My IKEA Kitchen Hack: I Hid a 32-lb Berkel Meat Slicer and a Smeg Mixer Inside the Cabinets

When I was designing this kitchen, I had one rule: no appliances on the countertops. I wanted a clean, modern kitchen where everything is still easy to reach. No digging in cabinets, no dragging heavy machines across the counter, and no lifting a 32-pound meat slicer every time we want prosciutto.

That was a problem, because two appliances had to be in this kitchen: a red Berkel Home Line 250 Plus slicer and a red Smeg stand mixer. I bought both long before the kitchen was finished. So instead of designing the kitchen around the appliances, I designed the cabinets around them. This is my IKEA mixer lift build: two Rev-A-Shelf heavy-duty soft-close appliance lifts inside IKEA SEKTION base cabinets. Pull the handle, the appliance comes up and locks. Squeeze the releases, it glides back down.

Below is my full IKEA mixer lift build: real measurements, bracket positions, shelf sizes, spring settings, the storage I added under each lift, and what I would do differently. No showroom tricks, no sponsored makeover. Just another hack I designed and installed in my own kitchen.

My Exact IKEA Cabinet and Appliance Measurements

This is the first thing most people ask: will it fit my cabinet, and will my appliance fit on the shelf. Here is everything I measured on my build.

	Slicer cabinet	Mixer cabinet
IKEA SEKTION base cabinet	24 W x 24 D x 30 H in (island)	18 W x 24 D x 30 H in (wall run)
Inside width	about 22 1/2 in	about 16 1/2 in
Inside depth	about 23 in	about 23 in
Inside height	about 29 1/4 in	about 29 1/4 in
Appliance	Berkel Home Line 250 Plus, about 32 lb	Smeg stand mixer, about 17 lb
Bracket, top of cabinet to top of bracket	4 1/4 in	4 1/4 in
Bracket, cabinet floor to top of bracket	about 25 in	about 25 in
Bracket setback from cabinet front	about 2 mm	about 2 mm
Shelf (wide x deep)	19 1/2 x 20 3/8 in	13 x 20 in
Spring setting	Heavy (30–60 lb)	Middle (factory)
Screws per side bracket	10 (5 on each side)	8
Pull-out organizer under the lift	17 W x 21 D in	14 W x 21 D in

The one number to remember: on a 24-inch-wide, 30-inch-high IKEA SEKTION base cabinet, I set the top of each Rev-A-Shelf side bracket 4 1/4 inches below the cabinet top and about 2 mm behind the front edge.

Why I Wanted Hidden Appliances in My IKEA Kitchen

If you have followed my IKEA SEKTION kitchen series, you know I designed this kitchen long before I built it. I plan ahead, I research ahead and I buy ahead. The core idea of the whole kitchen is simple: everything comes out to you. Drawers, trays, shelves, and now appliances.

A slicer and a stand mixer are the worst offenders. They are heavy, they are awkward, and if you leave them on the counter they own it. On a lift, the appliance lives inside the cabinet, plugged in, and comes up to working height when you need it.

Why the Berkel Home Line 250 Plus

We fell for Berkel when we traveled to Europe. You see these slicers everywhere over there, in delis, in restaurants, in homes. Mine is the Home Line 250 Plus in red, and that red reminds me of a Ferrari in Rosso Mugello. It is made in Italy, it slices like a professional machine, and it looks like a piece of art. We do not use it every day, but every time we do, we enjoy it.

I chose the 250 because it is one of the smallest slicers Berkel makes, and size was the whole problem. The inside depth of a SEKTION base cabinet is about 23 inches. By my tape, the Berkel is about 21.7 inches long. That leaves roughly half an inch in front and half an inch behind.

The mixer is a Smeg stand mixer, also red. Not the exact same red, but close enough, and we already had other Smeg appliances. In concept it is the same as a KitchenAid or any other tilt-head stand mixer.

Which Rev-A-Shelf Appliance Lift I Used

After a lot of research the best candidate was the Rev-A-Shelf heavy-duty mixer lift. Most people call it a mixer lift, but it is a heavy-gauge steel appliance lift and it is not only for mixers. I bought two identical units (on Amazon), both the soft-close version. It has a damper on each side, like small shocks, so when you release the lift from the top it does not drop. It slows down and glides back into the cabinet.

Spec	Rev-A-Shelf RAS-ML-HDSC
Weight capacity	60 lb
Spring settings	3: about 0–20 lb, 20–30 lb, 30–60 lb
Cabinet	Full-height base, no drawer, 24 in deep
Minimum opening	About 12 in wide. Retailer listings differ on the exact figure, so check your unit’s instructions
Shelf	Not included. Minimum 3/4 in thick x 20 in deep
Mounting screws	#10 x 3/4 in for the sides, #8 x 1/2 in for the shelf
Soft-close	Yes, damper on each side

Will a Rev-A-Shelf Mixer Lift Fit IKEA SEKTION Cabinets?

