Stainless steel cabinets IKEA – dishes behind a mesh

When you hear about stainless steel cabinets from IKEA, you may imagine a steel kitchen like those in restaurants or hotels. But there are not many private customers who prefer that kind of design. Instead, we offer a stainless mesh for cabinet doors embedded in a wooden frame. Let’s see what can be the benefits of using transparent and translucent cabinets.

Mesh or glass door

Along with mesh cabinets, we also offer a glass option. There are some pros and cons for both of them. What may you expect?

Glass cabinet door – looks very elegant and allows you to expose dishware, clay cups, or china sets. Glass doors add some nobility but also a vintage look to your kitchen. The design is a welcomed variation to break up the monotony of kitchen cabinets. The glass surface protects dishes from dirt and pests. However, it is a fragile material, and you must be careful not to break it by closing the front too strong.

Mesh cabinet door – mesh provides the same semi-transparent quality, but it is not as fragile as glass. Mesh cabinets will probably last longer. It refers to an even older cabinet style. While glass china closets has been prevalent for all the 20th century, the mesh was available earlier. Our mesh is very dense so it won’t look too different from glass from afar. It is fine enough to provide some protection from pests and dirt, although glass is a better choice in this case.

The options above are more subtle than simple stainless steel cabinets from IKEA. They will upgrade the impression of your kitchen design. To give it an even more classic look, you can add some sideboard legs for Bestå. Decorative cabinet legs instead of a simple plinth make the sideboard look more vintage. It is a good complement for glass or mesh cabinet doors.

Materials used for stainless steel cabinets IKEA

If you choose a mesh instead of plain board or glass doors, you should know what materials were used to make it. It will help you match it with other parts of your furniture. There are three variations of mesh/glass doors:

• Classic – where the solid part is the MDF board, treated with lacquer.
• Classic Max – we use ash wood to make the solid frame.
• Classic Style – the frame is made of the same material as Classic. The difference is in the frame design. Classic has a 45-degree transition between frame and mirror, and Classic Style has a 90-degree.

The mesh is made of perforated metal.

Size matters? How to fit your stainless steel cabinets into IKEA kitchen

The good news is we provide mesh and glass doors in many different sizes. We prepare them following Metod kitchen standards. You can order a variety of different sizes for smaller and bigger cabinets. See some IKEA kitchens images to check if the specific cabinet will look good with mesh replacing the solid door. Remember that you can install stainless steel cabinets from IKEA in any Metod base.

You can create even the whole mesh/glass kitchen, although we recommend leaving some cabinets with solid doors. It is necessary, especially for lower sideboards, because more moisture and dirt accumulate there. The other reason is that people tend to keep pots and pans inside. They are not as decorative as china sets.

Create a custom design

Mesh stainless steel cabinets for IKEA furniture are a perfect opportunity to custom your kitchen design. Many other details will give it an even more personal touch. A great way to do this is by choosing different knobs and handles. We provide a wide range of IKEA cabinet knobs and pulls. You can choose among various materials, colours and shapes.

Mesh cabinets work perfectly fine without handles as well. You can install a push-opener with any of our cabinet doors and drawers. However, handles are a detail that allows you to make the appearance of the cabinet front more personalized. In some cases, it helps you to find the furniture style you are looking for. Knobs and pulls are particularly complementing for a vintage look. As we have established earlier, mesh and glass sideboards look vintage already. If you want to emphasize that effect, handles can be a great way to do it.

It depends, of course, on what handles you choose. Simple wooden knobs will make a suitable addition to Classic Max cabinets. Visible wood veins and material severity can make an impression of a historical kitchen look. Metal pulls are better if you plan for a more fancy design. Along with metal leg tips and metal mesh, they will create an interesting combination to watch.

Colours of stainless steel cabinets from IKEA

Although we don’t paint stainless steel, we can paint an MDF or ash frame in any colour you choose. The metal mesh will be painted in the same colour as the front. You can create a classic look with muted colour or immortal white. To feel closer to nature, you can also leave the wood unpainted. A metal mesh will create an interesting composition of materials.

To personalize the look of your kitchen, you can also use any other colour. We have a whole palette for you. Bright colours or dark shades can evoke different moods. You can paint your cabinets in colours that will upgrade the impression of your space. For example, if you have a small, dark kitchen, you can make it look brighter with white sideboards or create an impression of more space than there is with blue paint.

You can also create a psychedelic kitchen or use the most fashionable pastel shades to make your kitchen look modern and original.

Although you can’t paint the stainless steel cabinets themselves, we provide a neutral colour for the mesh, so it should look good with a frame painted in any other colour. The metal mesh will be painted in the same colour as the front.

Light in your mesh/glass cabinets

Having a semi-transparent or translucent cabinet, you can upgrade them with light. It can be a simple LED tape, a more sophisticated set of small light bulbs or more fancy RGB lights. Mesh look very interesting with lighting, and it is very practical if you want to illuminate your cabinet to find a specific item. More decorative lights allow you to light up a whole kitchen in a more subtle way. It will help you to create a romantic mood. If you choose RGB lights, you can change colours and manipulate the mood in that space. It is a great solution for everyone who loves to create a unique space for themselves.

Are other materials available?

If you can have any colour and even light you like, maybe you would like to experiment with new materials? Unfortunately, for now, we make frames for stainless steel cabinets from IKEA only from MDF and ash wood. You cannot buy it for your bamboo kitchen, for instance. However, there is always a possibility to combine bamboo and wooden fronts. The second option can be equipped with a mesh or glass door. You can paint an ash or MDF frame to fit with bamboo cabinets. However, bear in mind that paint or stain on wood never looks identical to the natural bamboo colour. Either way, this is an option if you want to diversify the look of your kitchen.

Some design tips

As mentioned earlier, mesh and glass cabinets look rather traditional. They are the best to give your vintage or shaker kitchen a touch of diversity. However, you can upgrade its look and make them look more futuristic if you choose brighter colours or RGB lights. It works particularly well with glass cabinet doors but can add a different vibe to mesh doors as well.

If you choose simpler LED or halogen lights, you can paint your frames in brighter and more saturated colours. This will create an interesting effect.

Pastel colours create a special effect, particularly if you use them on glass or mesh cabinet doors. They look fresh and subtle, a bit girly. You should avoid too many saturated pastel colours, or the whole furniture will look a little cartoony. Unless this is your goal, choose more subtle shades of mint, pink or purple.

We mentioned before that installing mesh doors in lower sideboards is impractical. It is also aesthetically undesirable. The traditional kitchen uses semi-transparent doors mainly for wall cabinets. However, you can add it to your high cupboard, and it can look very interesting as a china cabinet.