templemorris's Profile

We've had two Ikea kitchens over the years and would strongly recommend them. Of course there are higher quality cabinets out there, but after tons of research, we concluded that at this price point, Ikea is the clear winner. Even my father, who is a rather snooty kitchen designer, thinks they're a very good choice for the money.

BTW, the more expensive Ikea cabs are not of better quality. All the cabs use the same boxes, drawers, hardware, etc. Only the front panels differ, and yes, those do appear to be of higher quality. On our second kitchen, we skipped the Ikea fronts and went with solid wood Shaker front panels from Scherr's. The cost was about the same as the more expensive Ikea panels, and they look much better than the Ikea Adel. And we got to choose the color.

We installed both kitchens ourselves. I must say, it was much easier the second time, largely because Ikea seems to have streamlined the assembly of the drawers, hardware, etc. But adjusting the drawer fronts was rather time-consuming. Still, well worth it for the money saved (and spent on nice countertops and appliances). If you decide to go this route and run into trouble, you can get good advice from ikeafans.com.

Our first kitchen lasted us 15 years and still looked good when we sold our house. We did have to replace one drawer, but only the interior. No big deal. And it certainly held up better than the Merillat cabs my poor sister has suffered with. Her drawers started failing after only 5 years. We've had our second kitchen for almost a year, and I'm astonished at how much weight the big drawers can handle, not to mention the abuse from our kids.

Beautiful!

Is MCM doomed to become passe? We are desperately in need of a new sofa and chairs. I've been eyeing an MCM sofa (Fillmore) and chairs (Truman) from Thrive, but this thread is making me nervous. I've liked MCM for a few years now, and haven't seen any other style of sofa that I particularly like. But my taste has changed a lot over the years -- thanks largely to many hours gazing at AT house tours. I'm confused, and I don't trust myself not to get sucked into trends (or maybe a cult...). Do you think MCM will be "so 2010s" in a few years? Will I come to hate that couch as much as I currently hate my overstuffed 90's couch?

Looks great! Do you think it can be frozen?

We've made this twice and it's great. My very picky children like it, and I love it. Easy, tangy (is there another word for that yet?), and tender. Thank you!

Just thought I'd join the chorus: I hate videos too.

Does anyone know where to get the cart in the photo? I googled everything I could think of, to no avail...

While your answering the roller shade question, can you also tell me what color grout that is in the kitchen (because I feel silly asking too...). Thanks!

Boomertea,
You might also look at Granadatile.com. They have tons of beautiful designs -- several of which look Moroccan insipired -- and you can customize the colors.

Hmmm. I think the whole reward chart phenomenon is seriously mistaken. (Though not as mistaken as the word "Poo." Yech.) Not to mention condescending. Imagine if your partner gave you a sticker/gold star/reward every time you _______________.

See what I mean?

Anyway, for for folks interested in learning more about why rewarding behavior will backfire in ways you'd never considered, take a look at "Punished by Rewards," by Alfie Kohn. And for folks not interested, take a look at those graphics. Yech.