It is possible to take Ikea furniture apart, the cam and screw things they use to hold it together means in theory you can run the cam to where the arrow is pointing in the right direction, and pull pieces apart. In reality, I have found few people can do that and have it come out unscathed, either a cam and screw is kind of permanently locked, the dowels have expanded because of moisture and don’t come out, and if you aren’t entirely careful it is very easy to break the stuff made of pressboard…not to mention there is always that one cam that is hidden…
I haven’t bought Ikea furniture in many years, the last time I bought something, the tv stand in our tv room, it was a disaster, missing parts, poorly drilled holes, some of the parts didn’t have the inked on id (ie part D), some of the parts had been milled very poorly, some of the holes for the dowels came broken. I ended up rebuilding it myself to make it usable (yeah, I could have complained to ikea, returned it, and gotten snotty attitude that I must have broken it, lost the parts, etc…I had other units like that, where stuff was missing or broken, and got a hard time, which also turned me off of them).
I have done a lot of assembled furniture, have some nice units from Sauder woodworking, also just bought a couple of nice record cabinets (lp’s, not paper records) from this place, no problems at all with either one. I have had people tell me Ikea is better now, but what I routinely hear is quality is luck of the draw with a lot of it.
Yes, in response to previous post, it is very easy to schedule assembly but it must be done in person from the store closest to you and I think you must also pay to have the pieces delivered. Even in busy summer NYC (Brooklyn) market - delivery and assembly scheduled within days, workers showed up within assigned window, quickly assembled about 10 items. There are also youtube videos on assembling most of the common furniture they stock.
@scmom12 We disassembled some of D’s Ikea furniture when she graduated/moved out of her apartment in May. Took ziplock bags for the little parts and pictures of any areas that could be confusing in reassembly. (Later figured out that old assembly manuals are available online.) Needed vice-grips to get some of the dowels out, a screwdriver and a hex key. Traded out the vice-grips for a mallet to get the dowels back in. Worked well for us, but as I mentioned earlier, I like putting Ikea stuff together.
I don’t get at all why people love it. We went a few weeks ago and came out empty handed. It looks bad and it’s obviously poorly constructed. We were looking for my daughters college apartment. And what’s with having to pick the stuff off the shelves? That looks like a lawsuit ready to happen.
I have some ikea furniture in my home. My white dining table is a 6 seater with a leaf in between to seat 8.
I live in a condo so I like sleek contemporary furniture that doesn’t take a lot of space. Bulky furniture wouldn’t work with the constrained space but with ikea furniture my home looks organized and open spaced. I have several other pieces as well that have moved from one home to another. For example, the movers are able to quickly remove the legs of the dining table to put it in the truck. Dd’s bedroom furniture is lightweight enough for me to rearrange the furniture in her room and it looks great for being 20 years old. My unit is the smallest 2 bedroom unit but looks the most spacious because with the furniture that I have it makes the place look so open. so that the place seems larger.
I like their towels, frames, napkins, tiny knives, forks and spoons, and they sell feather/down pillow forms for six bucks!
My sewing room is furnished in Ikea. Recently bought an Ektorp loveseat. I love it, but not as much as the cats love it. Have an Ikea bedframe and mattress in my son’s/guest room and recently a guest asked where I got the mattress because it was so comfortable. Thinking about buying a mattress for myself.
I like their bedding. Down bedding are so inexpensive. And bookcases. I agree with @raclut. Their slim design works well with limited space. Most american furniture is bulky.
Raclut, I know exactly what you mean. I recently bought several Ikea pieces to furnish my home office. They have great sit/stand desks. I had looked at places like Pottery Barn but their stuff was so bulky. Ikea furniture is open and modular and works much better in a small space. And it is reasonably priced. I saw a very similar sit/stand desk in the Levinger catalog for a much higher price. I thought it must have a wood top but it didn’t.
My taste is not contemporary. Most of my furniture traditional and some pieces are antique. But Ikea works well in some situations.
Apropos of IKEA, if you saw the film Gravity a few years ago and have not seen the IKEA-related parody, it is quite funny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiBt44rrslw
My spouse gets uncomfortable just going into an IKEA store, so I only order items online from them, these days.
Interesting video. If you want to get out of the store you have to follow the arrows.
My dd loves having lunch there. I think this store will be more popular with the students just starting out and living in condos and apartments were there is limited space. In our area I am seeing the building of communities where you work, live, have entertainment and conveniences all within walking distance.
I don’t like the Ikea aesthetic, but I sure appreciate its value. There are very few places that sell pretty much everything a person needs to furnish an apartment (flatware to furniture) on an entry level salary. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever used as many swear words as I did the day my daughter and I assembled an Ikea bunk bed for one of her friends.
My dd loved the toy section. We purchased children’s play carpets, tents, and even have the kiddie bowls and plates that we use even now. I love going through their small decorated rooms for inspiration and like their lighting.
I find myself loving something for my own home and think if someone could only put it in their truck and deliver and install it for me. I would love for them to my home a model makeover.
