Kitchen of the Week: An Ikea Kitchen with an Elegant Upper Cabinet Solution

“Every once in a while, you’re lucky enough to pair up with a client who’s on the same aesthetic wavelength,” says Kevin Greenberg, principal of NYC design firm Space Exploration, about a recent prewar apartment remodel fronting Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. The clients—a photographer and a solar engineer—exuded a “relaxed intelligence” throughout the design process.

When work began, the 800-square-foot apartment was in great shape for its era—but had a dated kitchen that lacked a serviceable floor plan. According to Greenberg,”The galley-style kitchen was separated from the living room by a thick partition, but the owners wanted the kitchen to function in communion with the rest of the space.” The firm knocked down the wall, then turned to Ikea for basic cabinetry while forging a semi-custom system with glossy cabinet fronts, marble countertops, and an architectural solution for making the Ikea cabinets look far higher-end than they really are. Read on for the details.

Photography by and courtesy of Space Exploration.

Typical of Space Exploration projects, says the principal, the studio overhauled the home while keeping as much original detailing as possible. “Right away, I knew we needed to employ a light touch with the project,” said Greenberg.

The designers replaced the heavily scarred original parquet oak floors with new walnut floors (they’re “a nice complement to the other, more minimalist interventions we made in the space,” Greenberg says).

Connecting the cabinets to the wall serves a few purposes: It gives the cabinetry “more of a custom, built-in look, rather than feeling like boxes stuck on a wall,” Greenberg says. It also eases the transition between the new cabinetry and the apartment’s original, subtle, plaster ceiling crown. (“I tend to dislike the relationship between molding and the upper cabinets in kitchens that leave space above the cabinetry.”)

Designing a kitchen? Start with our Remodeling 101: Kitchens guide, where you’ll find help with Kitchen Design, Kitchen Cabinets & Hardware, and Kitchen Storage & Organization. Then browse more favorite kitchens in:

• Kitchen of the Week: A Simple System from Studio MacLean in London
• Kitchen of the Week: A Before & After Office Rental in Seattle
• Kitchen of the Week: A Budget Kitchen Rehab in a Santa Monica Rental Loft

Finally, get more ideas on how to evaluate and choose kitchen cabinetry and hardware in our Remodeling 101 Guide: Kitchen Cabinets & Hardware.