Being in the midst of preparations for my Very First Move All By Myself, I’m looking into buying furniture. A lot of people just get whatever crap they can find for their first apartment, but I’m trying to buy things that I actually like, to make my apartment my home. Of course, I still don’t have that much money. So I got this IKEA catalog in the mail, and I found a few things I really like - a couch (named KLIPPAN), a couple of beds I can’t choose between, a mattress that’s only $250 for the queen size and claims not to need a box spring. But I’d have to mail-order them, as there’s no IKEA near to where I’m moving. I’m generally leering of buying expensive things I’ve never seen in person.
What are your experiences with IKEA? Is the stuff well-made? Anybody know if that cheapo mattress or the also-cheapo sofa are comfortable? Will these purchases last a while?
IKEA.
:: shuddering orgasm ::
I’m going to IKEA next week to buy furniture for my new condo. I’ve had an overall great experience with them, although I’m not sure I’d buy a couch or bed from them, because it’s not exactly stuff that’s designed to STAND THE TEST OF TIME. I’ve sat on a few of their couches and they seem a bit weak. (Of course, I have a big, fat family, so YMMV) 
My experiences with IKEA have been nothing but positive. Remember that the furniture is stuff you have to assemble, so have a screwdriver handy. But I love my IKEA!
Yeah, the couches aren’t the firmest; I haven’t really checked out the beds. How long are you hoping to be able to hold onto this stuff? I don’t know if I could ever buy a bed or couch without trying it first.
Bookshelves and tables and such, though, where comfort isn’t a factor, are another story. Reasonably priced and quite decent-looking.
We recently purchased a $50 bookshelf from the local Ikea and we love it!
Yeah, I saw that about needing assembly, but really - why does this bother people? Doesn’t almost EVERYTHING come in a flat box nowadays? I know the furniture from Wal-mart, and most of the things from Filene’s furniture department, needs assembly. I’m assuming they include assembly instructions in the box. I don’t know why having to - gasp - PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER would get people all in a tither.
You know, when I bought my place I felt the same as you do - I had lawn furniture (it wasn’t even mine!) in my living room for about 8 months while waiting for my Ikea sofa to come.
I love IKEA. I’ve had nothing but success with their products. My dining room stuff is IKEA. Living room stuff. Bed room stuff. Bathroom stuff. Well, you get the point. NOthing but positive experiences here.
As to the comfort level - well - I go to IKEA about once a week, and I’ve sat on the Klippan. My official rating: Not bad.
It’s a $250 sofa - obviously it’s not going to lovely cup your buttox while lulling you into a gentle slumber. But it was pretty decent - my friend almost got one but didn’t want white or black.
I’d give it 2 thumbs up - good value for the money.
The matresses are OK too - however for $250 I don’t think you’re going to be getting a lifetime of mattress. I would guess about 2.5 years if you flip it often and then it will start to get lumpy.
If you can, I would splurge a bit more on the matress - you sleep there - bad sleep = bad days allround.
Also, IKEA towels are excellent quality and price - even the really cheap ones. (I have some $3 bath towels that I love - they’re soft and nice - I use them more than my $30 Wamsutas).
You know, when I bought my place I felt the same as you do - I had lawn furniture (it wasn’t even mine!) in my living room for about 8 months while waiting for my Ikea sofa to come.
I love IKEA. I’ve had nothing but success with their products. My dining room stuff is IKEA. Living room stuff. Bed room stuff. Bathroom stuff. Well, you get the point. NOthing but positive experiences here.
As to the comfort level - well - I go to IKEA about once a week, and I’ve sat on the Klippan. My official rating: Not bad.
It’s a $250 sofa - obviously it’s not going to lovingly cup your buttox while lulling you into a gentle slumber. But it was pretty decent - my friend almost got one but didn’t want white or black.
I’d give it 2 thumbs up - good value for the money.
The matresses are OK too - however for $250 I don’t think you’re going to be getting a lifetime of mattress. I would guess about 2.5 years if you flip it often and then it will start to get lumpy.
If you can, I would splurge a bit more on the matress - you sleep there - bad sleep = bad days allround.
