Do you have anything from Ikea?

[Will Curran]

I like in Phoenix, AZ, and we are fianlly getting an Ikea November 10. So I thought it'd be kind of cool to ask, do you own anything from Ikea? If you do please include pics, and/or descriptions.

[brap]

I like in Phoenix, AZ, and we are fianlly getting an Ikea November 10. So I thought it'd be kind of cool to ask, do you own anything from Ikea? If you do please include pics, and/or descriptions.
Heh.

Yeah, I have had various pine things over the years. Pine things with stupid names, which turn out to be suitably functional, and inexpensive.

Also some nice rugs... (sorry, no photos to hand).

[scem0]

An orange chair.

A rug or two.

Some sheets.

Cheap and decent quality, so I'm happy :).

scem0

[Hoef]

Being for Europe I have consumed many Billy's but all time favorite is the Ivar. Got it when I when I did undergrad in 1990. Meanwhile moved to 3 continents, 3 states and it is still okay (unlike all my other Ikea crap)

[emw]

We have a couple of things that we've used to set up a basement "office" - a desk, chairs, and mounted cabinets. All fairly inexpensive and easy to assemble (albeit a million parts), and so far it has held up to our abuses for a couple of years at least.

It's not fantastic stuff, but for the money, it'll last and the functionality is good.

[homerjward]

An orange chair.

A rug or two.

Some sheets.

Cheap and decent quality, so I'm happy :).

scem0
which ikea do you go to? im interested in shopping there since i'll be buying a significant amount of furniture pretty soon. the nearest one i know of is in houston and that's a pata.

[scem0]

Yeah, I went to the Houston one. It's nice...

Although I've never been to another one, so I wouldn't know.

scem0

[bousozoku]

I have a couple of wood tables, a desk, a vertical shelving unit, 3 horizontal stackable shelving units, a 3 drawer chest on casters, a halogen lamp, and a few odds and ends.

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says...I have a couple of tall bookshelves that I bought around 1980. A little rough around the edges after being moved half a dozen times but they still do the job....oh yeah!

[Abstract]

Too much to list. In Canada, Ikea sells more than half the furniture in Canada. I would give you a more exact percentage, but I believe it was in the 60-65% range. :eek: The Brick sells something like 20%, and they're 2nd.

[gallagb]

have a bed, bedspread, night table(x2), ...etc
all very easy to assemble, very good looking, very cheap
:)
good good!

[cubist]

Nice dresser called a Malm, beech color, apparently one of their biggest sellers. It has very good drawer slides.

I've got an older black-and-cherry dresser too, and some various lamps. Most of the lamps are a little rickety and watch out for the special bulbs which cost mucho $.

[fuzzwud]

IKEA has a twice a year big sale ... one being around New Years. I bought a bookshelf, a table, computer desk, and a metal drawer that fits under the table.

[150hp]

My wife & I first hit the Chicago one & then the Twin Cities, MN version.

We absolutely dig these stores. The list of stuff started small, like 5 nesting tupperware type bowls for $1.98, place mats, rugs, fabric, hanging lamp guts, hanging set of 3 orbs with a clock, thermometer & calander.

Then we decided to get a couch & table.

The table went just fine but the couch took trips to each of the above mentioned stores. The Chicago store had the mattress & cover but was ou-of-stock on the frame. So we wanted to order it but it was freight shipping of $200 on a $50 frame. So we waited until we could go back but ended up in MN instead. So once we got the thing together, we really love it.

Now we have just put an offer in on a house so I guess we will be making another trip soon.

[revenuee]

i can't look around and not find something from Ikea, actually as i walk through my house, i think every piece of furniture is from IKEA ... LOL

[Dr. Dastardly]

I have some meatballs in my freezer.

mmmm, meatballs. *drool*

[ecche]

When I first opened my surgery in a remote part of Germany where most people had never been to IKEA I decided to buy all the necessary furniture at IKEA - right down to the pictures on the walls. Let me tell you: For less than 5000 Euro I got myself a modern looking surgery that my patients adored. I was a happy GP until one day a young lady patient from Frankfurt on her holiday fell ill and upon entering my surgery exclaimed: "Wow, the IKEA catalogue must have exploded here.."

(Re-reading this I think I should start a career with Reader's Digest. How embarrasing!)

