We now have final sizing and pricing info for SEKTION in the United States. See pictures, pricing, and more details here:
We're big fans of IKEA's kitchen cabinet system, AKURUM. It offers value, a great warranty, and modern design for a fraction of the price of custom and semi-custom cabinets. I installed AKURUM cabinets while renovating my own kitchen and have been very happy with them (see how they look).
But there have been murmurs and rumblings about the demise of AKURUM, and IKEA has officially announced the news: AKURUM will be replaced by a new kitchen system, SEKTION, starting February 2015. Read on for more details and lots of photos!
Quick Facts: IKEA is replacing its popular kitchen cabinets with a new system, SEKTION. SEKTION will go on sale February 2, 2015. It will not be compatible with AKURUM, the current cabinet system.
Note: All photos in this post are of the METOD cabinets available in Europe. We expect the SEKTION cabinets to look quite similar but there could be some differences for the American market.
What's So Great About IKEA Cabinets?
IKEA's kitchen fittings and cabinets are sold in modular elements of cabinets, drawers, and fronts, so you can assemble an entire kitchen yourself and customize it, to a point. It's a painstaking process and a lot of work to plan a kitchen and assemble each cabinet — but the cost savings are often enormous for those building new kitchens and renovating.
IKEA also outfits their cabinets with high quality hardware made by Blum and high-end features like soft-close drawers. Add on a 25-year warranty and in my opinion you can't beat their product for the price.
What Is AKURUM?
AKURUM is the current system of IKEA cabinets. Every drawer, base, front, and fitting is part of the same system. All of the measurements align and it's easy to plan a whole kitchen because everything is part of the same system.
AKURUM was introduced in 1995 and since then IKEA has sold over 7.7 million cabinets worldwide. Many homeowners and cooks have been pleased with the system, rating it very high in the 2012 and 2014 J.D. Power U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Satisfaction studies.
What Is SEKTION?
SEKTION is a brand new system of cabinets from IKEA and it will replace AKURUM completely.
A change to the IKEA cabinet system is a big deal. But it's not a surprise. Last year IKEA in Europe began changing over to a new system, called METOD. It seemed to be just a matter of time before this new system also came across the Atlantic. The new system, however, will be called SEKTION here.
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