HAVSTORP Drawer front, light gray, 46x13 cm (18x5 ")

Two years. That’s how long it usually takes us to create a new kitchen door and drawer front. Developing the right colour is a part of that process. Flavia Melesi, who is a product developer, says that the team usually begin by looking at what is happening in the world around them. “It’s not the fast trends that influence the palette on kitchen doors and drawer fronts, but more slow movements. We want to find colours you can live with for a long time – regardless if your home is big, small, modern or traditional.”

For HAVSTORP, the team developed a selection of muted colours that work well on bigger surfaces like kitchen doors and drawer fronts. The next step was to see what happens with the colours in various light. “We place every colour sample in a lightbox where we can simulate several types of daylight and lighting to see how the colour behaves. Our job means that you can trust the colour, that a gray kitchen actually always looks gray,” says Flavia. “You should feel confident with your choice of colour.”

Since we at IKEA have the whole home under one roof, we can always develop and test new products against the rest of our range “That way we can see the colours in the right context and safeguard that they work together with countertops, appliances, sinks and different types of wood. We also co-ordinate them with the rest of the home so it can become a harmonious whole.” And when you have decided on a colour for your HAVSTORP kitchen doors and front drawers, the fun part of choosing knobs, handles and accessories remains. “All those things that give your kitchen a personal touch and the feeling of coming home to your very own kitchen.”