Yes, with the right box. The lift needs a full-height base cabinet, no drawer above it, and a 24-inch depth. A door-only SEKTION base cabinet is exactly that. I put the slicer in a 24-inch-wide cabinet in the island and the mixer in an 18-inch-wide cabinet on the wall run across the aisle.

SEKTION is frameless, so the lift screws directly into the cabinet sides with no face frame in the way. Those sides are 3/4-inch particleboard, not solid wood, which is why I pre-drilled and used more screws than strictly needed. More on that below.

If you are still at the planning stage, my free kitchen planner is where I would block out the lift cabinets first.

Installing the Appliance Lift in My 24-Inch IKEA Cabinet

I installed both lifts before the countertops went on, because I was waiting on the fabricator anyway. Most people add a lift to a kitchen that already has its countertop, and that works too. Everything goes in through the door opening. You just lose the view from above, so plan on working from your knees with a flashlight and checking square from the front. I started with the slicer because it was the harder one: wide, long, and very little play on either side, so everything has to be square.

I had a second goal. The lift sits in the upper part of the cabinet, and below it there is space left over. I wanted to keep as much of that bottom space as possible. No dead space at the top, no dead space at the bottom.

Bracket height

The top of each side bracket is 4 1/4 inches below the top of the cabinet. With about 29 1/4 inches of inside height, that puts it about 25 inches above the cabinet floor. That is my reference, not a rule. But if you are putting a Berkel like mine on this lift, this height worked, and I tried more than one.

Setback from the front

I mounted the brackets almost flush with the front of the cabinet, about 2 mm back. That gives the Berkel enough clearance to travel in and out, and it still leaves room at the bottom for the slide-out tray.

The lift comes as two pre-assembled sides, left and right, with the dampers already installed. There is a template and instructions. I followed them, but my appliance is bigger than the average mixer, so I adjusted the position to suit it.

The Berkel is about 32 pounds and the lift is rated for 60, so it is within range. I did not take chances with particleboard. Each side bracket on the slicer lift has five screws on each side, ten per bracket, twenty in total. I pre-drilled every hole a little so the screws bite cleanly without splitting the board, then drove them by hand. One side in, then the other.

Making the Custom Shelf for My Berkel Slicer

This surprises people. The lift is only the mechanism. The shelf is yours to make.

With both brackets in, I measured between them. My slicer shelf is 19 1/2 inches wide by 20 3/8 inches deep. Rev-A-Shelf calls for 3/4-inch material, and you can go to 1 inch.

I used leftover IKEA panels from the build, plain white, 3/4 inch, cut on the table saw. It works. What I do not like is that the two cut sides are raw. The front edge is finished, the left and right edges are not. Nobody sees them when the lift is down. When it is up, they do.

If I did it again, I would order a properly finished 3/4-inch panel with all four edges banded. Home Depot or any cabinet shop will cut one. I thought about a quartz offcut to match the countertop, but stone is heavy. A quartz shelf this size can weigh 20 to 25 pounds, and with a 32-pound slicer on top that pushes right up against the 60-pound rating. Keep the shelf light.

The shelf mounts to the lift with 1/2-inch screws, so they cannot come through the top. With no countertop on yet, I dropped the shelf in from above and slid it until I had even space front and back. With a countertop already on, raise the lift so the arms swing out of the cabinet, set the shelf on them from the front and screw it on there. Same result, a little more patience.

Adjusting Spring Tension and Testing the Lift

The lift has three weight settings: light, middle and heavy. It comes from the factory set to the middle one, good for up to about 30 pounds. The heavy setting covers 30 to 60 pounds. At about 32 pounds, the Berkel needed it. I removed the set bolt and moved it to position three. You have to hold the spring pressure with one hand while you put the bolt back with the other. Not difficult, but do it carefully, and do it before the appliance is on the shelf.

Lift, lock, release

I mounted the pull handle on the front underside of the shelf. Grab the handle and pull up. The lift rises and locks at the top with a click. Make sure both sides click. Sometimes one side clicks and the other does not. A small wiggle and both lock. Once locked, the lift is held mechanically, not by the springs, and you can slice, mix or knead.

To lower it, there are two release levers under the shelf, one left, one right. Pull both at the same time and the hooks unlatch. The first time I did it with the slicer on, I expected 32 pounds of Italian steel to drop through the cabinet. It did not. The dampers slow it down and it settles at the bottom. Friends ask me to show them every time.

Neither appliance is fastened to its shelf. They are heavy and sit on rubber feet, and in daily use nothing has shifted.

