John Webb Construction & Design has been designing & remodeling custom IKEA Kitchens & Bathrooms in the Greater Portland Metro area for almost 20 years now. How did that lead to the launch of Dendra Doors? How did John and his team learn to believe in IKEA quality and become some of the most skilled IKEA Kitchen installers in Portland?

We sit down with John Webb of John Webb Construction & Design to learn about the early days of him using and installing IKEA Cabinets.

“It’s a funny thing, I’ve been using IKEA for years. Gosh, I used it back in the late 80’s when they only had two colors (for the US Market): White & Almond. And, it looked like garage cabinetry, or closet cabinetry. And, I liked how everything went together, how it rolled together, and how it was attached. I learned. We didn’t have YouTube back then, so I honestly had to learn the hard way. I wasn’t always asking enough questions.

But, they’re all modular. It all rolls around for the European Market and their limitations on square footage. The square footage per home is lower, the cost per square foot to purchase is a lot higher than it is here in the United States. There in Europe things are tighter, better planned, and they maximize their storage space. If they’re renting they bring their cabinets with them anyway, and they take them when they leave. And, they just add onto them if they need another cabinet or another area.

So, IKEA has been around for many, many years. We had a recession and IKEA is still here. They take care of everybody wonderfully. The people that work for them are conscientious and I feel that they really care. I think they really care about the environment, waste and preventing it.

They have a bad rap. People complain: “Oh it’s IKEA. It’s cheap furniture.” Well, they have some things that aren’t made as well. An, some of it’s not made to be put together and taken apart several times. I mean, if you do that and it gets rickety, you need to get glue and glue it together.

But, the IKEA Cabinets are warrantied for 25 years. And, if you consider the recession in 2008, how many companies aren’t even in business anymore? Or, went bankrupt and went off to do something else? IKEA is still here, and the quality has just gotten better.

I have an AKURUM kitchen and it went through me raising two boys that were very difficult with it. And, it still looks just as good as it did when I put it in 20 years ago. Now I’m not as much into the Birch finish. I wish I had went with something a little bit darker. But, other than that it still operates well and it’s not beat up.”

Dendra Doors 

Archive Images from the IKEA MUSEUM

This Is IKEA

Posted June 20, 2022 by John Webb