Also, IKEA towels are excellent quality and price - even the really cheap ones. (I have some $3 bath towels that I love - they’re soft and nice - I use them more than my $30 Wamsutas).
Get the Real Wood furniture. The particleboard stuff fails after ten years or so (at least if it’s a bookshelf and you overload it like I do). That being said, I much like their design; it often is much cleaner and lighter than a lot of design these days.
In a contest between Fake Heritage Victorian and Scandinavian Minimalism, Minimalism wins every time. Now if we could just convince the house builders around here…
Oh seeing a few of these posts - I had my sofa bed custom made from IKEA (it was obviously a more expensive item) and I’ve had it for 5 years - it still looks and feels great.
I believe they have a range of products - those that are very inexpensive designed to last a minimal amount of time, and better quality ones designed to last longer.
I expect my sofa will last me at least another 5 years, unless I get tired of it before then, and then I’ll probably be able to recover a % of the purchase price - it really is good quality.
I’m figuring, on the sofa (which I’m getting in Signal Red if I get it), my choices are either gonna be get the $250 IKEA one, or go to the yard sales and antiques markets and look there. A new sofa, even a cheap one, is bound to be more comfortable than a many-years-old one, eh?
Advice noted re: mattress. I have enough budgeted that I could spend more to get a better mattress; will probably bounce around in a proper bedding store in town when I get there, and choose thus.
If I can just get stuff that will hold up reasonably well for, let’s say five years - long enough for me to finish my college degree and get established in a better-paying job - I’m happy.
And alice - eight months?? Did it take that long to get delivered? Hokey smokes! If it normally takes eight months to get delivered we’d be better off taking a weekend off to drive from Longview to Houston and pick one up at the store!
I bought a huge entertainment center for about $100 bucks, and a 3 tier knick knack shelf (I forget how much and a computer stand there).
I still have the shelf and the computer table. Holding up fine. I abandoned the entertainment center when I moved because a) I had no room for it at the new place and b) I couldn’t face the awesome task of dismantling it. In it’s put-together form, it was too big to move. (I had no help)
My experiences:
Your furniture will be easy to disassemble, which helps with future moves (I have a bookcase I’ve assembled and disassembled and moved about half a dozen times, and it’s still in good shape.)
It will also look like the furniture in half the living rooms around the industrialized world, which is fine too. Four of my friends have the same bed and they all love it !
Be careful with all the ‘extras’ like lamps and decorations and stuff - it all seems really cool and really cheap and before you know it you’ve spend $200 more than you’d planned, on little mirrors for the front hall and ice cube trays shaped like stars and funky orange colanders. Trust me, I speak from experience. Probably more of a problem if you’re actually in the store.
I concur re: sofas and mattresses - for those things, which are important to your comfort and pretty expensive, I’d prefer to splurge on something higher-quality that will be more comfortable and will last. But Ikea is great for anything that you don’t have to spend a lot of time making yourself comfortable in.
BTW, estate sales are a great place to buy sofas. They aren’t always old and nasty. I bought a practically new sofa at an estate sale for $45 that was just perfect for my living room. Estate sales are usually in the paper. Summer is yard sale-ing season so take a good look around before you commit to mail ordering… after all, if you spend $50 in your sofa you can splurge on the $400 mattress, etc.
I just don’t understand why non-Swedes always seem to get so worked-up about IKEA. It’s just another furniture store.
Floater, it’s cheap. And it has a style unique among other furniture stores in America.
Floater, it’s tough finding the clean lines and light colored woods that Ikea offers. At least it is here in Baltimore.
IKEA’s furniture is very different from standard American furniture. Look here for examples of American furniture; compare and contrast to IKEA furniture, and you will see why some of us get all nutty about IKEA.
American furniture tends to be dark and/or overwrought and very expensive and doesn’t really match my tastes at all. That’s why I like IKEA.
Ikea’s cool because you can take your furniture home the same day. For people who require instant gratification, like yours truly, this is, indeed, a good thing.
Now I wouldn’t shop there for my living room furniture but for accessories, I’m there.
It’s cheap, it is light (as opposed to BIG and HEAVY) the ratio of quality to price is exceptional. Plus it’s cheap.
Did I mention how inexpensive it is?