Building Moxie Archive: This Old House as seen at Ikea Baltimore :: Creating a Cook Space that Works for You

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Maybe you know This Old House as a long standing television series.  Maybe you know Tom Silva, Kevin O’Connor, Ask This Old House, Inside This Old House and the list goes on – America’s Most Trusted Home Improvement Brand.  And maybe you then know This Old House, the Magazine, first published in 1995.

TOH (as I sometimes call it) is one of only a few magazines that I have subscribed to in my adult life.  Originally a gift from my MIL, it is the only print subscription I’ve maintained uninterrupted through the years.  (Yep, every issue since 2001.)

Maybe you also know Ikea as a Swedish furniture maker.  Maybe you know them for their self-assembling goods, their meatballs or their lingonberries, and you even know them for, well, their funny sounding product names – Affordable Solutions for Better Living.  They are makers of bar stools and dinnerware, lighting and linens, accents of all sorts and, yes, they even make stuff for your bathroom and your kitchen.

Now, and like my wife, you’re asking, “What’s the connection?”  I mean – This Old House = Old House.  Right?  And Ikea = Contemporary & Modern.  No? “Why then am I reading about them together here?”  Well, a program called the Life Improvement Project joins these two powerhouse brands, a handful of times each year.

Through the Life Improvement Project, Ikea works with media outlets (like This Old House) to produce in-store seminars covering various aspects of … living.  And this past weekend I had the opportunity to swing into Ikea Baltimore for a presentation called Creating a Cook Space that Works for You.  Alex Bandon (Online Editor) and Amy Hughes (Features Editor) hosted.

Here’s how the event was billed:

This Old House editors Alex Bandon and Amy Hughes help you pick a kitchen style to match your cooking and entertaining style, your budget, and, most important, your lifestyle. For the DIYer, they’ll cover everything from taking your own measurements and drafting a plan, to actually installing the cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, and integrated appliances. They’ll also be working one-on-one with IKEA customers, so come with questions!

Nestled in a cozy kitchen vignette, Alex and Amy (rock stars really, in my eyes) spoke frequently of their own kitchens as they walked a small audience, and passers-by, through a four-part program.  Topics included Accessing Needs, Mapping a Plan, Picking Products and (a little surprise) Developing a Lighting Plan.

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Creating a Cook Space that Works for You (the TakeAway)

* Questions Lead to Answers

What are your needs?

• More importantly — Why redo?
• Is there a life change?  A child off to college or are you aging?
• How do you cook?  How do you plan to use your kitchen?
• Will it be a “show space” or will it be simple and functional?
• Will it serve multiple functions?

What are your goals?

According to Alex, “These are not always lifestyle-related.”  Instead think of it in terms of what you LOVE! On defining pros and cons, Alex and Amy both made some great points.  We (general) often focus on the cons when we are thinking about a kitchen redo – “I don’t like x about my kitchen.”

We should also be tracking (with a little notebook) what we love and/or have loved about the kitchens we’ve known from our own personal histories.  Think of the kitchen we grew up with or a rental or a friend’s house.  What worked in these spaces?  And write it down as it comes.

Answers to these questions will lead you then to the “Wish List.”  On this, the ladies suggested, “Go big!” Then rank things in terms of importance and priority.

* Mapping a Plan

Think about the space — function and clearances, and keeping in mind certain standards (or items) that are not easily changed.  Amy says look at windows, doorways and the inside walls (those that may be bearing or might contain vital “organs”).  “Measure, Measure, Measure,” she says.  And get out the graph paper.

Alex points out that if you look at the “standard measurements”, these are historically derived and are based on the woman of the household.  (A great graphic to the right there.)

Returning to the Wish List, she says, “Ask yourself, do you want parts of your space to be multi-functional?”  Are you going to hang in yours like they do on Cougartown? (< Yep, a quote.)  Could a void in the plan be better filled with a desk or used for a Baking Station?”

Again, they suggest ranking the ideas and items that make it to your Wish List.  What are the “Do-Nows” and what are the “Maybe-we-can-Do-Laters”?

Both Alex and Amy stressed the importance of getting the behind the wall stuff right . . . of course – the first of the Do Nows.  This includes layout as well as systems work like plumbing, electric, gas and ventilation.

Another very important Do-Now (in the case of a gut/reno) — the cabinets, amounting usually to 25% – 40% or more of the total budget.

Some examples of possible Do-Laters – Appliances & Lighting.  If you are not doing a full gut/reno, Alex and Amy suggested looking toward quick fix updates like Hardware or Paint.

And here, Alex reiterated a ruling guideline for the magazine. “We rarely use terms like ‘Should’ ‘Must’ ‘Required’ because we know each situation is different.”

* My Ikea Has a Wonderful Place Called “Småland”

Unfortunately, I missed most of the discussion on products, and there were many questions from those in attendance (some folks even lingered afterwards).  Ha! I had to retrieve Eva, my six-year-old, from the “ball pit” (as my wife and I have come to call it).

They finished the program focused on Developing a Lighting Plan – of high importance as it was presented as a means of punctuating the space you are just now about to create.

Both Alex and Amy had installed Ikea kitchens, I believe, in their own homes.  (I myself have installed a few for clients.)  Amy saying of her Manhattan apartment, “It just made sense.  Ikea has such a huge presence in NYC.  And the ability of Ikea to provide non-standard sizing was invaluable.”  Every inch counts — during the presentation, she highlighted a 12” deep base cabinet that was at least similar to one she chose for herself.

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If you are unfamiliar with This Old House, the Magazine, it features everything from how-to’s and the latest in project know-how to reader Before & Afters and “This Old House TV Project” updates.

By my records, the next engagement for Creating a Cook Space that Works for You is scheduled for June 2nd in South Philadelphia.  I say thanks out to both Alex and Amy; it was a pleasure.  Everyone else – Please go check ’em out! ~jb

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Great day! ~jb