Cedar slats help this Ontario lake house float soundly atop still waters. Photo by: Raimund Koch

Overhead cabinets now can be easily swung open for ease of access. The kitchens are priced at IKEA’s usual retails. A 10 by 10 foot kitchen fitted with Sektion cabinets will range from around $1,300 to $2,200, excluding appliances.

The site includes a boat shed and a tractor the family uses to pull their boat to and from the ramp.

Black and white kitchen tiles add visual interest to this stunning modern kitchen by IKEA.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

The kitchen features Ikea Sektion cabinets and Whirlpool appliances. The dining area contains a table from CB2, a George Nelson pendant, and Eames molded fiberglass chairs that were picked up at the Alameda Flea Market.

Pippa (left) and Maisie (right) play in the kitchen. Though Hale and Edmonds would have preferred Bosch appliances, a deal at Ikea was too good to pass up. They purchased all of the cabinets and appliances (a combination that earned them 20-percent off the total) for a mere $4,700.

The room is outfitted with IKEA cabinets, an oven by Miele and a cooktop by Gaggenau.

Induction cooktops, growing steadily in popularity due to their energy efficiency and speed, are part of the offering as well as as a selection of exhaust hoods.

A black side table rests outside the bedroom hallway.

One of the system's best new features are the interior drawers, which can now be as detailed as the most expensive high-end systems, providing a place for everything with drawers for pots, knives, tablelinens, and dinnerware.

Some companies offer specialty self-leveling paints that are designed specifically for repainting kitchen cabinets.

More traditional cabinet cup pulls from Ikea can still have a modern sensibility when paired with other sleek finishes.

Built with timeless materials - stone, plaster and a range of woods - this house reflects regional Pacific Northwest design. Sited along Lake Oswego, this home’s views, boathouse and terraces all gracefully connect to the water’s edge.

The view from inside the Floating House's boat dock.

In the master bedroom, a Mandal bed from Ikea is draped with a Tuuli duvet cover by Marimekko.

Concrete floors and an Ikea kitchen and spice rack make for an affordable, cleanly geometric aesthetic at the back of the bottom floor. The appliances are by Frigidaire, and the black countertops are sealed with Eco Tuff by Eco Procote.

The client wanted to be able to prepare meals efficiently. A red steel pegboard backsplash lets him easily access cooking utensils. The cabinets are Ikea.

Minimalist design can sometimes be a mystery, like modern kitchen cabinets that have no visible hardware. However, a quick little push on the edge of a cabinet can reveal an interior spring mechanism that holds the doors closed.

The sofa is a Karlstad sectional from Ikea. The 1,400-square-foot home contains a master bedroom and two guest rooms.

Offering a completely different look, this svelte version features an exhaust hood and modern hardware.

Houle designed the ofuro tub in the master bath to mesh with the home’s tallowwood wall paneling. The Ikea sink is outfitted with Vola faucets.

In a centuries-old building in Montreal, Belgian architect and designer Gaeten Havart undertook a DIY kitchen renovation that makes the most of inexpensive materials. These simple cabinets and modern cabinet pulls are from Ikea and painted with a matte black finish.

Rates start at $225 a night for four people.

The relatively simple construction incorporates clever sustainable design: a two-level wood roof structure keeps the sun’s heat away from the interior, and small windows at either end facilitate powerful cross-ventilation. It’s natural air-conditioning, and it works beautifully.

A pair of lights from IKEA hang above the first floor, which houses the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Pine floors, painted black, run throughout the residence.

Typical refugee tents only last about six months. These shelters, designed by Swedish designers from the Refugee Housing Unit with the UN Refugee Agency, can last for years.

The dining table is from French retailer AM.PM., the pendants are by Him + Her, and the shelves are by Tomado Holland. An Ikea rug echoes the geometric motif found throughout the apartment.

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The boys’ bunk beds are by Ikea.

Contrasting prints in the living room of this Montreal quadruplex are echoed in gauzy, patterned curtains with a lightweight privacy lining.

The cabinets are from Ikea, the range is by GE, and the Jenn-Air refrigerator is tucked unobtrusively into the pantry wall. The troweled concrete floor was poured in place by the builder, Peter Knudsen.

The kitchen is IKEA; the floors, like those in the bathroom, are Brazilian slate.

A wooden patio wraps around three-fourths of the house boat. The living room cushions can be removed and used on the deck. A ladder dips into the water for swimming in the summer.

The living room is outfitted with the Stockholm Wool Rug from Ikea, a Noguchi table by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller, and the Neo Sectional Chaise Left by Niels Bendtsen from DWR.

An IKEA PS Vågö chair sits on a small treated-pine deck off the master bedroom.