Tell me about Ikea please

[Purseval]

The furniture is kind of cheap but they are absolute geniuses when it comes to furnishing small spaces. I go there just to see how much stuff they can squeeze into 600 square feet.

 

[mombare]

We live in a very old house with no closets and absolutely no storage, so IKEA has been a savior for us! Both of my children have loft style beds that were found for a wonderful price in the "AS IS" section. They were originally designed for dorms, but my carpenter husband just cut the legs off to make them more kid-friendly. They also have 2-door closet-thingy's that hold all of their clothes. My daughter has a bookshelf in her room. Our bedroom has floor to ceiling closet-thingy's also - one corner unit, one smaller drawer unit and 1 larger unit. Downstairs we have a very large entertainment center from IKEA that I absolutely love. Our downstairs bathroom has a cabinet also. We have never had any problems with assembly - and everything thing we have purchased has been absolutely wonderful. We recommend IKEA to everyone we know - the only other option around here for quality products would be Amish made, and I gladly paid $500 for my entertainmnet center versus the $5000 the Amish store was asking for the same sized unit! We are actually considering getting kitchen cabinets there - wonderful price, some good qualities not seen in store-ordered cabinets (my husband is a finish carpenter/builder who installs cabinets, and he has noted several great qualities) and they would look wonderful in our limited space. I may just disappear with the children during the installation process!

As far as cribs, one of my good friends had a crib from IKEA and they never had any problems with it. I did notice how low to the ground it was, but it is probably a matter of preference. I am a bit vertically challenged, so the lower crib appealed to me. My husband, though...not so much! Our crib was a Jenny Lind crib I netted at Walmart for $10 (clearance) shortly before my daughter was born otherwise IKEA would have been a stop for us.

Good luck! I think every store/item will have people who absolutely love it and others who absolutely hate it - IKEA is one of our favorite places and we have had great luck with everything we have purchased there!

 

[CTdiznymom]

When my kids went from crib to "big girl furniture" IKEA was the way we went. They still have their white laminate dressers and they must be 15 years old at least. When they went off to college they each got the MALM platform bed frames. We just recently bought a cabinet to match. As long as you don't abuse the stuff, it works. For what you're going to pay, if you have to replace it in 5years it's worth it. I'm happy.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that the more expensive stuff tends to hold up pretty well while the cheaper stuff is just...cheaper and flimsier. We've been pleased with most of the things we've gotten and the stores are fun places to shop. The free breakfast is nice too.

Interesting the comment about the owner being a tightwad. In Houston we once had a store with a similar concept named Stor. Ikea sued them for copyright infringement and won and took over the Stor facilities. I will say that Stor's quality and prices were far better.

 

[ckoncurat]

I have a sofabed, side tables, pong chair and arm chair that have lasted for 15 years. Still in great shape. We bought a wardrobe and trundle bed last year and they also seem very strudy. The dressers we bought all fell apart within five years however. The drawers were too flimsy. I LOVE the kids cups and plates, and I love going to ikea for fun- just to put the kids in the playplace and have a supercheap family meal in the restaurant. I would suggest buying furniture that is on the higher end of their price range, and avoiding dressers.

 

[dex08]

IMHO, some Ikea things are fantastic and last a long time and then some things are poorly made and totally not worth it.

I have had a 'wall' of Billy bookcases for about 7 years and they have warped, but I have moved with them twice so they weren't attached to the same wall all this time.

I have an Effectiv desk in my home office (and I work from home) and it's been fantastic! I have taken it apart and put it back together multiple times from moving homes as well as moving it up/down stairs to different room.

I love my Poang chair with the footstool and we plan to put this in our baby nursery instead of buying another rocker.

I have in the past bought pillows at Ikea and never again. They go totally flat quite quickly.

The stuff they have downstairs in their housewares department are good. I have several airtight storage jars that have lasted years.

 

[EvanMaddieMouse]

We have the corner sofa with ottoman, hidden drawer underneath, and pull-out bed, in the living room. We got it last September, and so far it's held up great. It has the removable slip covers (a pain, but what relief when DD spilled milk on the couch and didn't say anything! I found out by the horrible smell) and the pull-out bed has already been used probably 25 times (DS has friends over a lot, and my nephew stays here as well). It wasn't any more than $1200 or so complete.

