SUPERFRONT
This pioneering Swedish brand wants to double the lifespan of your Ikea kitchen
What do millions of British and Swedish households have in common? It’s not a joke, but a nod to the near ubiquity of the Ikea kitchen.
There is no shortage of customers for Superfront, then. Launched by married couple Monica and Mick Born in 2013, the business offers beautifully crafted yet affordable fronts and countertops to fit Ikea units, as well as the requisite knobs, handles and legs. ‘There are so many people with great taste that can’t afford really high-end design,’ says Monica. ‘And anyway – why should you pay more than you need to?’
It’s a sentiment that seems to have struck a chord with a society already reckoning with throwaway culture. Superfront has gone from strength to strength, expanding with fronts for Ikea’s bathroom units and wardrobes, as well as launching a wood collection and NCS (the 1950 Natural Colour System) options last year. Its ‘kitchen architects’ can work with existing units, or suggest tweaks to customers that arrive with a layout from Ikea’s planning service. Monica and Mick work together on every design.
The pair’s ‘light-bulb moment’ arrived in 2011. Working as advertising creatives, they were struck by the way friends had upgraded an Ikea sideboard with a new top and handles, now known as a hack. ‘That’s when the penny dropped,’ explains Monica. A few years earlier, she and Mick had approached a carpenter with designs they’d drawn after inheriting a tired Ikea kitchen. ‘ Sometimes an idea takes time to mature.’
Recognising that most people don’t have the time or confidence to approach craftspeople with their own ideas, they honed in on the accessibility factor and launched an e-commerce presence from the get go. Mick puts it best: ‘If it’s not easy enough, people won’t do it’. The concept means sustainability is built in, but the credentials are sound too: 98% of Superfront’s products are made in Sweden, and it uses water-based lacquer and FSC-certified wood.
There’s also good news if you’ve got an old kitchen. The brand still produces fronts to fit Ikea’s discontinued ‘Faktum’ system, which was replaced by the ‘Metod’ the same year Superfront launched. Customers immediately clocked the increase in quality, they say – though Mick points to the increasing demand for ‘Faktum’ fronts as evidence that more people are aware of the options.
The kitchen in their own home, an old Bauhaus property in Stockholm, is now due an upgrade. So what’s the verdict? ‘Fluted umber wood, in combination with some of our lighter lacquered colours,’ confirms Monica. Was the decision as harmonious as their design process? ‘Oh,’ says Mick, with a smile. ‘It’s always a debate.’ superfront.com