If you’re looking to remodel your kitchen, choosing new cabinets is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. The cabinets set the tone for the whole room and account for a significant portion of the total cost.
Two popular mid-range cabinet brands to consider are Kokeena and Semihandmade. Both offer customization options at prices that won’t completely break the bank.
But there are some key differences between the two that you’ll want to understand before deciding which is right for your kitchen.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Feature | Kokeena | Semihandmade |
| Customization Level | Fully customized cabinets | Upgraded doors, drawers, hardware |
| Lead Time | 4-8 weeks | 1-2 weeks |
| Pricing | $100+ per cabinet box | $200+ per door |
| Warranty | 25 years on cabinets | Lifetime on doors |
| Quality | Uses IKEA boxes | Upgrades existing IKEA |
| Availability | Online only | Online and in stores |
Key Takeaways
- Both brands provide customization at lower prices by using IKEA cabinets as the base.
- Kokeena fully customizes IKEA cabinet boxes and offers more customization overall. Semihandmade focuses just on upgrading doors, drawers and hardware.
- Kokeena has slightly lower pricing but longer 4-8 week lead times. Semihandmade upgrades have quicker 1-2 week turnaround.
- Consider Kokeena if you want completely customized cabinets made to your exact specifications.
- Consider Semihandmade if you want to upgrade existing IKEA cabinets or desire faster lead times.
- Kokeena warranties full cabinets while Semihandmade warranties their upgraded components only.
- Kokeena only sells online, Semihandmade is available online and in retail stores.
- For the most budget-friendly fully custom cabinets, choose Kokeena. For quick and affordable IKEA upgrades, go Semihandmade.
- Both allow you to get a customized, high-end look starting with affordable IKEA boxes.
Kokeena Cabinets: Custom Styling at IKEA Prices
Kokeena offers completely custom cabinetry designed to perfectly fit your space and style.
But unlike most custom cabinetry, Kokeena’s prices are similar to ready-to-assemble options like IKEA.
How do they provide customized cabinets at such affordable prices?
Kokeena partners with IKEA to create their cabinets using real wood IKEA cabinets as the base. Then they customize the cabinet boxes, doors, drawers and finishes to your specifications.
This model allows Kokeena to focus more resources on customization rather than cabinet construction. You can select from a wide variety of premium wood species, door styles, finishes, glass and hardware options to create your ideal kitchen.
Kokeena’s semi-custom approach provides more customization than IKEA’s cabinets, but at a much lower cost than fully custom cabinetry.
Kokeena Cabinet Pros
- Affordable pricing – Similar to IKEA prices, but with customized style
- Wide range of customizations – Hundreds of door styles, finishes, pulls and more
- Real wood construction – Made using solid IKEA cabinets
- Soft-close doors and drawers – Premium features come standard
- 25-year warranty – Peace of mind with long warranty period
Kokeena Cabinet Cons
- Limited cabinet sizes – Only available in IKEA box sizes
- Longer lead times – 4-8 weeks for customized cabinets
- Only available online – Can’t see in person before purchase
Kokeena is a great choice if you want affordable, customized cabinets with premium features. Just be prepared to work within IKEA’s cabinet box limitations and wait longer to receive your order.
Semihandmade Cabinets: IKEA Upgrades
Semihandmade also builds custom cabinetry using IKEA cabinets as the base.
But instead of fully customizing the cabinet boxes, doors and finishes like Kokeena, Semihandmade focuses on upgrading IKEA’s standard doors, drawers and hardware.
Semihandmade’s upgrades transform the look of IKEA cabinets to create a more custom, high-end aesthetic.
Semihandmade offers new doors, drawer fronts, molding and accessories that easily attach to your existing IKEA cabinets.
Doors come in a variety of materials like maple, cherry and oak in tons of styles from modern to traditional.
Hardware, molding and interior upgrades allow you to dial up the custom look even further. Semihandmade essentially lets you create boutique-style cabinets starting with affordable IKEA bases.
Semihandmade Cabinet Pros
- Lower cost than full customization – Doors cost less than fully customized cabinets
- Faster installation – Easily attach upgrades to existing IKEA cabinets
- Wide style selection – Over 75 door styles to elevate IKEA’s limited options
- Made from premium materials – Solid wood doors in many species
- Lifetime warranty on doors – Peace of mind with long warranty period
Semihandmade Cabinet Cons
- Limited to IKEA sizes – Can’t modify IKEA cabinet boxes
- Partial customization – Only doors, drawers and accessories are customizable
- Assembly required – Some upgrades like drawers must be assembled
- Longer lead time for some doors – 4-6 weeks for many custom styles
Semihandmade is ideal if you want to upgrade your existing IKEA cabinets or buy new IKEA bases and customize them with higher-end doors, hardware and more. The partial customization approach costs less than fully custom cabinets.