My overnight dog food test

The box says 60 pounds. I wanted to see it for myself, so I loaded the lift with two trays of heavy dog food, locked it at the top and left it overnight. In the morning I wiggled it and shook it. Solid, nothing released, nothing sagged. It is not an engineering test and it does not replace the manufacturer’s rating, but it told me what I wanted to know. When we slice or mix now, nothing wobbles.

Installing the Second Lift for My Smeg Mixer

Across the aisle, the second lift went into the 18-inch SEKTION cabinet for the Smeg. Same mechanism, same process, left side, right side. The cabinet is not 18 inches inside. The true inside width is about 16 1/2 inches, which is plenty for this lift.

• Inside height: about 29 1/4 inches, cabinet floor to top.
• Bracket height: 4 1/4 inches from the top of the cabinet to the top of the bracket, the same as the slicer. About 25 inches up from the cabinet floor.
• Screws: eight per side bracket, sixteen in total.
• Shelf: about 13 inches wide by 20 inches deep, same white 3/4-inch IKEA panel, same raw side edges.
• Spring: factory middle setting. I never touched it.

Same thinking as the slicer cabinet: mount it as high as the appliance allows so the space below is still useful.

Bonus Storage: Pull-Out Wire Baskets Under Both Lifts

With the lift mounted high, there were 5 to 6 inches left at the bottom of each cabinet. Dark, low and 23 inches deep. Anything at the back of that space is lost. So each cabinet got a slide-out wire tray.

They are heavy-duty pull-out organizers from Amazon: two rails and a clip-on wire basket. The rails screw to the cabinet floor, two screws per rail. The basket clips on with no screws, so when crumbs or dust get under it, you unclip it, vacuum and clip it back.

• Slicer cabinet: HOLDN’ STORAGE heavy-duty pull-out cabinet organizer, 17 inches wide x 21 inches deep
• Mixer cabinet: LYNK PROFESSIONAL pull-out cabinet organizer, 14 inches wide x 21 inches deep

We keep canned goods there: tomatoes, vegetables, small cans. Tall items will hit the lift on the way down, so keep it to average-height cans. The tray pulls out about 60 percent of the way, so everything comes to you, the same idea as the pull-down shelves and vertical pull-outs elsewhere in this kitchen.

My trick for installing slide-out trays

1. Assemble the whole unit first: both rails plus the wire basket clipped on.
2. Set it in the cabinet and center it. Check the gap at the front, at the sides and to the lift above.
3. Through the wire mesh, mark the four screw holes on the cabinet floor with a pencil or marker.
4. Lift it out, pre-drill a little at each mark.
5. Screw each rail down on its own, then clip the basket back on.

Marking through the mesh is the part that saves time. No guessing, no second holes.

Power, Lighting and Appliance Accessories

The slicer cabinet has its own outlets behind the appliance. One is dedicated to the Berkel, which stays plugged in permanently. Pull the handle, lock it, switch it on, slice. The same cabinet works as a small electrical hub for LED controllers in that part of the kitchen.

If you put an outlet inside a cabinet for an appliance, make it GFCI-protected. All of ours are, including the one in the next cabinet over for our GROHE Blue sparkling water system. Under the 2023 National Electrical Code, GFCI protection extends to kitchen receptacles beyond the countertop, but local adoption varies. Check with your inspector or a licensed electrician.

Like every cabinet in this kitchen, both of these have an IKEA interior LED light at the top. Open the door, the light comes on. Throughout the kitchen I used a lot of the IKEA MITTLED LED kitchen drawer light with sensor. It comes in many sizes to fit different cabinet widths and drawers, and it is easy to install. A cabinet you can see into is a cabinet you actually use.

My System for Organized Cabinet Interiors: Everything Next to Its Appliance

This is my own system for keeping the inside of kitchen cabinets organized and efficient, and it matters more than it looks. The rule: everything an appliance needs is stored right next to that appliance. Accessories, manuals, small parts, the cleaning rag. Each appliance has its own dedicated storage, so nothing lives in a drawer across the kitchen and nobody goes looking. Here is how I set it up:

• Inner doors, for the essentials you grab: an IKEA SUNNERSTA container (503.037.35, white) or a glue-on hook. SUNNERSTA is made to hang on a rail by its bent plastic lip. My hack: I soften that lip with a heat gun, straighten it a little and drill a hole, so the container screws flat to the inside of a door, a cabinet wall, anywhere I need it. On the slicer door, one small 3/8-inch screw holds it, so nothing comes through the front. It holds small accessories and the rag I use to wipe down the slicer. The Berkel apron hangs on a glue-on hook next to it.
• Back wall, for manuals and small parts: an IKEA wall holder with grommets (article 005.419.61), held with two screws. The back wall behind a lift is dead space otherwise. Now it keeps the manuals, the lift instructions, the pouring shield and the small parts right next to the appliance they belong to.
• Side wall, for attachments: two long screws in the inner side wall of the mixer cabinet. The mixer attachments hang on them, ready to grab the moment the mixer comes up.
• Blade extractor: stands upright in the upper back corner in a Joseph Joseph CupboardStore under-shelf organizer. It is made to hang under a shelf. I drilled four 3/8-inch holes and screwed it vertically to the cabinet wall, the same hack I used beside the bins in my pull-out trash cabinet. It takes no usable space and nothing touches the extractor.

