Man, I could go for some Lingonberry juice. That stuff is so good, so long as you dilute it properly. :smack:
Three words: Lingonberry Slush Puppy 
I’ve been to a few IKEAs and I think they are fun. I am looking forward to the one being built in Plano in 2005.
Overall, I think that they are great for people on a budget who want things to have a ‘designy’ look to them. I especially like their whimsical designs for children.
The one thing I didn’t like were their linens. I saw a pattern that I thought was fabulous for my bed. It was, until I washed it. The print quickly looked faded and horrors - it would need to be ironed to look nice! I think that they were also pretty crappy in quality, overall, but hey, when you are broke they can’t be beat!
Particle board is the curse of the furniture industry, but it’s everywhere, not just IKEA. But if used in the right way, it can actually work.
The Billy bookshelf is simply the only affordable option if you have lots of books, as I have. I made some calculation, and realized I needed about 75’ of shelf space. Buying Billy for those books would cost me about $600. The next nice looking option was ~$3.500. And Billy lasts.
OTOH, the frames of many sofas are from particle board and wont last. Their classic ‘Klippan’ is such an item and the design, with the armrests attached with a couple of screw to the mainframe, which is particle board, simply won’t last very long.
OTOH again, my bed came with a 12 year warranty and is simply fabulous.
So in short - you need to be an enlightened and smart costumer. They have stuff I’d never hesitate to buy and other things that are pure crap, as it is with most stuff.
The other thing is, I have an affinity for Bauhaus and Modernistic furniture. Breuer, Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Jacobsen, Eames. That stuff is expensive. The Lounge Chair by the Eamses is about $3000 for a copy and up to $7000 for the original, at least here in IKEA-land. I don’t know if I could ever justify paying that much for an armchair.
In the range where IKEA plays, the competition is mostly butthole ugly, clumsy, dark furniture and IKEA offers a range of passable stuff that look really nice with the few choice pieces I do have. E.g. this coffe table for $100 which would work very well with this armchair by Aalto for about $3.500.
I bought a shelving unit and a huge ass entertainment center at IKEA. Both lasted a long time. The entertainment center may still be going strong. As assembled, it was too big for me to move when I moved out, and I was in a hurry.
I bought some stuff from IKEA when I was living in Germany, and they were great buys. I wish IKEA would haul ass over to India soon.
I absolutley refuse to set foot in an Ikea in the US ever again because the customer service was a complete nightmare every time I visited. I think the stores are better here (not even crowded!).
We bought some stuff for our apartment at Ikea (CD shelves, a desk) and the quality is terrible (the particle board desk arrived damaged and the grey “paint” has already started to chip on the CD shelves) but I figure you get what you pay for. It was dirt cheap so I’m not expecting much.
Oh, did I mention that the Ikea here serves REINDEER meat in the cafeteria? Do they in the US?
I love IKEA.
I fell in love with the lines and style the first time I laid eyes on a cataloge somewhere.
Every place around Detroit is either Way Over Priced Contemporary ( which I cannot afford) or what I refer to as Modern Colonial Country. I’m not that either.
We looked for 8 years for an entertainment center that wasn’t Uber Yuppie, Lower Class Trying to Impress, Cheap & Awkward Looking (Which, frankly, are the only ones I see in everyone’s houses. It’s like they just gave up and the room never looks complete, it looks desperate). 8 years. 8 freaking years. Then we drive 6 hours to an Ikea in Pittsburg and in 10 minutes we see the Perfect unit for us. At about $2,000 less than any place else.
Our living room is the only room that is completely pulled together in looks. The rest is evolving out of Early Poverty to Some kind of Theme that we haven’t figured out yet.
I hate dark wood furniture ( dusting & lighting issues) and I don’t mind paying less for a well made product that I have to put together.
IKEA is suppose to be opening in Michigan soon.
I am nearly orgasmic.
Two things baffle me:
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The characterization of IKEA as “overpriced”. This one has been handled already.
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The dissatisfaction with IKEA’s customer service. Here in IKEA’s heartland you can go into an IKEA store with a paper bag full of smashed up wood and sawdust, say it’s the bookshelf you bought, and you’ll get a new bookcase for free, no questions, no hassle, no trouble. Ever. I don’t know of anyone whose complaint hasn’t been honoured.
IKEA rules. Oh, and the Swedish economy hinges entirely on IKEA, so get shopping, merkins.
I like IKEA for two reasons.
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Everytime I have been to Sydney IKEA has given me a couple of hours of entertainment. I have merrily oohed and aahed over all the STUFF. I don’t need the stuff but I do like looking at it.
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I can’t have it. Don’t we all want what we can’t have?
Yeah, the Houston can be pretty crappy sometimes. But…they’re about to open a brand,new store right next door that is twice the size of the original one. So I’m hoping for better stock and selection. I can’t wait to make a field trip…
I had good luck with Ikea linens so far. I got a great set of curtains which were good quality and much cheaper than anything I could have gotten at a normal store. I also got a cute duvey cover with matching shams, which has worked out very nicely, also for much cheaper than anything comparable.
They also have some really good kitchenware, by the way – once again, for much cheaper. One of my favorite things I have gotten there is this cool garlic press. I have been searching for a good garlic press for years and finally found the perfect one there.
That should read “duvet cover!”
Are you serious? Eeeeeee! Where in Michigan? When? These are questions I must have answered!
It’s done! I haven’t been there yet, but it IS huge…
I’ve read the Michigan Ikea will be in (IIRC) Canton.
Somewhere downriverish so that Ohioans can partake in the goodness that is Ikea.
Originally, they wanted to and petitioned for a spot in Troy, but Troy being the buttheads that they are did not like their electric blue warehouse style buildings.
Then one was suppose to open by me ( Auburn hills) but that didn’t pan out. Nuts.
The Tromso loft bed is the sleeping arrangment of choice for every person I know who is under 26, broke, and living in a cramped space. It costs $150, can be assembled in under two hours, looks great in almost any room, and opens up invaluable space in tiny rooms. Lots of their furniture is designed like this: to look nice and design-y while maximizing space and stretching a budget. They also have more classic, “grown-up” furniture, well-made and sturdy, but still at low prices.
IKEA: blond wood, simple clean lines, and Modernist design, good.
Dark quasi-Victorian pseudo-heritage design in most Toronto furniture stores, ick.
I choose IKEA. 
Are Ikea’s new to the U.S. or something? I always hear about these big whiz-bang openings down there and I have to wonder. I live in Ontario and they’ve had Ikea’s up here for years and years. I remember playing in the ball pit when I was but a wee lad