Key Differences Between Kokeena And Semihandmade
Now that you know the basics about Kokeena and Semihandmade cabinets, let’s look at some of the main differences between the two:
- Customization – Kokeena fully customizes IKEA cabinets, while Semihandmade focuses just on new doors, drawers and hardware
- Lead time – Kokeena cabinets take 4-8 weeks, Semihandmade upgrades just 1-2 weeks
- Prices – Kokeena is slightly more affordable than Semihandmade’s upgraded doors
- Warranty – Kokeena offers 25 years on full cabinets, Semihandmade lifetime on doors only
- Quality – Kokeena uses IKEA boxes, Semihandmade upgrades existing IKEA boxes
- Availability – Kokeena is online only, Semihandmade available online and in stores
Kokeena is better if you want fully customized cabinets within IKEA sizes at the lowest cost. Semihandmade is a good choice if you want to upgrade existing IKEA cabinets or desire quick lead times for a partial custom look.
Making The Choice: Kokeena Or Semihandmade?
So which brand should you choose for your next kitchen remodel? Here are a few key questions to help decide if Kokeena or Semihandmade is better for your needs:
Do you already own IKEA cabinets?
If yes, Semihandmade is likely the better choice and most cost-effective option. You can upgrade your existing IKEA cabinets with new doors, hardware and more from Semihandmade.
If no, Kokeena may be better since you can fully customize brand new cabinets tailored exactly to your kitchen’s dimensions and layout.
What level of customization do you need?
If you want to customize the cabinet boxes, interiors, finishes and more, Kokeena is the way to go.
If you just want to upgrade doors, drawer fronts and hardware, Semihandmade has you covered.
What is your budget?
Kokeena starts at around $100 per cabinet box, while Semihandmade’s upgraded doors cost $200+ each. Kokeena is the more budget-friendly option for full customization.
What are your timeline expectations?
If you need the cabinets ASAP, Semihandmade’s 1-2 week lead time on doors can’t be beat.
Kokeena takes longer at 4-8 weeks for full customization, but still quicker than traditional custom cabinetry.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No, Semihandmade is more expensive than IKEA’s stock cabinets. Semihandmade cabinet upgrades like doors, drawer fronts and molding cost $200+ each, while basic IKEA cabinets start around $100. Semihandmade provides higher quality and more customized options compared to IKEA’s standard cabinets though.
Yes, Semihandmade doors can provide a more premium, customized look for a reasonable price. Made from solid wood with many styles to choose from, Semihandmade doors easily elevate the style of basic IKEA cabinets. If you’re looking to add custom styling without the cost of fully custom cabinets, Semihandmade doors are absolutely worth it.
IKEA’s Sektion line is their highest quality and most durable cabinet offering. Made from wood instead of particleboard, Sektion cabinets provide a sturdy base for Semihandmade or Kokeena upgrades. For the best quality IKEA cabinets to customize with Semihandmade or Kokeena, go with Sektion.
Yes, all of Semihandmade’s replacement doors and drawer fronts are constructed from real wood like maple, cherry, oak and more. You can even request custom wood species. This sets their doors apart from IKEA’s standard particleboard doors and gives cabinets an authentic, high-end look.
The Bottom Line
Kokeena and Semihandmade both provide an affordable way to get customized IKEA-based cabinets for your kitchen remodel. Kokeena offers full customization within IKEA sizes, while Semihandmade focuses on upgraded doors and accessories to transform existing IKEA cabinets.
Kokeena is likely the better option if you want fully custom cabinets tailored precisely to your kitchen. But Semihandmade brings upgraded style to IKEA cabinets quickly and cost-effectively.
Either brand is an excellent choice over standard IKEA cabinets if you want a custom look that won’t demolish your budget. Just keep the differences in customization level, pricing, and lead times in mind as you make your decision.
Whichever brand you choose, you can feel confident you’re getting quality, customization and value from cabinets made using IKEA as the base. Kokeena and Semihandmade prove that you no longer have to settle for cookie-cutter cabinets or break the bank for custom options thanks to the power of IKEA.
With some strategic customization using either brand, you can get a kitchen that looks like it cost twice as much as you actually paid.