Tip: this works in any cabinet, not only behind a lift. I use SUNNERSTA containers and glue-on hooks all over the kitchen, on the inside of doors and cabinet walls, for the small things you want within reach. Pick the appliance, then give everything it needs a spot inside the same cabinet. I used the same approach under the sink, with SUNNERSTA containers and the cabinet doors working as extra storage: see how I organized my under-sink kitchen cabinet.

Berkel accessories: what came in the box and what I added

• Blade extractor. It came with the slicer, and it is the number one accessory. You cannot clean the blade properly without it.
• Cutting board. Not included with mine, so I bought the Berkel wood and steel presenting board.
• Berkel factory cover, red with embroidery, to match the slicer.
• Berkel apron, embroidered.

One habit worth stealing: we lay butcher paper or parchment on the cutting board under the slicer. Fatty meats and soft cheeses fall onto the paper instead of the board, and cleanup takes a minute.

What I Would Do Differently

Only one thing: finished shelves. I would order a 3/4-inch panel with all four edges banded instead of cutting leftover panel with raw edges. Skip stone, because it eats into the lift’s weight rating. Everything else I would do exactly the same way.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the easier upgrades in the kitchen, and one of the ones people remember. The lift arrives pre-assembled, you mount two sides and make a shelf. The care goes into the measuring and the fastening: SEKTION boxes are particleboard, so pre-drill, use the full screw count and follow the lift instructions.

Use 1/2-inch screws for the shelf so nothing pokes through the top. I used ten screws per side bracket on the slicer lift and eight on the mixer lift. And make the shelf look finished. For more hidden storage in this kitchen, start with the full IKEA kitchen hack overview or browse the rest of my IKEA hacks.

That is my IKEA mixer lift setup: a Berkel slicer and a Smeg mixer on appliance lifts in SEKTION cabinets. Good luck with your project.

IKEA Mixer Lift FAQ

Related Builds

• DIY IKEA Kitchen Hack — the Blum automation and the overview of these appliance lifts
• IKEA Pull-Down Cabinet Shelf Hack — upper cabinets that come down to you
• IKEA SEKTION Vertical Storage — pull-outs for cutting boards, baking sheets and pans
• IKEA Drawer Organizer Hack — Blum ORGA-LINE in 36-inch MAXIMERA drawers
• GROHE Blue Review — the sparkling water system in the next cabinet
• IKEA Pull-Out Trash Cabinet Hack — Blum/UTRUSTA SERVO-DRIVE
• Every appliance and plumbing detail in this kitchen — Miele, Wolf and Thermador
• My DIY IKEA Kitchen Build — the whole kitchen, start to finish
• How to Organize an Under-Sink Kitchen Cabinet — SUNNERSTA and door storage, same system

Tools & Materials

• Rev-A-Shelf heavy-duty mixer lift with soft-close (RAS-ML-HDSC), x2
• Berkel Home Line 250 Plus slicer, red
• Smeg 50’s retro stand mixer, red
• IKEA SEKTION base cabinet 24 W x 24 D x 30 H in (slicer) and 18 W x 24 D x 30 H in (mixer)
• 3/4-inch shelf panels (I used IKEA leftovers; a panel with all edges banded looks better)
• Screws for the side brackets: 10 per bracket on the slicer lift, 8 on the mixer lift (Rev-A-Shelf specifies #10 x 3/4 in)
• 1/2-inch screws for the shelf (#8 x 1/2 in)
• HOLDN’ STORAGE heavy-duty pull-out cabinet organizer, 17 W x 21 D in (slicer cabinet)
• LYNK PROFESSIONAL pull-out cabinet organizer, 14 W x 21 D in (mixer cabinet)
• IKEA interior LED cabinet lights
• GFCI-protected outlets inside the cabinets
• IKEA SUNNERSTA container, white (503.037.35), on the slicer cabinet door with a 3/8-inch screw, plus hooks for the apron
• IKEA wall holder (article 005.419.61) on the back wall of the mixer cabinet, two screws
• Joseph Joseph CupboardStore under-shelf organizer, mounted vertically for the blade extractor
• Berkel blade extractor (came with the slicer), Berkel presenting board, embroidered cover and apron
• Butcher paper or parchment
• Drill, table saw, tape measure, pencil or marker