier.

If you do give it a try, I would love to see photos. Good luck.

Decorating with pink - It's not always too feminine

I have seen alot of articles and feature stories lately about decorating with pink. Apparently it is one of the "new" colors. This of course tickles me....or tickles me pink because I love pink. Pink is a color that is calming but it more vibrant shade like fuscia it can be exciting and fun.

The feminine is mostly associated with pink. In fact last Christmas I was debating to buy my son a pink dress shirt and it was a real struggle. However pink is a flattering color to wear whether male or female. There was a poster in the men's department that showed a guy in a pink shirt and he looked very handsome. So I bought the shirt and my son actually does wear it!

I degressed a bit. When I was looking at some of the photos of rooms that were done in pink this one stood out. This masterbedroom does not look all prissy and pink at all. This design is understated elegance, simple, comfortable, inviting. I say it is neither masculine or femine. The elements of design are such that the room would have a universal appeal. Balancing the pink with a neutral taupe and muting the pink to a soft tone makes this room hard to resist.

So, for designers who are trying to please a client who is crazy for pink but is nervous that her husband would be horrified to have a pink bedroom, here is one way to solve the challenge. Real men do wear pink and sleep in pink rooms!

Living Wall Hanging Garden

The Red Cross Showcase House I talked about in my prior post had many fabulous elements. Perhaps the most fascinating was not actually in the house but in the garden by the pool. I could call it a hanging garden but it was really a work of art. The wall was planted with various plants in many colors of leaves and flowers. It was so artistically created it was like an abstract painting.

The play of color and texture created an unbelieveably beautiful pattern. I had to walk right up to it and look close to see if my eyes were playing a trick on me. Yes, they were tiny plants in all their glory. If you look at the wall you will see it is draped with fabric that has tiny pockets. Each pocket has a little soil into which each little plant is inserted. What a delightful surprise.

So for anyone who wishes they could have a garden but have no place to put one, now you do!

I am hoping to find more about hanging garden walls on line. I would love to know if you have ever planted a garden like this or have information about them to share.