[AmigoMac]

As a person who has living in different places, moving constantly, ikea has been a good friend ... :)

[LethalWolfe]

I have a bookshelf, some small mirrors, and a dress from Ikea. You really can't beat the bang for the buck if you are on a budget.


Lethal

[etoiles]

I'd stay away from their chairs/sofas... the lack of quality really shows there. But I bought some low tables, lamps (just got an 'Ardala' lamp which I like a lot), a carpet, all those fancy little things that you just have to pick up and put into your shopping cart because they are so cheap and cool :D

I try to mix it up a little, though. Too much 'originality for the masses' is a bit scary. Reminds me of that apartment shot in Fight Club :eek: :p

[King Crimson]

Hi there,

nearly 50% of the furniture in our house was bought at Ikea, not too expensive, looks nice, medium quality (good for the price :)).

Only the kitchen looks great but was a real mess - parts missing, broken parts, ... :mad:

Cheers,

Andreas

[Davito]

_All_ my furniture is from Ikea. Cheap, functional and good looking. I like it a lot. :)

[cluthz]

I think half of my appartment is from IKEA.

Here (bergen, norway) IKEA has free busses for students to their store, the IKEA bus..

[mcadam]

My absolute favorite ikea thing is a big ice cube tray made out of soft rubber, red... it's genious, I love it.... I've seen a completely similar item in a fancy design store - at four times the ikea price... made me love it even more... :D

A

[zelmo]

We have had numerous pieces of furniture over the years. Currently have a fantastic computer desk (Wicke?) that is Mac perfect. Gray shelves/desktop, gray metal tubing for supports and legs. The surface is a laminate that has a texture to it that gives it a good feel without becoming a bad writing surface. It has a tapered back that makes it work in a corner okay, but it doesn't look out of place it it isn't in a corner. Also has an available shower curtain attachment you can add to hide your clutter (or the shame of a Dull PC).
It currently is home for my G4 iMac, Epson printer, cable modem, Creature II speakers, LaCie D2 drive, AExtreme base station, Palm cradle, iPod dock, Dazzle Hollywood A-to-D bridge, VCR, 4-port USB hub, external floppy drive...that's about it. Still has plenty of room for a legal pad of paper for taking notes and a cake box. Pull-out keyboard tray with a second swing out piece for a mouse (attaches to either side).

Just read though this....I guess I must really like this desk. I'm such a dork.

[dvdh]

Here's the list and the verdict:

CD racks - the grey sheet metal ones with a concrete base. Work well, and generally well made. Unfortunately one of the first two I bought looked like it fell off the truck and had to be sent back. Oddly the packaging was fine making me think that it slipped through IKEA QA at the factory. Current status: in use, almost full, and DISCONTINUED. (so much for adding another couple)

Dressers - white melamine ones with light wood trim, three drawers each (two units). Two years old, and on the verge of spontaneously combusting. The hardware is complete garbage (the sliders) and the design was changed after one year making it impossible to find replacement parts. Thankfully someone else in my apartment building had the sameones which suffered a similar fate and I was able to scavenge a few sliders to keep mine is service for a little longer.

Book shelfs - Modular design / you finish yourself type. I bought two units almost three years ago. They are holding up remarkably well considering they have a lot of books on them. About six months ago, though, I wanted to add some new shelfs between the two units and found that Ikea has discontinued them as well . . . so much for modular furniture. Anyways I built some new shelves . . . at a cost higher than each of the original modulars had cost.

As it stands, I have quite buying stuff from IKEA. First of all I absolutely hate shopping there, once you enter the maze the only way out is the checkout. Secondly, they never run a product line long enough to allow you to match anything to it (or they change it slightly so you still can't match it). Thirdly they don't have any reasonable product support in the long term. Fourth, the majority of their stuff is constructed so cheaply that you can only realistically expect it to last more than a couple years without problems.

Verdict: If you only want it for a couple years and don't want to spend much , by all means buy Ikea. However don't expect it to last, and don't expect to be able to fix it for a reasonable cost when it breaks. If you want something that will last a little longer in the same style try a company like EQ3 instead.

[makisushi]

I have a few things from Ikea.

I would say it is not the best quality, and won't last you a lifetime, but they look good and you can furnish your whole bedroom under $500.

[virividox]

i have a couple lamps pretty cool

[baby duck monge]

i picked up a dish rack at ikea. and didn't even have to assemble it! i think it does a good job allowing dishes to dry...

anyway, you should go just to see what it's like. quite the experience.

