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Plykea in London: Stylish Plywood Cabinet Fronts and Worktops for Ikea Kitchens

A new entry in the Ikea cabinet-front hack category: London company Plykea. Founded by Tim Diacon, a digital product designer, and Adam Vergette, a furniture designer and Vitsoe alum, Plykea offers good-looking premium grade FSC-certified birch ply cabinet fronts that can be faced in either birch, oak, or walnut as well as three choices of cabinet pulls.

“While I was renovating my house, I was looking for a quick way to create a beautiful kitchen on a limited budget,” Tim writes on the Plykea website. “Having previously installed an IKEA kitchen I knew their cabinets were great quality, but I loved the look of birch ply and wanted to use this for the fronts. I looked around online for a company that could make a bespoke set of fronts but found the process was either incredibly clunky, lacked the material choice I desired, or was far too expensive for my budget, at that point I turned to my friend Adam.”

“Adam knew how to manufacture the fronts to ensure a perfect fit with a finish capable of withstanding our toddler, that didn’t cost a fortune. As thanks for helping me achieve the kitchen of my dreams, I took Adam for a beer, over which we hatched a plan.”

The Plykea line is currently only available in the UK, but the duo hopes to launch in San Francisco and ship across the US soon. Here’s a look.

“We finish each item with two coats of Osmo clear hard wax oil, which creates a water-resistant protective barrier on the wood while retaining its beautiful natural appearance,” according to Tim and Adam. “Treated well this finish should last 10 years and the finish can simply be reapplied over the top without any need to sand back when it is ready for a bit of TLC.”
Above: “We finish each item with two coats of Osmo clear hard wax oil, which creates a water-resistant protective barrier on the wood while retaining its beautiful natural appearance,” according to Tim and Adam. “Treated well this finish should last 10 years and the finish can simply be reapplied over the top without any need to sand back when it is ready for a bit of TLC.”
The system is compatible with Ikea’s Metod kitchen cupboards.
Above: The system is compatible with Ikea’s Metod kitchen cupboards.
Plykea offers three different handle types, including the brass pull shown here, which is finished with matte clear lacquer. They also furnish Formica worktops made from FSC certified birch ply.
Above: Plykea offers three different handle types, including the brass pull shown here, which is finished with matte clear lacquer. They also furnish Formica worktops made from FSC certified birch ply.
Plykea also offers Formica-faced plywood fronts; shown here with a cutout grab handle and spacer panels, which “give the aesthetic of a bespoke manufactured cabinet carcass for a fraction of the cost.”
Above: Plykea also offers Formica-faced plywood fronts; shown here with a cutout grab handle and spacer panels, which “give the aesthetic of a bespoke manufactured cabinet carcass for a fraction of the cost.”

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