Chicago kitchens come in a few familiar shapes: the long kitchen at the back of a brick bungalow, the matching kitchens stacked in a two-flat, and the galley in a lakefront high-rise. About 80,000 bungalows went up in an arc around the city by the Great Depression, and many of them now hold IKEA cabinets.

Both Chicago-area IKEA stores are in the suburbs. IKEA Schaumburg is the usual trip from the North and Northwest Sides, Evanston and the O’Hare suburbs. IKEA Bolingbrook suits the Southwest Side, Oak Lawn and the I-55 corridor, and its page promotes a new kitchen design studio. IKEA has also announced a smaller store at Gurnee Mills for Lake County. If you don’t drive, IKEA lists pick-up points in the city at UIC, Loyola and the University of Chicago for online orders.

The doors are where a Chicago kitchen can look like it belongs to the house. Custom fronts in a quarter-sawn oak or a deep painted green suit a Portage Park bungalow far better than gloss white. A local refacer can measure and install. Or you can order custom doors for IKEA cabinets from a maker who builds to your plan and ships them ready to hang.

In a two-flat, refacing an IKEA kitchen on each floor at the same time keeps the units consistent and means one measuring visit instead of two.

Updated November 6, 2026 · Sources

IKEA's US store list shows full stores in Schaumburg and Bolingbrook and pick-up points in Chicago at Loyola University, the UIC Bookstore and the University of Chicago, and a pick-up point at Gurnee Mills. ikea.com checked November 6, 2026
IKEA Bolingbrook, at 750 E Boughton Road, promotes a new kitchen design studio and kitchen planning appointments. ikea.com checked November 6, 2026
IKEA U.S. announced in February 2026 that a new store at Gurnee Mills in the Chicago area is planned for 2026. ikea.com checked November 6, 2026
The Chicago Architecture Center says some 80,000 Chicago bungalows stood in an arc around the city, the Bungalow Belt, by the Great Depression. architecture.org checked November 6, 2026

Questions about custom IKEA doors and fronts in Chicago

Schaumburg or Bolingbrook: which IKEA is better for a Chicago kitchen?

Whichever is easier to reach. Both are full stores with kitchen services. Schaumburg is closer for the North and Northwest Sides; Bolingbrook is closer for the Southwest Side and southwest suburbs. You can plan online, book an appointment at either and have cabinets delivered, so the drive matters most if you want to see door samples in person.

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We own a two-flat. Should we do both kitchens at once?

If both kitchens use IKEA cabinets, ordering together has real advantages. One maker, one finish batch and one measuring visit keep the two units consistent, and a refacer can often fit both in one trip. If the budget only stretches to one floor, record the exact door style, color code and handle so the second kitchen can match later.

Our bungalow kitchen is long and narrow. Do custom fronts work in a tight galley?

Yes, with a little planning. Choose handles or edge pulls that don’t snag in a narrow aisle, and check that doors on facing runs won’t collide when open. Ask the maker for matching cover panels at the ends of each run and a filler where cabinets meet an old plaster wall, so the kitchen looks fitted rather than flat-packed.