[Don't panic]

I bought tons of stuff over the years.
great stuff for the price, it looks sooo much better than similarly priced items from other stores, and the quality is more than fair.
best thing is to get the pine stuff and give a layer of protecting paint.
it will look much better and last much longer.
lower-end ikea stuff does tend to come apart after a few years, but i don't think that in the US there is anything that can touch it for looks/quality/price.
some of the upper-end stuff is actually very good quality-wise and it competes with "real" furniture stores that cost 5x.
enjoy your shopping (do you have a truck? ;) )

[jiggie2g]

Practically My whole bedroom set

Hopen : Queen size Bed , Wardrobe , 3 shelf chest

Sultan Norrsken Queen size mattres , Mysa Moln Down Quilt , 4 Gosa Blunda Pllows. I can sleep in my bed all day , super comfy....perfect for making the ladies feel at home..LOL :D

While I agree the furniture is a bit on the cheap side as far as quality, look at what u would be paying if u were to go to Seamans, Levitz, Ethan Allen or any major furniture store , atleast this way when i am sick of it i can toss the stuff out and not feel guilty about a ton of money gone to waste.

I think i'll take that $2000 i saved by shopping at ikea and get myself an nice 50in LCD Projection or DLP HDTV

[tdhurst]

The only reason I got a job at the Tempe Ikea...the furniture discount. Goodbye cinder blocks and plywood!

[rueyeet]

My living room is essentially furnished in "post-college Ikea." Surprisingly, their Sten shelving (which I think has been replaced by Gorm) has made an excellent wall unit. I was able to build something stepped in heights to fit next to the stairs, and it's worked out really well. I've also got various little Ikea bits and pieces about the house, from kitchen implements to side tables. Ikea is great for starting out, being inexpensive and of reasonable durability.

However--I second the idea of not getting sofas/chairs from Ikea; they just aren't as comfortable and don't seem to have the quality of furniture from "real" furniture stores. And also, if you have enough stuff from them you do begin to get the "Ikea look". Much as the Sten shelving has functioned very well, it still looks like low-budget unfinished pine shelving, and I keep getting the urge to replace it with something more substantial.

[~Shard~]

I bought my computer desk, 2 end tables and a bookcase from Ikea - love them all, good quality, cheap, easy to assemble, would buy there again.

[evoluzione]

I loooove Ikea. having until recently lived in NYC, i've had no room to keep powertools and build things...Ikea has somewhat satisfied by assembly needs. i've been buying stuff at various Ikeas for about 18 years.

some of their stuff is very good quality, and some, not so much, but what do you expect from a $3 wooden dish rack?? i recently bought a $10 step stool, solid wood, looks good, very sturdy, and the kitten loved the box it came in! bargain of the year by a mile.

i've never bought any of their couches or anything, but wooden furniture (butcher blocks, bookcases, desks etc) i've been more than happy with. one of the first things i looked up when figuring out whether i wanted to move to Australia was whether there was an Ikea nearby! sad i know :D

[evoluzione]

love them all, good quality, cheap, easy to assemble, would buy there again.


that sounds like some eBay feedback ;)

[~Shard~]

that sounds like some eBay feedback ;)

Hmm, suppose it does. I guess all I need now are the standard "AAAAA++++" and "swift payment" comments. :cool:

[~Shard~]

Oh, and dvdh, why do you find Ottawa boring? I lived there for a while myself, I quite liked the city...

[goodwill]

Hey there shelves are quite stellar. Check out the "Lack" style. They are quality and match anything www.westelm.com or pottery barn currently has a fraction of the cost. I still have an entertainment system from IKEA, but the weight of my T.V is causing it to warp. The entertainment system for one is veneer, so that would explain it. But what I love about IKEA is what they even have listed in the store as the explanation to why they are so cheap. They do not do home deliveries and the item's you buy, don't come pre-assembled. Therefore they dont tack on hidden costs that most furniture stores do. For a short time, IKEA products rock, but when youre serious about buying "real" furniture, then, you'll be serious about now shopping at IKEA. In the meantime, their stuff looks identical to name brand stuff.

[RealDeal]

For many IKEA is a day out (kids play area, 50c hotdogs, $1 pasta meals, lots of stuff to look at).

North American folks typically get more conservative stuff about 5 years behind European range.