DH got the leather piece-together unit for his sofa (in his man-cave, lol) and it's really comfortable as well. I found a tall floor lamp, all metal, black, with the little switch you touch to turn on/up/off. I love it. I also have some plants from there which are doing quite well despite the fact that I always forget to water them.

I'm glad to get the input about the dressers---that's been something I've been thinking about since DD needs more storage. Maybe I'll just go look at Target!

 

[dex08]

Oh.. I forgot... I have an Ikea dresser too! And while it was functional when I got it 10 years ago, the drawers began to give me fits!! They assemble by using these screws and round thingys whereas you stick the screw with a big head into the side and then the front of the drawer attaches by sticking the big head into the section that has the round thingy. You take a screwdriver and twist the round thingy and it's supposed to stay together.

Every month I would have to tighten the round thingys. Finally I got tired of doing that and took wood glue and just glued it together.


As for a crib... I personally am not even considering an Ikea crib as I'm concerned about safety.

Also, Ikea frequently has recalled items due to safety hazards.

 

[tzolkin]

We recently added three new bedrooms to our house, so each of our kids have their own room and converted the existing bedrooms into a large common room and bathroom for them. DH decided that since he was putting so much effort into the rooms that they needed to have new furniture that all coordinated.

So, two trips to Ikea (which is almost 5 hours away) and the new rooms really look wonderful and have plenty of storage. We went the first time with our van "just to look" and bought a few items. We had the rooms all planned out, but wanted to look at the furniture in person before deciding on anything. The next trip we borrowed a moving-type truck from my dad's work and bought the rest of the furniture.

We bought 6 expedit bookcases (various sizes), 2 malm dressers, 2 odda storage beds, 1 odda tall bed, 2 odda large wardrobes, 1 ramberg wardrobe, 1 odda storage chest, 1 odda shelf/cabinet, 1 lack bookcase, 1 lack zigzag shelf, 3 hanging chairs, 2 foam mattresses, and a tv table. There were some items that we decided against when we saw them because they didn't look like they would hold up, so you will just have to use your own judgment.

I was actually surprised at how easily the items went together and they all seem sturdy. My kids are 10, 5, and 3 and they haven't broken anything yet.

 

[PA Princess]

We are IKEA fans here! We have owned numerous pieces over the years and in general they have held up well and served us well. We have found the pieces work really well in kid rooms.

One thing I have observed in others who have not had luck with IKEA, that it can be an assembly issue. My dh is very well equipped to deal with all furniture assembly issues and our pieces have always been sturdy. I know he does not use the allen wrench piece included, but has a special bit on his drill he uses - makes a huge difference.

I notice in these responses that families who are praising IKEA have handy husbands - carpenter, room builder, etc.

We built a new home and moved in this summer and we bought a truck load of stuff from IKEA. Funny think is that no one ever guesses it is IKEA stuff because we have it interspersed with more expensive pieces all around the house. In fact, I think only our master bedroom has no IKEA pieces at this point!

 

[Mickey527]

<<I notice in these responses that families who are praising IKEA have handy husbands - carpenter, room builder, etc.
Just joking but I resent that!!!
I have the Mikael Desk that I put together about 8 years ago. My son has a MALM dresser and we have the small footstool in the kitchen. A few Billy bookcases here and there throughout the house. Some of the furniture is pressboard with laminate but I don't put heavy stuff on those. I put my heavier stuff on the bottom shelf of my Billy's and lighter books and vases etc on the top shelves so they don't warp.
I love IKEA and always have said when I get my place in FL I am buying IKEA furniture. It holds up well and is inexpensive.
I have a living room set that I have had since 1991. It was beautiful back then but I HATE it now. But I paid over $3,000 for it so I am not getting rid of it. I wish I had IKEA near me back then, I would have been able to buy a #400 couch and when I got sick of it I could cover it or toss it out.
I also have lots of furniture from "reputable" places that seen better days. I had to replace all the shelves in my medicine cabinet that I bought from Home Depot because they bent so much. But I do remember I paid alot for it, somewhere in the $300 range for something that would match my cabinet in the bathroom.

