How to Use the IKEA Kitchen Planner 2023

Last year we published 14 Tips for Using the IKEA Kitchen Planner. Little did we know that IKEA was about to launch a completely new 3D IKEA Planner. The new 3D IKEA Kitchen Planner is vastly superior to their previous software and most non and semi-professional design software options to date. In this week’s post we cover the basics of how to use the new IKEA Kitchen Planner from start to finish.

IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner USA: https://kitchen.planner.ikea.com/us/en/
IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner Canada: https://kitchen.planner.ikea.com/ca/en/
IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner Mexico: https://kitchen.planner.ikea.com/mx/es/planner/

Measure Your Kitchen Again

Step one of designing your new IKEA Kitchen is to make sure you have accurately measured the space you will be using. Accurate measurements of your kitchen space need to include:

Window/Door Size & Placement
Appliance Size & Placement
Sink & Hood/Vent Placement
Lighting Fixtures & Outlets

Once you’ve measured the dimensions of your kitchen space, appliances, and any other items you’ll need to work around, you will need to create your room in the 3D Planner.

Note: You won’t be locating outlets within the Planner, but it is important that you remain aware of their location as you layout your design.

Define Your Kitchen Layout

With your accurate kitchen measurements you will need to start by creating your space in 2D. And don’t skimp on the details. A ¼ inch here and a 1/2 inch there can result in gaps or (gasp) the need to unnecessarily modify IKEA cabinet boxes and/or panels when it comes time to install them.

Tip: If you haven’t already, you’ll want to create an account so you can save your work and add to it later. If you need design support or plan on ordering custom fronts having your design saved on the IKEA Planner platform makes everything easy to access (and edit, save, etc).

IKEA 3D Planner Controls and Navigation

The new IKEA Kitchen Planner is actually very intuitive. Your quick keys for deleting or undoing an edit are all there. Before you get to adding cabinets you will want to get used to how you navigate the 3D space.

The Compass Button allows you to reposition an item with ease.

The Rotate Button does just that. Sometimes the Rotate Button doesn’t work. In those instances it can be easier to push the item against a different to change it to your preferred orientation.

As you get to work and things get crowded and feel glitchy, you will always want to check your Workspace Cursor. The Workspace Cursor is the large version of the Item Compass Button and dictates the center of your view and the vicinity of your item placement. If your cabinets and other items are repeatedly not placing where you need them, back your viewer up, click on the Cursor, and reposition it closer to your workspace. If you still have issues make sure your viewer is looking directly ahead to where you want to place the item.

The Position function is an important tool you will want to use when doing final placement on every item. When you click on an item it will pull up rulers to show the position in every direction. From here you can fine-tune the placement by clicking on the measurement and inputting the number with your keyboard.

Tip: It is recommended that as you place your cabinets you click on them and then click Position. By clicking Position you will be able to verify that there are no unexpected gaps in your placement. If this isn’t done often you will find yourself correcting the placement of entire rows of items when mistakes are found (which happens frequently).

Install Kitchen Appliances

Based on your current or planned placement, you will need to install your appliances in your Kitchen Planner. If you are actually keeping your existing appliances instead of purchasing new appliances from IKEA or different supplier, you will want to choose Use Your Own in the Appliances dropdown.

Note: Many of the preset appliances will be standard sized, but you will want to verify the actual size of your existing or new appliances. Resize the Planner appliances accordingly by clicking on the appliance and then Modify.

Once you’ve selected (and resized) your appliances you need to place them in their final spot within the kitchen layout. For general placement you will need to click on the appliance, click the Compass Button, and then place them in their approximate position. Click on the appliance again, click Position, and fine tune it’s placement.

Customizing Cabinets in the IKEA Planner

When doing custom cabinet configurations for your kitchen you will want to plan ahead to cut down on work. If you have multiple matching IKEA cabinet boxes that have the same or similar custom internal configurations: you will want to do your full custom configuration and then duplicate the item.

If you are planning on modifying the IKEA Cabinet Boxes themselves you will need to plan ahead and order oversized but proportional standard items. Be aware that to modify cut into and modify will void the warranty for any given item. To make sure your custom modifications don’t cost you twice, we recommend having a skilled IKEA Installer assist with this part of your project.

Install IKEA Base and High Cabinets

With your appliances installed in your 3D Kitchen space you can start selecting and installing your IKEA Base Cabinet Boxes. To start you will want to select the correctly sized base cabinets and build around your appliances or from a corner on out.

For tight spaces and corners you will find that the IKEA 3D Planner will place cabinets in weird spots when you select them. Depending on how far away the item was placed you will either want to delete it or drag it to the proper placement. If the 3D Planner keeps kicking out items and placing them in weird spots you will want to try:

Reposition your Workspace Cursor. Usually this means you aren’t close enough to where you are trying to place the items. Also, make sure you are facing the location head on.
Temporarily move surrounding items out of the way. When replacing items make sure to click that Position Button to ensure everything is back in place.

Install IKEA Wall Cabinets

As your IKEA Kitchen Design progresses your IKEA Kitchen Planner will get crowded and complicated. It’s best to place items Exhaust Hoods and the Sektion Wall Cabinets that frame appliances and sinks.

Several issues that come up once clients and professionals alike get to placing Upper Cabinets are:

Losing track of height placement. Unlike with cabinets and other items that touch the floor, vertical placement is the additional axis to factor in at this stage of the Planner. This is where the Position function really helps. It also lets you know if:
Cabinets aren’t placed against the wall. Because of the busy 3D interface it becomes difficult to see if you have actually placed these upper items against the wall. By pulling up the Position you can see if there is an unexpected gap behind any given item.

IKEA Panels, Trim, and Toe Kicks

The IKEA Kitchen Planner does a great job of calculating all of the trim pieces, Cover Panels, and Toe Kick. It’s recommended that if you are adding Trim and Deco Trim to your design, always order extra.

Custom IKEA Cabinet Fronts

Once all of your IKEA Cabinet Boxes are properly positioned in your IKEA Planner according to your Kitchen Design you can start customizing the fronts. To customize your IKEA cabinets using IKEA stock doors, drawer fronts, and panels, click on the item and then click Modify. The Planner will display all components for the item.

To change the style and finish you need to locate the stock white slab front listed as Axstad. Click on Style/Colour button and it will pull up all available custom options available in your region. Select your preferred front. You will be prompted to either apply that selection to all cabinets or to the single item you are modifying.

If you have decided on custom fronts for IKEA cabinets you will want to submit your IKEA Planner to that supplier. The primary information they will need will be the item list, shown as a clipboard with check marks on the toolbar. Though, access to the 3D representation of your design will help to understand your design and customization needs. To share your design with your custom door maker just copy and past the URL into an email and send it to them.