Cheap, ok to great quality, often confusing to assemble yet with all the tools (for the guy with PhD in engineering and AI !). I'm renovating a workshop to a 3 bed cottage, and the kitchens with solid wood counters are great bang per buck compared with Home Depot/Rona Revy/Home Hardware and the chains. Wood veneer flooring a steal, as well as some great quality rugs. Kitchen supplies (plates/glasses/tools/cookware etc.) all great value and good quality- got some cruiset-a-like cast iron sets for about 25% of the price of the french versions ( 6 years later still great). A few days ago picked up a massive 4 1/2 feet x 7 feet stretched canvas framed picture (archipeligos) for about $250. Will buy a bunch of very large 2 door wardrobes for $100 each soon.

Bottom line- I've had $5 steaks and $1000 steaks with little difference in quality (but lots of Californian marketing ;) ). IKEA makes a damn fine $10 steak...

A real big deal- the website actually has the full range of products where the big chain renovators websites are worse than brochureware from 10 years ago- impossible to search/model the improvements.

So popular in Vancouver, Canada- a weekend walkthrough takes about 2 hours!

Enjoy...:D

[dvdh]

Oh, and dvdh, why do you find Ottawa boring? I lived there for a while myself, I quite liked the city...

It mostly the fact that so much of what goes on in the city is directly related to the running of the country. Half the working people are government employees, so there isn't as much diversity as I would like to see in a city. Secondly (and probably more relevantly) is the fact that pretty much all the cultural institutions are directly related to and funded by the federal government. While the National Gallery has had some interesting stuff, the normal seems to be to appease the largest number of people so that tax payers don't get upset.

Another thing that contributes to Ottawa being boring is that fact that the National Capital Commission has such a strangle-hold on much of the development. In the core areas they control the look and feel of the city meaning that the architecture and urban fabric is much more mundane (conservative) that it could be if there was little more freedom.

Finally, the actual Ottawa is Boring thing comes from the City of Ottawa idea of cost saving that happened last fall. They proposed to cut back the civic funding of the arts to about $1 per person per year. The campaign to fight this adapted the "Ottawa is Boring" title.

Granted, I do like the city in the summer (provided it isn't 35 above with 99 percent humidity). In the winter, however, I usually want to move.

[wordmunger]

When my son redid his room he got a bunch of stuff from Ikea: chair, comforter, but most impressively, a steel loft bed. Pretty reasonable quality, but the bed creaks quite a bit. Photo attached.

[goodwill]

Maps.........I can still vividly recall the days of my youth when my walls were also plastered with National Geographic maps. I guess us Mac User's were born as intellectuals.

[tutubibi]

Probably well over 50% of my furniture comes from IKEA.
Price is good, looks good but quality is sometimes questionable.
I would avoid sofas and couches, espacially leather ones. Rest of the stuff is pretty durable.

[wordmunger]

Maps.........I can still vividly recall the days of my youth when my walls were also plastered with National Geographic maps. I guess us Mac User's were born as intellectuals.

Yeah, those maps are shellacked to the wall, too. I think we'll end up having to rip off the wall board to get them off....

[~Shard~]

<snip>



Fair enough, those are all vaid points. I suppose working for the Feds while I was there make me more oblivious to the state of things. ;) And yes, although the winters are cold, they aren't any warmer here in Regina. I guess I primarily had a really good time in Ottawa though beacsue of my timing - I was there for Canada Day 2000, which was an excellent party (at least the places I went!) and the whole summer was great for me.

I appreciate your points though!

[~Shard~]

Probably well over 50% of my furniture comes from IKEA.
Price is good, looks good but quality is sometimes questionable.
I would avoid sofas and couches, espacially leather ones. Rest of the stuff is pretty durable.

I agree - it's definitely not the place to go to if you want high quality, but their products are very durable and solid, and get the job done. If you're not picky about quality, Ikea products are of excellent value - and it's not like they're cheap and will fall apart or break on you easily. Plus some of their designs are very cool. :cool:

[dvdh]

. . . And yes, although the winters are cold, they aren't any warmer here in Regina. . . . I was there for Canada Day 2000, which was an excellent party (at least the places I went!) . . . .

