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.

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.

If a dim breakfast nook or counter has you down, add a bit of light overhead. Ikea's PS Collection LED lamp is handsome and energy efficient. $99 from ikea.com.

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.

French designer Matali Crasset's wardrobe for Ikea PS 2014 ($179) is an open piece that comes with dozens of colorful tabs that can be arranged and rearranged on the metal mesh front. Crasset describes it as "free from codes—due to its camouflage it adapts to any kind of home." For more Matali Crasset, check out the farmhouse she renovated which Dwell featured in our March 2014 issue.

Ikea's PS 2014 collection includes modular wall storage in bamboo veneer framed in powder-coated steel. Also available in black and white, though earthy red sure complements the warm wood tones. $34 at Ikea

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.

Margrethe Odgaard says of her Ikea PS 2014 mirror, “I was inspired by traveling in Eastern Europe, where I found rural homes with walls covered with textiles, floors with painted tiles, and mirrors decorated with stained glass foil. The carefully structured decorations inspired me to make a grid, in which I could use various lines and colors to create different patterns."

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

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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.

A trio of Polish designers—Krystian Kowalski, Maja Ganszyniec, and Paweł Jasiewicz—came up with this secretary ($189), which allows for a flexible workspace within a small apartment or hallway.

PS 2014 corner cabinet by Keiji Ashizawa for Ikea. For its PS 2014 line, Ikea collaborated with international designers to create furniture targeted to renters, including this triangular cabinet built to tuck into underutilized corner spaces.

Tomás Alonso's highly adaptable wood wall system was inspired by the kamoi, a wooden rail that runs around the perimeter of the rooms in traditional Japanese houses. Wall rail ($4.99), tray ($9.99), and mirror ($12.99).

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

“The IKEA PS 2014 greenhouse ($29.99) was inspired by the alpine chalets of my Swiss homeland," says designer Nicolas Cortolezzis, "a symbol of simplicity and harmony with nature. It can fit on the balcony, in the kitchen or next to the window. It can stand on a table or be hung on the wall."

Henrik Preutz designed his balancing bench ($49.99) to encourage play and movement in children: "They can balance on it, jump over it, crawl under it."

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.

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

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.

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.

Test Ikea Metro

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.

Like many of Benepe's projects, planting P.S. 111's playground is more than a quality of life improvement. The grass and other flora help absorb flood water during storms, relieving pressure on the city's drainage systems.

Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa says of his leaning wall shelf ($49.99), "With my furniture, you can enjoy small spaces, make good use of corners, and keep things organized at the same time.”