If you’re into kitchens, Ikea Edmonton has cooked up something delicious.
What was once a familiar destination for those in the market for a new dream kitchen has been completely changed, transformed into an entirely different and updated space.
Twelve new kitchens, some with a larger footprint, replace the 15 kitchens you were likely familiar with — those old kitchens, with their floor models sold off late last year, were replaced with, until recently, tarps as Ikea staff came up with and constructed a new overall layout in addition to the new cooking and dining settings.
“We’ve completely reimagined our kitchen’s area from the ground up, unveiling brand new spaces that blend Ikea’s design DNA with a flavour that’s unmistakably Edmonton,” said Kirsten Lander-Roycroft, communication specialist for Ikea Edmonton.
The new kitchens take on a global feel for 2026 with these inspiration rooms tied to how various cultures are using their cooking areas these days. You’ll find — this list is in alphabetical order, not the order you’ll find them in store — a Filipino kitchen, a Punjabi version, a Swedish one, another set up as a Workshop format (think a chef’s teaching kitchen), and a Ukrainian example, among others.
They’re primarily based off 10 mandatory kitchen settings laid out by Ikea for its Canadian stores.
“We had the freedom to put in who lives there and which ethnicities (use each kitchen),” said Lindsay Patzer, with Ikea’s Edmonton interior design team, adding that the bones or basics of these had to be shown in every Canadian store.
The Ukrainian kitchen vignette at Edmonton’s Ikea store.
Local Connections
Peer closely and you’ll see local backdrops, like the window with a Lake Summerside view — in the Punjabi kitchen — among other Edmonton touches. But these local touches go deeper than that.
There are the subtle but obvious ones as the Workshop kitchen — bright and white — is set up with cooking stations that have (fake but tempting looking) Alberta AAA steaks in place; in Ottawa’s Ikea, that kitchen has BeaverTails pastry versions instead. But Ikea staff didn’t stop there. They go even further and into more detail as, for example, the stocked pantry in the Ukrainian kitchen holds what you would actually expect to find in a pantry in someone’s Ukrainian home.
As to determining which ethnicities Ikea Edmonton decided to highlight, a number of factors came into play, said Christa Carbyn, Ikea Edmonton’s communication and interior design manager. This included taking into account greater Edmonton’s population demographics, and home visits by Ikea staff — those interested can apply online — where Ikea tours a customer’s home to see and learn how homeowners actually live.
To illustrate this, the Ukrainian kitchen inspiration room is unique to Ikea Edmonton as you won’t find this kitchen in any other Ikea Canada store; with only 10 mandatory settings for 12 inspiration rooms, staff here opted for this addition, in good part due to Edmonton being home to the largest Ukrainian population in Canada.
The Punjabi kitchen vignette at Edmonton’s Ikea store. It includes a spice kitchen, on the left.
The Main Course
So what exactly do these new kitchens look like?
Both the Punjabi and Workshop inspiration kitchens are white and dazzling, and two of the largest.
In the Punjabi version, you’re transported into a modern kitchen with an oversized island and a dining room off to one side. You would think you’re in an elegant single-family home overlooking Lake Summerside if you didn’t turn the other way to see more Ikea options and furniture all around you. This setup also includes a spice kitchen due to its popularity in south Asian homes. Cabinetry in this kitchen uses Ikea’s Axstad door in matte white.
In its white Workshop counterpart — white is the most popular kitchen cabinet door colour preference both in Edmonton and across Canada, said Leah Gamalinda-Macdonald, sales team leader, kitchen and dining, Ikea Edmonton — the cabinetry door style is Veddinge.
The Ukrainian kitchen gives a different take, going darker with a black stained colour for the cabinets (door style is Lerhyttan) and darker countertops.
The Swedish version, with input from the Ikea Edmonton’s Swedish store manager — providing input on what it means to be Swedish and what kitchen solutions such a room would have; this was also done with local input for the other kitchens, too — goes back to the Axstad door style but in a grey-green colour while the Filipino design goes with the Voxtorp door style in a high gloss dark grey-brown.
The Swedish kitchen vignette at Edmonton’s Ikea store.
Kitchen HQ
Ikea has become a trusted destination for Canadians looking to create a kitchen that’s beautifully designed, functional and affordable, according to Lander-Roycroft.
“Our strength comes from decades of studying life at home. We listen closely to Canadians’ frustrations with cramped storage, inefficient layouts and rising renovation costs, as well as their dreams of having a kitchen that truly works for the way they live,” said Lander-Roycroft. “This deep understanding informs everything we design, from flexible cabinet systems to smart interior organizers to solutions for real‑life challenges like waste sorting and bulk‑storage needs. It’s this connection to everyday life that drives our leadership in creating kitchen solutions for the many.”
Ikea Edmonton’s upper level showroom, which houses its kitchen department, is 61,400 square feet. The kitchen department takes up 9,040 sq. ft. or just a bit under 15 per cent of the space.
Since launching its current Sektion kitchen system 10 years ago, Ikea Canada has sold approximately 900,000 kitchens nationwide. Locally, it sells hundreds of kitchens per month.