<p>This brings back such a nice memory. When my husband and I were very first married, our entire household consisted of a mircrowave and a bed. That’s it! So, we took every penny we recieved for our wedding, went to IKEA early in the morning and didn’t leave until we had a kitchen and living room set plus a lot of odds and ends (from plates to towels to a spatula!) to complete the basic household. </p>
<p>The living room couch and chair are long gone but much to our surprise, our kitchen table from IKEA is 23 years old and still going strong. So is the bench we bought to go with it. The dining chairs had to be replaced after ten years. </p>
<p>I suppose I’ll always have a good feeling about IKEA.</p>
<p>I know that some Ikea stuff is pretty cheap quality, but I’ve actually had god luck with the stuff I’ve gotten from there. My mom bought me a futon for a shared apartment a few years ago (for our living room) and it was a mainstay for sitting on in the living room and opened up for any visitor we had to sleep on. I still have it four years later and it’s in good condition and relatively comfortable. Of course, the couch in my apartment before that was $50 on craigslist, so…</p>
<p>My TV stand is Ikea, purchased used from craigslist, and also 4-5 years old (but I don’t know that a TV stand gets much wear and tear). The other Ikea stuff I have is smaller, like a few lamps with cute shade designs and glass jars for kitchen storage, but’s all listed. I am careful if I’m considering buying furniture from there. You have to look at what it is and what it’s made of and decide if it’s worth it. My dad does do a lot of carpentry himself (he actually built my bed) so he’s a pretty good judge to have with me.</p>
<p>JMO. Ikea is a furniture/house ware store that has its role in the market. Its not for everyone and it is not selling Tiffany lamps. But it is good for many startup families. It does accept returns and have a good reputation. We shop at Ikea just like at any other stores. If it fits our need, we buy it, but we won’t furnish the whole house with it. Most of the furniture sold at Ikea are made of MDF or particleboard, it won’t be of high quality, but some times it meets the needs.</p>
<p>We were down in Denver on a weekday recently and decided to visit Ikea. We liked the way they had rooms set up. It did make me realize that I like what we have in our house (a mix of family antiques, Lazy Boy, cheap furniture, and one nice Ethan Allen coach). The trip gave me lots of steps on my pedometer, but we left without finding anything appealing to us. </p>
<p>It did seems like interesting option for people starting out, especially if the apartment or condo worked well with clean line look.</p>
<p>I just bought a closet system from IKEA. I went on the website, added the items I needed to a shopping list, indicated the store I would be visiting, and was told whether the item was in stock and where to find it in the warehouse. This was really helpful if you are traveling a distance and worried that items will be out of stock.</p>
<p>I saw several closet systems at our Ikea visit. It seems a great idea for stretching storage space, especially in places that lack of good closet space.</p>
<p>When we moved I knew that I wanted new bedroom furniture and that IKEA was where I wanted it from. We had to drive to Orlando (~2 hrs away) to get to the closest one. It didn’t matter to us - going to IKEA is a journey. I find it fun to walk around the store. It can be overwhelming at times but if you separate it out a bit it really helps. Write down everything that looks interesting and come back to it. </p>
<p>I am really happy with all of things I got from IKEA. My favorite it is a giant mural thing of the flatiron building. It takes up most of my wall but it beautiful.