Lol, no not quite as cold as Regina (I spent the first 18 years of my life in Brandon which would be the same on the 'eyelashes frozen together and too cold to breathe' scale. But oddly enough, I still like the Canadian Prairie winters better than the Ottawa version. While it is amazing cold in the Prairies, IMO it beats the 'amazingly' slushy and dirty winters that Ottawa gets.

Canada Day, Bluesfest (Weakerthans and Manitoba were two great shows this year) go a long way to making Ottawa tolerable, but it still needs to define itself in a way that is seperate and distinct from the official political side.

[dvdh]

. . . .If you're not picky about quality, Ikea products are of excellent value - . . . . Plus some of their designs are very cool.

I have to agree that IKEA has done a great deal in terms of bring the masses to realize that there furniture doesn't have to look like the stuff that their grandparents have. They have also contributed to a wide interest in design that will certainly having a impact on my career (architecture) in a positive way.

However, with the questionable quality of some their products, the real winners will be the companies the make modern/minimal furniture that DOES last in the long term. Scores of post-IKEA buyers (who like the style, but are willing to spend a little more for better quality) should serve these mid-range manufacturers very well in the next 5-10 years.

Personally, having owned IKEA stuff and been relatively happy with how it looked, I am now willing to spend more (to a factor of 2 or 3 times) for something that also lasts.

[~Shard~]

I have to agree that IKEA has done a great deal in terms of bring the masses to realize that there furniture doesn't have to look like the stuff that their grandparents have. They have also contributed to a wide interest in design that will certainly having a impact on my career (architecture) in a positive way.

However, with the questionable quality of some their products, the real winners will be the companies the make modern/minimal furniture that DOES last in the long term. Scores of post-IKEA buyers (who like the style, but are willing to spend a little more for better quality) should serve these mid-range manufacturers very well in the next 5-10 years.

Personally, having owned IKEA stuff and been relatively happy with how it looked, I am now willing to spend more (to a factor of 2 or 3 times) for something that also lasts.

That's very true - some people just want things to be cheap, but others realize that you get what you pay for in many cases, and they don't mind paying a lttle extra for that extra quality - all within reason of course. And everyone's a little different of course in how they value things, and what they actually put value in! ;)

[Xtremehkr]

I have a few things from IKEA, though I wouldn't call them cheap but they are functional for durable with one exception. My bed and night stands, Billy Book case, and Dresser are all from IKEA.

The only complaint I have is that after only 18 months the slide rail for one of the shelves in my dresser came apart. Normally this would not be a problem but IKEA change their products so often that getting replacement parts is impossible if they have been discontinued. They gave me a replacement rail, but I am going to have to drill new hold in order for it to fit.

And the other problem with them discontinuing different lines all the time is that if you do not buy the complete set then you may be disappointed if later on you decide that you wanted to get the matching chest to go at the end of the bed.

I like the stores though, they provide examples of how to put different combinations together which are really helpful.

[Will Curran]

Yay Ikea opened today. I gotta get there soon so I can start redesigning my room! Hoight!

[mouchoir]

yep.

a 1x1m coffe table. loads of kitchen utensils. 2 sofas in my last flat were from ikea too.

If your one is anything like the ones over here –avoid going on the weekend! I cannot stress this enough, it gets crazy!

ooh, and buy some swedish meatballs while you're there, yummy.

[jayscheuerle]

A $30 chair that looks like an $80 chair holds up like a $30 chair.

I've got one 2 miles away. It's been a blessing since the ex and I split the goods and I've had to furnish the new place. My daughter's room is like an Ikea showroom. She loves it.

[oreo]

Most of the stuff in my house if from Ikea, it was easy to there & get everything in one go, when I split from my ex.

[savar]

I like in Phoenix, AZ, and we are fianlly getting an Ikea November 10. So I thought it'd be kind of cool to ask, do you own anything from Ikea? If you do please include pics, and/or descriptions.

no photos, but my room has two ikea coffee tables, two ikea shelves, an ikea entertainment center, and even an ikea plant. all for less than $200

ikea is a great place, try the meatballs while you're there

[savar]

no photos, but my room has two ikea coffee tables, two ikea shelves, an ikea entertainment center, and even an ikea plant. all for less than $200

ikea is a great place, try the meatballs while you're there

i should add that i'm a college student living in a frat house...i like ikea because it looks pretty nice, is real cheap, and i'm only counting on this stuff to get me through college and the first few years of my independent life. (before i get filthy rich, buy the QE2, and live at sea for the rest of my lfe)