This guide brings together everything you need to know to replace the fronts of an IKEA Method kitchen or a PAX wardrobe with fronts of superior quality: materials, prices, fitting, trends, mistakes to avoid. Each section points to our detailed articles if you want to go further. It is updated regularly by our workshop.
In this article
1. The principle: why replace only the fronts
2. Materials: what makes a good front
3. Prices: the real budget of a transformation
4. IKEA's 2026 ranges compared with genuine wood
5. Finishes: natural, honey, dark
6. 2026 trends: curves, lacquer, simplicity
7. Jacamar LACCA: the curved lacquered front
8. Fitting: within everyone's reach
9. The Jacamar ordering process
1. The principle: why replace only the fronts
IKEA Method cabinets are guaranteed for 25 years, standardised and reliable. IKEA fronts, on the other hand, are the weak link: melamine, decorative films, ABS edges. The principle of replacing the fronts is simple: keep the structure that works, change only what you see and touch. The result: a kitchen that looks premium for a fraction of the price of a new one, with no building work, in half a day of fitting. To understand the whole approach: IKEA kitchen hack: the complete guide and Restyling your METOD kitchen with genuine wood.
2. Materials: what makes a good front
Four elements determine the real quality of a front, in this order: the core panel (high-density MDF at 750 kg/m³ rather than chipboard), the facing (genuine wood veneer rather than printed film), the edges (wood-veneered rather than ABS plastic), and the finish (several coats with sanding rather than a single industrial pass). Our detailed guides: MDF or solid wood: which to choose, What the big brands do not tell you, and since IKEA has offered genuine veneer on some ranges: industrial veneer versus workshop veneer.
| Element | Mass-produced front | Workshop front |
|---|---|---|
| Core panel | Chipboard | High-density MDF, 750 kg/m³ |
| Facing | Printed decorative film | Genuine wood veneer |
| Edges | ABS plastic | Wood-veneered, same finish as the face |
| Finish | A single industrial pass | Several coats with sanding in between |
3. Prices: the real budget of a transformation
For a standard kitchen of 3 to 4 linear metres, allow between 1,200 and 2,000 euros incl. VAT for Jacamar fronts in genuine oak, that is 110 to 160 euros for a 60 × 80 door. An accessible budget for genuine oak on high-density MDF. The full breakdown, item by item: How much does a wooden kitchen cost. And to put the alternatives in context: Alternatives to IKEA fronts and The best alternatives to IKEA.
4. IKEA's 2026 ranges compared with genuine wood
HAVSTORP, BODARP, STENSTA: IKEA's 2026 ranges are good industrial products, but they rely on decorative surfaces, not on material. Our honest comparison: IKEA's 2026 fronts compared with genuine oak. To tell real wood from fake: real wood versus imitation.
5. Finishes: natural, honey, dark
Light natural oak remains the safe choice that ages best. Honey brings warmth. And 2026 marks the return of dark species: the great comeback of dark oak. To choose methodically: oak finishes, grain and care and natural or stained, how to choose. In every case, the absolute rule: decide on a real sample, never on a photo. Why the sample is essential.
The workshop's advice
If you remember only one thing from this guide: start by counting your fronts, not your metres. Open the door of each cabinet, note the size printed inside, and make a list. This survey takes twenty minutes, gives you an accurate quote first time, and avoids the unpleasant surprise of the drawer unit that accounts for four fronts on its own.
6. 2026 trends: curves, lacquer, simplicity
Design publications converge on four movements this year: the end of the right angle with the curved door and the shaped front, the return of matt lacquer as a sculptural accent with matt or gloss lacquer and the story of lacquer's return, relief with the fluted front, and simplicity with the kitchen without wall units. The full summary: 2026 kitchens according to the leading magazines.
7. Jacamar LACCA: the curved lacquered front
Jacamar LACCA is our answer to the trend for curves: a convex front milled from the solid, matt lacquered, with an integrated oval handle, to IKEA Method and PAX dimensions. Launching at the end of October 2026, already available on quotation. The whole story: LACCA, the curved lacquered front by Jacamar. And to combine it with our oaks: pairing lacquer and wood in the same kitchen.
8. Fitting: within everyone's reach
Our fronts arrive pre-drilled at the standard positions for Utrusta hinges. Fitting a door takes two minutes, a complete kitchen half a day. The full step by step: Fitting Method fronts yourself. The exhaustive compatibility list: all compatible Method cabinets. And for the wardrobe: PAX fronts in natural oak.
9. The Jacamar ordering process
Send your IKEA plan or your list of cabinets to contact@jacamar.fr: we prepare a quote, front by front, within 48 hours. How it works: using the IKEA planner to order. Production takes 6 to 8 weeks in our Transylvanian workshop, then delivery anywhere in France in one week on average, kerbside and by appointment.
In summary
Keep your IKEA cabinets. Invest in what you see: fronts in genuine oak from the Carpathians, or Jacamar LACCA for a sculptural gesture. Decide on a sample. And allow 6 to 8 weeks for production, plus one week for delivery on average, between your decision and your new kitchen.
Key points
Keep the Method cabinets, change only what you see and touch.
Four lines decide everything: core, facing, edges, finish.
Fronts budget for 3 to 4 metres: €1,200 to €2,000 incl. VAT.
Take your measurements cabinet by cabinet before asking for a quote.
What the approach in this guide produces: original IKEA cabinets, with framed dark oak veneer fronts from our workshop.
Luc Deniel, founder of Jacamar
