Custom-made IKEA BESTÅ fronts - how to change your living room without renovation

BESTÅ is one of IKEA's most popular systems - the cabinets are solid, modular, and fit well into living rooms. There's just one problem: IKEA's catalog of BESTÅ fronts has maybe 8-10 designs, and after a year in the living room, everyone recognizes that "it's from IKEA." The second problem: if the cabinet has been in the living room for 5+ years, but is still working well, replacing the entire unit is unnecessary - we only replace the fronts.

In this guide, I'll show you the difference between a custom-made BESTÅ front and a catalog one, what standard dimensions are, what our customers buy most often, and what the ordering process looks like.

BESTÅ - what kind of system it is and who it suits

BESTÅ is a modular IKEA living room furniture system: TV cabinets, chests of drawers, shelving units, display cabinets. Unlike METOD (kitchen) and PAX (wardrobe), BESTÅ is low, long, and often positioned in the direct line of sight in the living room. This is furniture that is seen, not just used.

In practice, ogony.pl customers mainly order BESTÅ fronts for three applications:

• TV cabinet - most often 1-2 segments, 60 cm wide, low, with 2-3 doors or drawers
• Living room chest of drawers - 2-3 segments, 60 cm wide, 64 or 128 cm high
• Shelving unit with sliding doors or display cabinets - less common, but a growing trend

All these applications have one common feature: the front is visible from the entire room. That's why customers who choose smooth white lacquered fronts for their kitchen usually opt for something with texture (veneer, birch plywood) or a bold color (Farrow & Ball Hague Blue, Down Pipe) for BESTÅ.

BESTÅ front dimensions - what IKEA produces in series

Standard dimensions of BESTÅ fronts (according to the current IKEA catalog):

• Small doors: 60 × 38 cm (for a low cabinet 64 cm high)
• Large doors: 60 × 64 cm (for a medium cabinet)
• Tall doors: 60 × 128 cm (for a display cabinet or shelving unit)
• Double doors: 60 × 192 cm (for a full-height display cabinet)
• Low drawers: 60 × 26 cm
• Tall drawers: 60 × 38 cm

BESTÅ cabinets come in two depths: 20 cm (shallow, for TV) or 40 cm (standard, for trinkets and equipment). The front does not depend on the depth - the same 60×64 cm front goes for both 20 and 40 cm deep cabinets.

In practice, 90% of our orders are for standard dimensions of 60 × (38 / 64 / 128) cm. Non-standard dimensions (e.g., 50 cm width after cutting the cabinet) are made without extra charge - the price is based on the same m² algorithm.

Materials - what works best for BESTÅ

In the living room, the BESTÅ front has three tasks: to match the floor, not to contrast with the sofa, and to withstand 10+ years of daily use without showing signs of wear. This leads to three materials that we recommend most often.

Matte or semi-matte lacquer

The most popular choice - 60% of our BESTÅ orders. Smooth or slightly textured surface, color from the Farrow & Ball, RAL or NCS palette. In the living room, the best performers are:

• Cornforth White, School House White - warm whites, a neutral base
• Pavilion Gray, Down Pipe - grays, a good match for a wooden floor
• Hague Blue, Stiffkey Blue - navy blue, a strong statement in a bright living room
• Studio Green, Calke Green - green, a trendy accent against white walls

Semi-matte lacquer (eggshell) has the advantage of not reflecting TV light - the image does not bounce off the fronts.

Natural veneer

Veneer is a thin slice of real wood glued onto MDF, finished with a clear polyurethane lacquer. Each front has a unique grain pattern - two identical BESTÅ cabinets with oak veneer will look different because nature never repeats a pattern. The most commonly chosen species for living rooms are:

• Natural oak - a classic, suits most interiors
• Smoked oak - a darker shade achieved by staining (not fumigation - that's a different process we don't use)
• American walnut - a warm, brown tone, a strong presence in an elegant living room

Birch plywood

Plywood - a different material than veneer. Plywood is solid, multi-layered wood, whose edge reveals the lamination layers. A plywood front has a Scandinavian, raw, "craft" character. It works well in living rooms with white walls, wooden floors, and concrete accents. The surface is finished with matte lacquer - easy to maintain.

