How to Use the IKEA Kitchen Planner: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

The IKEA Kitchen Planner is a free, browser-based tool that lets you design your entire kitchen in 3D, place real SEKTION cabinets, and generate a shopping list with exact part numbers and prices. It is powerful, but it has a learning curve. This tutorial walks you through the whole process and flags the mistakes that cause the most headaches at installation time.

Before You Open the Planner: Measure First

The planner is only as accurate as the measurements you feed it. Before you touch the tool, measure your kitchen carefully. Our complete guide to measuring your kitchen for IKEA cabinets covers this in depth, but at minimum you need:

• Wall lengths, measured at the top, middle, and bottom (older New England homes are rarely square)
• Ceiling height in several spots
• Window and door locations and sizes, including the height from the floor
• Locations of plumbing, gas lines, and electrical outlets
• Any obstructions — radiators, soffits, chimneys, bulkheads

Write these on a rough sketch. You will reference them constantly inside the planner.

Step 1: Create an IKEA Account

You can start designing without an account, but you must log in to save your project, and saving frequently is essential — the planner can time out. Create a free account at IKEA's website first so your work is never lost.

Step 2: Set Up Your Room Dimensions

When you open the planner, you start by defining the room shape:

1. Choose a room template (straight wall, L-shape, U-shape, or custom)
2. Enter your exact wall lengths from your measurements
3. Set the ceiling height
4. Add windows and doors, positioning them precisely with their height from the floor

Take your time here. Every cabinet you place later depends on these walls being correct. If your room is not a clean rectangle — common in the Capes and triple-deckers we work in across Massachusetts — use the custom shape option and build the walls segment by segment.

Step 3: Place Your Base Cabinets

Now the fun part. Start with base cabinets because they anchor the layout:

• Begin in the corner. Corners are the hardest part of any kitchen, so solve them first. IKEA offers specific corner base cabinets — see our corner cabinet solutions guide.
• Place your sink base next, ideally under or near a window and close to existing plumbing.
• Position the dishwasher space adjacent to the sink (it needs water and drain access).
• Drag in the remaining base cabinets, mixing drawer bases and door bases to taste.

The planner snaps cabinets together and warns you when something does not fit. Watch the running total in the corner of the screen — it updates with every cabinet.

Step 4: Add Your Appliances

Place your range, refrigerator, and any built-in appliances. The planner reserves the correct opening size for IKEA appliances automatically. If you are bringing your own appliances — which most people do — double-check the opening dimensions against your appliance specs. A standard range opening is 30 inches, but always verify; see appliance dimensions.

Step 5: Place Wall Cabinets

Switch to wall cabinets and build the upper run:

• Align wall cabinets with the base cabinets below where it makes sense visually
• Decide on cabinet height — 30-inch and 40-inch are most common, with 15-inch and 20-inch units for stacking and over the fridge
• Leave the correct gap above your range for a hood or over-the-range microwave (typically 30 inches above the cooktop)
• Consider taking cabinets to the ceiling for a built-in look — our extend cabinets to the ceiling guide explains the options

Your ceiling height drives the decision. With the bottom of the wall cabinets at the usual 54 inches off the floor, here is how the common arrangements land:

Set the ceiling height accurately in Step 2 and the planner will show you these gaps in 3D before you order.

Step 6: Add Tall Cabinets, Panels, and Fillers

This is the step beginners skip — and it causes the most problems at installation. You must add:

• Cover panels for any exposed cabinet sides (the unfinished sides need to be hidden)
• Toe-kick / plinth for the base of your cabinets
• Filler pieces wherever cabinets meet a wall or each other at an angle — older walls are never perfectly straight, so fillers let the installer scribe to the wall. See our toe-kick and filler guide.
• Tall cabinets (pantry or oven housing) if your layout includes them

Order 10-15% extra filler and a spare cover panel. It is far cheaper than a second trip to IKEA mid-installation.

Step 7: Choose Doors, Fronts, and Hardware

Now style your kitchen. Select a door style and finish, then add handles or knobs (or go handleless with VOXTORP). Browse options in our best IKEA door styles and color guide articles. The 3D view updates instantly so you can see exactly how it looks.

Step 8: Review the 3D View From Every Angle

Rotate the 3D model and walk through it. Check for:

• Cabinets that collide with windows or door swings
• Drawers that cannot open because they hit an appliance handle
• Awkward gaps or missing fillers
• Adequate countertop workspace between the sink, range, and refrigerator (the "work triangle")

Step 9: Generate and Export Your Shopping List

When the design is final, the planner produces an itemized parts list with article numbers, quantities, and total price. Save it, and export or print it. You will bring this code or list to IKEA (or use it online) to place your order. The same list is what an installer prices from, so keep a copy — our guide on how to read your IKEA kitchen order list explains what each line means.

The #1 Mistake First-Time Planners Make

By far the most common error is trusting the planner's auto-generated list without a professional review. The tool does not know your walls are out of plumb, that your floor slopes an inch across the room, or that your 1920s home has a chimney breast where you want a pantry. It will happily let you design a kitchen that cannot be installed cleanly. For the rest of the list, see IKEA kitchen mistakes to avoid.

That is why we always recommend a professional design review before you order. We review your IKEA Kitchen Planner design for free, catch fit and filler problems before they become expensive, and confirm your part list is complete. Send us your plan and we will check it over before you spend a dollar at IKEA — then handle the full assembly and installation across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.