IKEA Door Hacker Semihandmade Will Offer Cabinet Boxes

Monrovia, CA – Semihandmade, which made its mark producing trending and high-end custom cabinet doors to fit a standard catalog of IKEA cabinet boxes, now plans to sell the boxes as well. It will soon launch a new business (working name, BOXi) to sell the boxes directly to consumers.

Founded by John McDonald (below), Semihandmade launched in 2011 with the goal of using IKEA cabinets as a base for handmade craftsmanship at a competitive price. In 2018 and 2019 it launched its own lines with designer Sarah Sherman Samuel. 

Semihandmade grew to over 60 employees and opened showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Palm Springs, and Chicago. The company ranked among Inc. Magazine‘s 2000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. every year since 2015, and shipped over 5,000 IKEA projects in 2019. 

McDonald has built interest in BOXi among designers and retailers, offering backgrounder interviews to Business of Home and Modern Retailing. Even Men’s Journal did a story, reporting that Semihandmade reached $14.5M in sale in 2019. 

About 10% of IKEA customers opt for custom doors, according to one estimate. Semihandmade customers either have a designer, architect, or use the IKEA system to originate their kitchen design. Semihandmade also works directly with customers for design, often using Zoom. With BOXi, the customers will receive a 3D camera to help them get precise measurements on their space as they initiate their projects. 

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