Colors - BESTÅ bestsellers of the last 12 months

Our projects show that BESTÅ customers choose differently than kitchen customers. In the living room, the dominant choices are:

Colors are included in the price - the entire Farrow & Ball, RAL, and NCS palette without surcharges. A front sample (deducted from the production order with the SAMPLE code) allows you to see how a specific color looks on the surface in the real light of your living room.

Assembly - why BESTÅ is the simplest system to replace

BESTÅ fronts are mounted on original IKEA hinges. This means: you unscrew the old front (3-4 screws), you screw the new one into the same holes. The entire replacement for a typical TV cabinet (3 fronts) takes 30-40 minutes without a carpenter.

Importantly - IKEA hinges for BESTÅ have not changed for the last 10 years. If you have BESTÅ from 2015, our fronts fit just as well as they do for BESTÅ from 2024. The drilling standard is:

• Doors: 2 hinges, ø 35 mm holes, 13 mm deep, 96 mm from the edge
• Drawers: 4 drillings for IKEA runners, no hinges on the front

By default, we drill for original IKEA hinges. If you use a different system (e.g., you have old BLUM or Hettich hinges left over from a renovation), you order the front without drillings and drill them yourself according to your own template.

Price - how to calculate the budget for BESTÅ fronts

The price of a BESTÅ front uses the same algorithm as a kitchen: price per m² × surface area. The price depends on the material (lacquer / veneer / plywood) and is currently displayed in the configurator when selecting the product - I'm not listing it here because it changes quarterly and becomes outdated in articles.

For guidance - a typical BESTÅ TV cabinet (3 fronts 60×38 cm = 0.68 m²) has a budget of several hundred to about a thousand PLN, depending on the material. A full BESTÅ living room (3-segment chest of drawers + TV cabinet + 2 wall-mounted cabinets) has a budget of 2-4 thousand PLN instead of replacing the entire furniture for 8-15 thousand.

If you want to see real quotes, check out 4 examples of quotes for typical IKEA orders - there we show specific budget ranges for various configurations.

FAQ - frequently asked questions about BESTÅ fronts

Do custom-made BESTÅ fronts fit older IKEA models (pre-2014)? Yes - the BESTÅ system has maintained dimension compatibility for over a dozen years. Standard dimensions of 60 × (38 / 64 / 128) cm are the same. If you have doubts, measure the front you are removing - we produce exactly to the specified dimension.

Can I order a mix - some fronts lacquered, some veneered? Yes, this is a common choice for customers. Example: a TV cabinet in oak veneer (character, texture), wall-mounted cabinets above the TV in white lacquer (lightness). We do it in one order, with a single lead time of 7 weeks.

How do I tell if my furniture is BESTÅ or another IKEA system? BESTÅ has characteristic cabinets in three depths: 20 cm (TV), 40 cm (full). Widths are 60 or 120 cm. If you have the assembly instructions - the system name is on the first page. If not - send a photo to kontakt@ogony.pl, and we will help identify it.

Are BESTÅ fronts available with soft-closing? Soft-close depends on IKEA hinges, not the front. Original IKEA hinges for BESTÅ have built-in dampers. Our fronts fit these hinges - so yes, soft-close works after replacement. If the hinges are old and without dampers, you only replace the hinges (a few zlotys at IKEA), not the entire system.

How long does it take to fulfill an order? Typically 7 weeks from acceptance of the quote and payment. Each front is produced to specific dimensions; we do not sell from stock. For larger orders (entire living room + kitchen), the lead time is the same - we do not accumulate.

Is a veneered BESTÅ front suitable for a living room with children/pets? Yes. Veneer finished with polyurethane lacquer has the same scratch and water resistance as lacquered fronts (NOT oiled - polyurethane lacquer). Minor dust marks or fingerprints can be wiped off with a damp cloth. Stains from markers or paints - similar to lacquered surfaces, meaning carefully, but in 90% of cases, they can be removed.

Do you also make side panels and plinths for BESTÅ? Yes. Standard dimensions for a BESTÅ side panel are 20 × 38 cm (for a low cabinet 20 cm deep) or 40 × 38 cm (for a deep one). If you are building a full-wall unit with BESTÅ, we also make tall panels 192 cm and cover strips. All in the same material and color as the fronts.

Can I see a front sample first before ordering the whole set? Yes, and we recommend it. A front sample (deducted from the production order with the SAMPLE code) has the real finish, color, and texture - you can take it to the living room, place it next to your BESTÅ, and check how the specific color reacts to natural and artificial light.