#My Experience with IKEA Malaysia - s Kitchen Cabinet Design and Build Service

If you re thinking about installing IKEA kitchen cabinet for your home, read this review first.

Most newly built homes in Malaysia don t come with a proper kitchen. All you get is a simple kitchen sink. When we got the keys to our new home late last year. we were in need of good kitchen cabinets and were contemplating whether to use custom built cabinets from kitchen cabinet vendors or from IKEA. After much thinking, we decided the latter.

Technically, there are a total of 10 steps to get your kitchen built by IKEA. I have outlined them below and provided as much details as possible which hopefully can help make you an informed decision and avoid any costly mistake.

Step 1: Have a Budget

IKEA s kitchen is affordable and competitively priced. There are plenty of options to choose from so be sure that you already have a budget in mind. A basic IKEA kitchen system starts from around RM3,500 and can go up to more than RM20,000 depending on the size of your kitchen.

Step 2: Visit IKEA Store

Naturally, you will visit IKEA s store and checkout the showroom. If you re in Malaysia, currently there s only one IKEA that s located in Kuala Lumpur but a second store will be opening soon in Cheras. The showroom will give you a good idea of how IKEA s kitchen is built. There are plenty of materials to choose from and the designs are modular so it can be customised according to the size of your kitchen.

Step 3: Book an Installation Slot

If you need to move in to your house at a certain date, it s best that you book an installation slot immediately because there is a long wait time. When we booked for our installation slot, we had to wait about 3 weeks before they can start installing the kitchen. IKEA contracts the installation to a company called CT Art. Their office is located one floor down from IKEA near the parking entrance.

Step 4: Design your Kitchen First Draft

IKEA has a dedicated kitchen design team who can help you design the kitchen of your dream. They are located at the showroom area within the kitchen section. It s best to go during weekdays because the place is extremely crowded on weekends.

Before visiting the design team or what IKEA calls it kitchen planner, please be sure to bring your home floor plan or layout. This will help them make a first draft and come up with an estimate of how much the kitchen would cost. If you re ok with the price then you can go to next step. They will do the design on the spot while you watch.

Step 5: Measurement by IKEA Contractor

IKEA s contractor will arrange to visit your home to get the actual measurement and dimensions of your kitchen area. The charge is RM50 which you will need to pay directly to the person who will be visiting your home. It will take around 15-20 minutes for the person to do the measurement. He will then provide you with the measurement so be sure not to lose it.

Step 6: Design your Kitchen Final

You will need to go to IKEA again with the measurement given to you. The designer will then use the numbers to design your kitchen accurately. This is also the time to choose what materials you want for your kitchen cabinets, the worktop, sink etc. Once you have finalised the design, you will be given an invoice with a long list of different part numbers required to build your complete kitchen. Please ask the designer to double check all the items to avoid any error.

Step 7: Payment

Bring the invoice to the checkout counter and complete your payment. If you hold an AMEX card from Maybank, you can opt to use the interest free payment plan for up to 12 months. The installation contractor will call you a few days before the installation date. I paid a few days before the installation date because based on my experience, there s a storage charge if you want to have the things delivered at a certain date. This is also because my house was under renovation and there was no place to keep the kitchen parts.

Step 8: Delivery

IKEA will deliver within 3 days after payment is made so be sure to be at your home. If you have the parts list, I would suggest that you check each one to make sure that there s no missing item. One of the base cabinets which got delivered had defects so I had to get this replaced which eventually causing more delays.

Step 9: Installation

Since the installation is outsourced to IKEA s contractor, this can be very tricky. We had an unfortunate experience with the installation as it was delayed by one day because the contractor said he wasn t able to complete the installation with a previous customer. When they came to install that day, there s one part that s broken so it got delayed again.

Step 10: Completed Kitchen

There s always a chance that the design doesn t match with the completed kitchen. The more complicated or bigger your kitchen is, the higher the chance that it will happen.

I hope the tips above gave you some accurate picture of the IKEA design and build kitchen service in Malaysia. If you have other questions, please feel free to leave your comments below. If this article helps you in any way, please remember to Like, +1 or Tweet below!