Ikea Furniture/store

[Bella the Ball 360]

My son just told me about IKEA furniture and Ijust checked them out on line. They have some stuff that looks okay for a new spare room I am setting up as well as den furniture. I was wondering however, how servicable it is. My son is 17 and a really big kid. Is this stuff just made for size two petite people??

Also have you ever been to a store? It really intrigues me. They are opening one up in Mass in the Fall and I would like to go.

 

[MsLeFever]

IKEA is my Favorite store. I like to just go and walk thru it and think about what my dream house could look like. Much of it isn't expensive and what we have of it has held up pretty well!

 

[kejoda]

If you can wait until the store is open. I think all the furniture is on display so you can try it out. Beware the stores are huge and very crowded in the begining. Think Disney at Xmas crowds.

 

[Poohnatic]

My bedroom set (except the bed) is from Ikea, and it's been moved three times.

The kids beds are from there, we have bookshelves from there (some from a couple years ago and some DH bought when Ikea opened on Long Island in I think '92). The beds are very sturdy, the dressers fair, the bookshelves rock solid.

I think you'll be fine getting your son stuff from there. I miss having one (actually three) close by!

Suzanne

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Thanks I canot wait they are opening a store in Ma in November and my older son told me that they will probably run a sale like 50 off 250 or something like that. Now I really want to go and see the store especially in light of the fact that there are so many crowds. That kind of thing really makes me excited.

 

[Ava83]

Our home was originally done in all IKEA...(all we could afford) the dressers have the cardboard on the back and can get a bit wobbly...we replaced after this move with particle board and now they are prefect.

Our Bed rocks...no issues

our bookcase perfect

our desk we managed to mess up the keyboard drawer...but I think that was us.

All in all IKEA is a great deal...for a spare room it would be perfect.

We are getting a second one in Chicago here in two weeks.

 

[Marseeya]

We got a computer desk from them and dressers for our bedroom.

We beat the crap out of that computer desk and it lasted quite a while! The dresser set has held up nicely except for my dresser. The slider thingies that hold the drawers in place (so specific, I know) broke on three of the drawers and there was no way for me to fix it. But the other dresser and night table is still going strong.

 

[KelNottAt]

We've been satisfied with all the stuff we got at Ikea.

$99 Dresser lasted 10 years
The kitchen table we got in 1989 is still as good as new (although we now use it for the basement rec room table)
The kitchen chairs were great for about 9 years...then the paint started peeling and the spindles got loose. We still have them as spares for holiday dinners.
The "Billy" bookcases we got in 1989 are great!
The $5 breadbox I got in 1989 is my favorite kitchen item. I hope it never breaks.
DH's home office is very sturdy and good looking
And, so far so good for the occassional table I got a few years ago.

Word of advice: Don't buy from the catalog or website. Definitely see things in person first. It really matters.

 

[trappednabox]

I LOVE Ikea!!! The store is HUGE but it's always full. I have tons of stuff from Ikea and have never had a problem with any of it. They usually have really good deals the 1st week there open, especailly if you can be 1st in line. They remodeled our Ikea and when they reopened they gave the 1st person in line a room full of furniture.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They just opened one here, Frisco TX, and they gave something away can't remember. I think it was a gift certificate, $2000 maybe?
It was some girl who camped there for 7 or so days to be first.

I finally went and it is a fun store. The furniture is very "modern" style. I like it. Plain, simple nothing over the top.

 

[CheapMom]

About 1/2 the furniture in our house is from IKEA. We love the beds (1 storage bed and 1 trundle bed ) and our bathroom cabinetry and shelves. I think the IKEA dressers are pretty low quality though- not too sturdy (but they were very cheap.) Everything else from them has held up great. The stuff is as cheap as furniture from K-Mart but much nicer, more stylish and they have lots of creative storage products that you can't find anywhere else.

 

[jan/cape]

Where in MA will they be opening a store?

 

[jan/cape]

Found it. Stoughton, MA opening in November.

 

[va32h]

My kitchen table and chairs are Ikea - and they are very sturdy and have stood up to a lot of abuse. I bought them used, from a friend who had four children, and my three children haven't managed to destroy them in the two years we've had them. Best of all - it's very portable! When we moved, I just unscrewed the table top to fit it in the doorway of our new house.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

IKEA has nice things. We have lots of comforters and linens from them. And their kids stuff is great. The stores can be a madhouse though.

 

[disneysteve]

We have quite a few pieces of Ikea furniture including a chair in our sitting room, several bookcases and my daughter's loft bed. We also have numerous accessory items and doo-dads around the house like a CD rack, lamps, etc.

We love IKEA stuff. It is neatly designed, reasonably priced and extremely well made.

One word of caution. If you are planning to purchase a grouping of furniture of a particular design, buy it all at one time. IKEA has a habit of discontinuing a style or a particular finish with no notice. We bought several pieces for our sitting room. One piece was out of stock. We figured we'd come back and get it later. Well, it never came back into stock so the room is short one piece of furniture that we really wanted. Fortunately, it was not a major part of the layout.

Other than that, we highly recommend Ikea. Just don't go there on a weekend or near the holidays. Try to go mid-day during the week. Otherwise the crowds are insane.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Now I am getting really psyched about the one opening in Ma. My son travels all the way to Hartford Conn for his and it is a three hour ride both ways!! I hate that they are opening in the middle of the week. I have to work. I would love to be there early but will have to wait for the weekend.

The killer is I just found out today that they wanted to open one in an abandonded mall about 10 minutes from my home but the city would not let them because they felt the traffic would be too bad.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I think you'll be fine getting your son stuff from there. I miss having one (actually three) close by!

Suzanne

Don't worry Suzanne, I visit them often in your absence.

Kimya

 

[Aimeedyan]

I love Ikea! I've been very pleased with everything we bought, and am glad there will be one without 30 minutes of our new house when we move! They will come in handy in decorating and furnishing our new place!

We drove to Houston one weekend just for Ikea - bought a kitchen island that is solid wood and great! I polyed the top and we use it constantly day in and day out. We bought an unfinished kitchen table, I stained and polyed it, and it's beautiful. Bought 4 of their $20 painted chairs that were super easy to put together and sturdy and comfy. I bought a $30 chandalier there that is just like the ones in Pottery Barn (with the little shades) and a fraction of the cost. And then various light fixtures and art. Assembly on it all was super easy.

I got the 2006 catalog this week and am already marking pages for our new house!! Be aware that the store will be a madhouse when it opens, and on weekends. It's best to go on a weekday in the morning if you can arrange it =)

 

[disneysteve]

I hate that they are opening in the middle of the week. I have to work. I would love to be there early but will have to wait for the weekend.

You do not want to attend an Ikea opening. In fact, personally I wouldn't go anywhere near that store until at least a few weeks after it opens, especially on a weekend. Understand that there will be people literally camping out in the parking lot a couple of days before the grand opening. It is truly insane. We got a new store in Philly a year or so ago, the second in the area, and the crowd was bonkers. The store is 10 minutes from our house but we waited nearly 2 months before going over to check it out.