<p>My daughter has just graduated from college and is getting ready to move across the country to start her first job. 
She mentioned buying furniture from IKEA. The closest store to us is two hours away; I’ve never been there and neither has she. I looked it up and it appears to be inexpensive, put-together-yourself furniture. </p>
<p>What are your experiences? There is no store close to her new home, so it looks like she would have to have things shipped.</p>
<p>Unless you can go to an actual Ikea store it probably isn’t worth it. Ikea doesn’t offer much online and it isn’t that interested in shipping.</p>
<p>I think IKEA is great! S furnished his first apartment with IKEA and now that he’s away, D is using his stuff. Not the highest quality but it is a cool look. My advice, put together one piece at a time.</p>
<p>For some, it’s “a destination.” We drive about an hour. If you take care of the furniture, it can last. (Much of that, you screw together yourself- pretty easy, as it’s all engineered and they use quarter-turn screws.) It’s super for things like lamps, cheap frames, some bedding, kitchen things. I like the little decorated sample rooms in the stores- a mock studio apt, eg.</p>
<p>Shipping is ridiculous- I think it’s all contracted out locally and $99 (or starts there. At least, that’s our situation) Cheaper to rent a U-haul van and get some friends together. One thing- you can check online, I think, or call, to ensure the pieces you want are in stock.</p>
<p>My daughter and her best friend love IKEA. It’s a warehouse kind of place, you buy the boxes and put the furniture together. She got a handgun for screws and did a great job of putting together for her apartment and bedroom. Quite a few pieces. She had her furniture delivered to her since she lives in an apartment on the second floor with no elevator for $99(I think).</p>
<p>It seems to be good quality stuff for the price. My d1 bought a bed 6 years ago, moved it from the store to her apartment with no help, put it together solo, and passed it on to her sister 2 years ago. The mattress wasn’t phenomenal, so it’s been replaced, but the bed has survived being disassembled and moved several times.</p>
<p>For more than you really want to know about IKEA: [How</a> IKEA Transformed Home Furnishing : The New Yorker](<a href=“http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_collins]How”>Is the IKEA Aesthetic Comfy or Creepy? | The New Yorker)</p>
<p>Don’t they serve free Swedish meatballs?</p>
<p>IKEA is the perfect place to furnish a dorm room or first apartment. Some of their things are actually pretty good quality but most of it is just ok. You really need to want a “modern” look for their stuff to work for you. She will have to assemble everything at home. It comes in boxes-which is nice for getting the things home. If she buys a lot, skip having them deliver and just rent a U-Haul.</p>
<p>Yes, they serve Swedish Meatballs, but they are not free. I think the meal is $2.99 or something like that. They aren’t very good though.</p>
<p>Love IKEA. I’ve used their furniture in my daughter’s room, home office and family room. Everything we’ve bought has lasted (some for many years). It’s not high quality – I wouldn’t put it in a formal dining room or living room – but it is very reasonably priced. We’ve never had problems putting it together. </p>
<p>A friend of mine just bought her entire kitchen from IKEA – put all the boxes on top of her car.</p>
<p>Plus, it’s a lot of fun to shop there. </p>
<p>There is a “family program” that is free to join, and then you get discounts on items. You can join it through their website.</p>
<p>Not free. But I think it’s pretty cheap, about 99c or $1.99.</p>
<p>I think you now have to buy something to get the free meatballs! It’s fun to be on their mailing list.</p>
<p>We found the boxes are very heavy and a little unwieldy.</p>
<p>Ikea will ship anything anywhere. It arrives boxed and flat. You have to put it together. The quality is fine for first apartments and homes. I’d drive to the store that’s two hours away to take a good look at what the furniture looks and feels like. The catalogue, in my opinion, makes the furniture look a lot less appealing than it looks in person. </p>
<p>At the store, you can walk through a showroom area that has the furniture set up, like any other furniture store. You write down the ID numbers of the items you want, then continue on to a large warehouse area where the boxed items are kept. The stores are full of helpful sales persons who can answer your questions about shipping.</p>
<p>I think 42% of couples who try assembling IKEA furniture wind up divorced. ;)</p>
<p>^DH stayed out of the DIY part entirely. D2 and I took care of it. He was my get it in the car and into the house guy.</p>
<p>It’s totally worth it to rent a Home Depot truck if you don’t have the space in your car for all the boxes. I think HD rents trucks for like $20 or so? Better price than paying for deliveries if the IKEA isn’t too far away from her new place.</p>
<p>The quality varies according to price. We have a 20+ year old upright dresser (chest of drawers) that was bought for DH’s campus studio apartment when he had to live away at grad school. It has subsequently been 18 y.o. DD’s dresser for her entire life, so has seen a lot of hard use. Still in excellent condition. However, it was the most expensive of the models available at the time we bought it, by far. DH looked at the others (half the price) and said they were of cheap construction and wouldn’t last, but this one had good materials and parts, and would be fine. He was right about the good one, and probably about the cheap ones too.</p>
<p>Sometimes the cheap stuff is absolutely fine because you need something at a lower price and don’t require it to last forever. We’ve found IKEA very useful over the years, and it’s not surprising that there’s an element of you-get-what-you-pay-for.</p>
<p>Look online for free cycle first. You may find the ikea pieces you want already put together!</p>
<p>Ikea is popular because it’s low cost. It’s fine for furnishing a first apartment but the overall quality of the furniture is pretty low and most of it will not last.</p>
<p>My daughter and I put together her desk with shelves and bookcases. It goes pretty fast once you get going. She will be moving two floors up in her building this summer, and I wonder how it will move. Lots of laminated particle board.</p>
<p>Post #17, it depends on the piece of furniture. For example, the chest drawer would last a long time. Some bookcases will also last for a long time, again it depends on the type of bookcase. TV stand seems to be in this category as well.</p>
<p>Love IKEA because we are cheap cheap cheap. We have a bunch of “Ektorp” (couches/chairs/loveseat) mainly because it was comfy at the store, cheap but also came slipcovered - and the slipcovers can be purchased separately so that is nice and extends the life. Also have a “Klippan” sofa which is more modern but has a slipcover too. Both have lasted at least 15 yrs - with no issues. One caution Ektorp Tullsta - nice looking chair but the framing relies on wood legs which screws into a styrafoam block - when the leg broke off, I turned it over to see how I could fix it…and was really shocked how crappy that was designed. [Fabric</a> Sofas - Modern & Contemporary - IKEA](<a href=“Fabric Couches & Sofas - IKEA”>Fabric Couches & Sofas - IKEA)</p>