 

[phred52]

my whole family loves IKEA. Closest one to us actually is in Canada, but we normally hit the one in Pittsburgh (had issues with customs once). We always include lunch there...gotta love those sweedish meatballs and logenberry!

 

[sherry7]

Request for help please!

After pouring through the catalog this morning, I'm really eyeing up the Trofast toy storage system. Does anyone have the "stair step" portion of this in the solid pine? If so, could you possibly measure the lowest step and tell me how high it is (top to bottom)? I am trying to figure out whether this would work around a window in the room, but the website only has the overall dimensions, instead of the dimensions for each step.

This is the one I'm referring to: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80063673

Thanks for any help.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I have the expedit bookshelf (about $80) to hold toys, and so does several friends of mine. Just put it horizontal and not vertical. I got baskets at Home Goods for it and it has held up awesome and looks nice in my family room.

I had an Ikea nightstand in college that survived 4 years, now Dad is using it in his home office 15 years later and it is fine.

We got 2 inexpensive rugs to cover a high traffic area in the house and they have held up perfect.

DD has a play tent that is still standing strong after 3 years.

We got my MIL a very small cafe table and 2 chairs for her kitchen, the chairs do need to be tighten-up periodically.

 

[sherry7]

I have the expedit bookshelf (about $80) to hold toys, and so does several friends of mine. Just put it horizontal and not vertical. I got baskets at Home Goods for it and it has held up awesome and looks nice in my family room.

I had an Ikea nightstand in college that survived 4 years, now Dad is using it in his home office 15 years later and it is fine.

We got 2 inexpensive rugs to cover a high traffic area in the house and they have held up perfect.

DD has a play tent that is still standing strong after 3 years.

We got my MIL a very small cafe table and 2 chairs for her kitchen, the chairs do need to be tighten-up periodically.

I saw the Expedit bookcases when I was there. Those are so cool looking!

 

[dex08]

FYI... just received emails today about new lower prices at Ikea for several items.

Here's the link
http://info.ikea-usa.com/newlowerprices/

 

[sorcerormickey]

I kind of resent the comment about having a handy husband to put this stuff together. My BF couldn't FIND a hammer in my toolbox if he tried! He has no clue about building/handywork - I am the handygirl of the house, I can do pretty much anything.

On a lighter note, We LOVE IKEA!!!!!!! We go there literally every week - it is our weekly date. We don't buy something every week, but we love to look around.

Earlier this year, we furnished my BF's den/tv room fully in IKEA. 2 walls are full of BESTA bookcases and a flat-panel TV unit (all assembled by me). There is also a couch (the most comfortable thing EVER for napping!) and a DETOLF glass case. Oh, and 2 of those $7.99 tables.

We also have miscellaneous smaller stuff around the house as well and their batteries are great! I have been drooling over a desk they have, but it is $299 and not in the budget nor a necessity right now.

 

[Planogirl]

My husband barely knows which end of a hammer to hold! OK, he's not that bad but he's no Tim "the Tooleman" Taylor.

 

[sherry7]

My husband barely knows which end of a hammer to hold! OK, he's not that bad but he's no Tim "the Tooleman" Taylor.

Ha ha! Are we married to the same guy?

 

[Lucille1963]

I enjoy stopping by Ikea every so often but I'm not totally sold on their quality. Friends who have purchased dressers have had them fall apart within a couple of years and I have seen some armoires that were never quite right once they were moved. You couldn't pay me to buy the glassware. We had a large set of glasses years ago and I ended up throwing 1/2 of them away. The first half broke so easily I deemed them a safety hazard.

I have some sheets that I purchased on clearance. After one night my husband (who isn't fussy) asked why our sheets were so scratchy.

I know you shouldn't expect things to last forever at those prices, but I just hate the idea of disposable anything. Especially something that SHOULD last.

In nearly every instance, I think you could do better in quality and price by seeking out a good piece of used/vintage/antique furniture. Heck, seek out the piece Ikea copied to begin with!