Great question and I would say no. I feel like Ikea is a lower-end product and one that is harder to get service on. Many manufacturers private label for them in the U.S. The problem I have seen is many servicers don’t want to bother with them. Also, many of their appliances have fewer features. If you want appliances with a better resale and want to stay within a budget, look more like a GE Cafe or KitchenAid. Both carry a better name. I have never been a big fan of Ikea appliances. Every customer who has purchased them has then come back to me regretted it for one reason or another.
It is all based on the model’s hinge and how the bins will pull out etc. Some brands are as little as 3″ while most are 12″ minimum to open door 120 degrees. In many of the units, I sell a 5″ filler is put in place, but you really need to look at the specific model because a brand like Fisher Paykel has an inset hinge, so they are like 2″ when a brand like Bosch has a thick door and asks for 6″. So if you have a model in mind, I can definitely look further! Every brand has in the spec guide a dimension to open it clean and another dimension to open it with bin removal.
I like to recommend the Frigidaire Value line for the price point and the GE mid-level for reliability and service. Always been my two go-to brands for rentals. Keep it simple tenants aren’t always the cleanest or most careful. I would even avoid an icemaker if possible. Less to go wrong, and fewer features mean fewer calls for you to get fixed. I would prob move to a color like black or white as I see the stainless dinged and dented all the time when in rentals cause no one cares enough.
So if the wall oven is underneath it 80% of the time, you need to stick with the same brand for depth compatibility. If not, I would say the best on the market is the Thermador freedom induction cooktop. It is the best technology out there and very efficient. You can put up to 6 pots on this unit at once, and it senses where the pot is. 56 micro inductors ensure the cooking vessel will heat up. Great cooktop!
My favorite residential fridge in a counter depth right now is by far the Bosch 800 series. It has dual compressors and an excellent cooling system. With a dispenser, it is tough, but I would sway you towards a GE profile.
So, although I am not a kitchen designer I do see a lot of the newer products on the horizon. Things like a multitude of custom colors and the ability to design your own appliances and set configurations seem to be taking off. I see design-focused choices, like Bluestar, offering to do things like match wallpaper to the stove. Or matching appliances to any design you want. In addition, brands like Samsung in their Bespoke line are beginning to introduce glass panel fridges in multiple colors to the residential market at a lower price point.
Another current trend I’m seeing is that the lower and lower to middle-tier brands will be coming out with integrated products. This has mostly been an option by brands like Thermador and Sub-Zero, but that is all changing. Hoods went from being wood for a long time to stainless creeping its way back in as well. Smart appliances will be taking over, so the brands like apple want to own parts of your life to know what you’re cooking and when you’re cooking it. I’m sure this data will be sold to brands that offer in-home food shopping. Big brother will be watching more and more. Brands like GE are designing hubs like Samsung does to try and get you connected more to the internet. A connected appliance universe is on its way, if not here already. We will be forced to download these apps to make them work going down the road.
If you mean an ice maker with no dispenser, I like the Bosch 800 series. LG makes the dual ice maker and has craft ice as well, but the quality of the Bosch 800 fridge, to me, can’t be beaten. The ice maker is reliable and a top-of-the-line unit. Also makes more of a pyramid-style cube vs. the traditional crescent.