You Are Here.

We get a lot of inquiries in the Raleigh area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Morrisville, Apex, Cary, etc) about Ikea kitchen design & installation.  Which is great, since that’s what we do!

At last count we were closing in on 30 designs & installations & we’re well into our 3rd year of business. The map at left shows our basic range of service here in central NC.

Most of the people who come to us find us through the Better Business Bureau, Ikeafans, Google, or just plain word of mouth.

Runner Service Update

We suspended our Ikea runner service as demand had slacked off in the winter months.  Lately we’ve been getting a few calls about items people want from Ikea Charlotte, but don’t want to make the drive.

Let us know!

If you have been needing things from Ikea but have no time or desire to make the trip, please take a moment to fill out our contact form and let us know. We’re collecting data to determine when/if to reinstate our runner service.

Clutter = Bad. Useful = good. Recycled Useful = better.

How about a recycled freebie that’s actually useful? We’re picky. We’d been looking for a promo item that could be smartly made and have a purpose. Something that didn’t just get tossed back into the waste stream. Badges and stickers weren’t up our alley. But then Ecopreneurist turned us on to these great retread jar openers – so you can remember us while you’re doing something useful! There’s a nice recycle reminder on the front and our logo on the back. Simple.

One for the kitchen, one for the shop

Beginning in late January, we’ll have these guys on hand, free to folks who order IKEA® goodies through our runner service, and at events like Carolina Rollergirls Bouts, and an open house event in February. These grips are made from 100% post consumer tires, and come in handy in a bunch of ways:

• hot plate
• peeling garlic
• loosening jar & bottle lids
• lightweight & they store flat

We can also mail them, so if you’re dying to get your hands on one, pop us a note.

Reduce • Re-Use • Recycle • Retread!

From the Department of Useful Tools:

This morning I set up my account with HourVille, a tool that lets you buy or sell any service by the hour. Pretty slick – you can pay me directly to my PayPal account, and you can see my availability on my booking schedule.

Book Me!

I only have my design service detailed out so far, but you can hire me to:

• design your kitchen around you, not the Joneses (whether it’s IKEA® or not)
• help put together your IKEA® kitchen order
• assemble and install your IKEA® kitchen order
• review design ideas you may have on the back burner

Pretty self explanatory redesign of an existing kitchen that was extremely cramped, inefficient, and isolated from the living area. This project is in a single story condo, and is currently entering the construction phase.

Why renovate?

For many folks, renovating a kitchen is the lesser of two evils:

1. renovate / remodel, or
2. move

Some choice, huh? Well, if you like your home otherwise, including

• location (location, location!),
• your neighbors,
• proximity to wherever you get groceries or run errands like banking, mail / shipping
• your kids’ schools
• your gym or favorite pub

If everything syncs with your life but the kitchen, why go thru the hassle of moving? It’s almost like all those things in the list are connected to you by an invisible net. So if you move, all that has to move too, even if just to make a longer route. A better option is to make some changes to what you have and stay put.

Why renovate now?

A few reasons:

1. Summer’s almost over. That means activities that took a break for the summer will resume. Things like wine or book clubs; football season starts; school starts for college and those not on the year-round schedule. Getting the design done now means getting started renovating sooner.
2. People are looking for work. That includes designers and builders. Which also means there are probably deals out there. For example, I offer a $100 gas coupon for any job over $3,000 for my design fee. Could come in handy for all that activity that cranks back up in #1.
3. The holidays are knocking. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a kitchen that works well to show off to the family at Thanksgiving dinner?
4. The end of the year is coming. Which means tax season right after that. Many folks fund their new kitchen with equity (a HELOC) in their home, the interest on which is deductible.

Or, maybe you ARE moving

Let’s say you’re starting a new job on the west coast in January. You’d like to get the most you can for your home here before you sell and settle out there. An updated kitchen could get you to your magic number at sale. And again, if you need to get out by the end of the year, the clock’s ticking.

Whatever the reason, ’tis the season

People renovate their kitchens for any number of reasons. The above are just a few. Some people just want to update – maybe they like new appliances that are more energy efficient. Some want more countertop surface area. Some want to improve the flow of traffic. Whatever the reason, thinking ahead almost always pays off.

Want that clock on your new kitchen wall?

It’s the Icon Clock, available at GENR8.

tick…tick….tick….tick….

• it’s cheaper than eating out
• no searching for a parking place
• no waiting in the lobby with a blinking pager
• it doesn’t matter that tipping isn’t a city in China
• clothes are not required
• it contributes less to global warming
• your friends will be impressed by your meal making skills and foodie knowledge
• the ingredients of what you’re eating are identifiable
• you can drink while cooking
• you can cook while drinking
• there is no mind boggling number crunching when it comes time to split the check 3 ways
• it gives you much needed practice toward Iron Chef America 2009
• you can show off your awesome kitchen designed by eco-modernism

Ok there’re actually way more than 13 reasons. Like not having to carry a tray. And not having to placate unruly insatiable customers. And you can go to your own bathroom. And the dog can hang out with you. And you can use the appliances you want when & where you want them. And make your friends envious of a well designed place to entertain dinner guests.

If it works well, it’s fun to use. Get it designed right, then be your own star.