[url=<a href=“Products - IKEA”>Products - IKEA]PREMI</a></p>
<p>Just my own opinion, but I think that the people who look askance at IKEA should include their socio-economic status (i.e., well into the top 1%) in their posts. </p>
<p>We have found IKEA items very useful for dorm furnishing, and for grad-school apartment furnishing. I think they would be nice for a young couple starting out, who want to acquire really “good” furniture over time, but do not have the means to invest in really high-quality items to start. </p>
<p>IKEA furniture would have been considerably better (!) than the furnishings of my first apartment: card table and folding chairs, my brother’s desk + wooden chair from his student days, a rather warped dresser from my great aunt, and a steel bed frame (no headboard) from Sears.</p>
<p>One of the funniest IKEA experiences I’ve had was me in NY telling DH and son it Pittsburgh what to get at the Pittsburgh IKEA. It was going to close in less than an hour so they were running around the warehouse needing things that were in stock and they had bypassed the showroom all together. I could even tell them which aisle to go to to pick up the stuff.</p>
<p>My son due to dumb planning had gotten an apartment at the last minute flew into Pittsburgh and signed the lease in the late afternoon/early evening and had no furniture at all in his brand new apartment with school starting the very next day!</p>
<p>I recommend taking an Ikea day trip when you don’t even THINK you need anything. Ikea is an experience and you’ll feel much more confident when you DO need something if you have scoured the place beforehand. Our usual “day trip” includes arriving and browsing the upstairs - where all the staged room set ups are and the various "departments " - office, kids, kitchen, beds, etc. Then stop for an inexpensive lunch at the cafe - we recommend the caesar salad, the Mac and cheese, the Swedish meatballs. Then we head downstairs and go thru the area before the warehouse picking up the little stuff - office supplies, kitchen stuff, funky lamps, eyc. Warehouse is next to pick up bigger items we wrote down the aisle/shelf #'s for…and JUST before we leave, pick up some cinnamon rolls and swedish meatball seasoning to go! Yes, it’s a Fun day trip!</p>
<p>We live fairly close to an IKEA and as a result have purchased a lot of stuff over the past 5 years. It’s no Ethan Allen, but it’s definitely a step up from the Grandma’s Basement Decor I had when I furnished my first apartment. It’s also really useful for inexpensive dinnerware (think emergency extra place servings).</p>
<p>The parking lot at our local store is a real eye-opener, too: I swear more than 50% of the cars are from WAY out-of-state.</p>
<p>We’ve had good luck with IKEA stuff over the years–it’s particularly good for virtually disposable stuff for dorm rooms, like rugs or small tables.</p>
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When I’m assembling something, nobody can be in the same room. It’s better if they’re not in the house.</p>
<p>Without having read all the posts, has anyone mentioned Ikea Hacks (<a href=“http://www.ikeahackers.net/)?%5B/url%5D”>http://www.ikeahackers.net/)?</a> Because Ikea furniture comes in pieces, it’s often possible to assemble them in different ways. My son, for example, created a l–o–n–g cabinet (all the way down one side of the room) from several cabinets.</p>
<p>Funny, but when I saw the title of this thread, I assumed it was about the way IKEA presents itself versus the underbelly of ties to the Nazis, far right extremists and how their charitable donations are to a large part a sham that hides payments to the family. I assumed this was a thread about morality, similar to the kind of stuff that comes up when talking about Apple. Shows to go ya. Not a word about it. (And I do shop at IKEA.)</p>
<p>I’ve actually been surprised to read how often students buy Ikea. It seems pricey for student furniture. I suppose if it disassembles that would make it easier to move than other choices.</p>
<p>Love Ikea. I mostly buy the all wood furniture… poang chairs, helm dressers, etc. but I do have a few w/ particleboard in a spare bedroom- and they look lovely. Treated gently they will last my lifetime. I bought duvet covers for my remodeled bedroom; used one on the bed, sewed the rest into curtains… 100% cotton and easy to throw into the washer</p>
<p>IKEA is a great source for cheaper vases & other glassware. We had a big party several years ago. I picked up a pack of 4 votive holders for <$1, large 12+" flower vases for <$1 and 5" rectangular vases for $2 each. </p>
<p>About 10 years ago we bought an 8’ butcher block top & 3 rolling file cabinets (that would fit under a desk) to serve as a computer workstation for both kids in the family room. It’s still there - they now sit around the couches with laptops, but the printer is there and the drawers are filled with unused markers, crayons & other kiddie treasures.</p>
<p>We bought some Billy bookshelves 15 years ago before heading overseas, we put them on the boat unassembled. H assembled them in Australia, and we proceeded to move them around the world. They have held up fabulously.</p>