Tell me about your experience with IKEA Furniture

[Anonymous]

Unless you plan on keeping things only a few years, go for solid wood. We still have a couple basement storage cabinets and shelves we got there 10-15 years ago, but I wouldn't expect their other pieces to last that long. I have heard good things about IKEA mattresses, but have no first hand experience. If you are near Great Beginnings in MD, they used to have great deals in their sale room, all quality stuff.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to generalize with IKEA-- some of their stuff will hold up well, others will not.

There are two IKEA products for kids that I would highly recommend: the metal bunk bed (forget the name), which is a pain to assemble, but has held together very well and is very sturdy.

Second, the Expedit bookcases. These are the cube-shaped shelves with open backing, and they come with canvas baskets that fit the spaces. Perfect for toys and oversize kid books. These have been one of the most useful kid purchases of any kind I have ever bought. They hold up nicely too-- my oldest expedit unit was bought in the 90s and is still doing fine, even after mutliple moves and disassembly/reassemblies. We've since bought 3 others to go along with it since having kids.

Other really good IKEA products-- the billy bookcases and kitchen cabinetry.

IKEA products I would not recommend: the adult platform beds (too flimsy), poang chairs, and just about anything that is made of plastic rather than wood or metal.

[Anonymous]

Things of mine from IKEA that have held up well:

Wood dresser (hemnes)--looks sturdy, still great after 10 years now. opens and closes smoothly and quietly. It's a bit country looking, but still pretty plain and nice.
Planters and plants-- they have great, plain white planters for cheap, and cute plants.
children's plates and cups - cheap and good looking


things I've had problems with:
Lamps--they always seem to crap out on me
bedding and pillows -- very scratchy and not very soft or good quality (good colors though)
sometimes parts are missing -from a few of the chairs. Tough when you live about 30 miles from either of the local stores!
I now hate my rocking chair that I got as a nursing chair but just because it is so iconically IKEA that I feel like it screams "CHEAP IKEA CHAIR" when people see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to generalize with IKEA-- some of their stuff will hold up well, others will not.

There are two IKEA products for kids that I would highly recommend: the metal bunk bed (forget the name), which is a pain to assemble, but has held together very well and is very sturdy.

Second, the Expedit bookcases. These are the cube-shaped shelves with open backing, and they come with canvas baskets that fit the spaces. Perfect for toys and oversize kid books. These have been one of the most useful kid purchases of any kind I have ever bought. They hold up nicely too-- my oldest expedit unit was bought in the 90s and is still doing fine, even after mutliple moves and disassembly/reassemblies. We've since bought 3 others to go along with it since having kids.

Other really good IKEA products-- the billy bookcases and kitchen cabinetry.

IKEA products I would not recommend: the adult platform beds (too flimsy), poang chairs, and just about anything that is made of plastic rather than wood or metal.

Ha...my experience is different from yours. While I do have and like the Expedit, we also like some of the products you don't like. My parents bought me a Poang chair and ottoman in 1992 as a housewarming gift for my first condo. It is still in the house and several family members still consider it "the comfortable chair". It is used daily and loved and still holds up well. We replaced our old bed with a Malm platform bed several years ago. We did not get an Ikea mattress (we didn't find one that was comfortable for both of us), but we found a great mattress at Sleepy's for the bed and have had no problems for about 5 years with this bed. Our house has a mix of Ikea and more expensive items. for example, we have several Pax wardrobes (four that were purchased in 1997 that are still holding up well) because they are so versatile. We also have a lot of Effectiv (apparently, now discontinued) cabinets which are holding up well.

[Anonymous]

I think for a kids room, IKEA furniture is perfect. But maybe round it out with a few solid wood things so the room isn't ALL IKEA - so, if you get an IKEA bed and nightstand, buy a nice solid wood dresser that will last for a while.

I'm a big proponent of nice solid wood dressers. At age 36, I'm still using the dresser my parents bought for my older sister before I was born. That means my dresser is 40ish years old!! And its in great shape, I fully intend to use it for my kids (it may need a paint job soon, though).

[Anonymous]

11:14 here - I've also had an IKEA bed for 15 years that is awesome. Still looks just as good as the day I bought it. It's the powder coated steel bed, though, not one of the wooden ones. An older version of this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S7988956 I don't think the wood/particle board beds last as long b/c it can warp with age and moisture.

[Anonymous]

I read a book called "Cheap" that says IKEA sources its wood from suppliers who subcontract to people who harvest old growth forests. They claim all their wood comes from "sustainable" suppliers, but they do not follow the supply chain all the way back to its source, the book says.

I avoid IKEA wood furniture for that reason. I think their stuff is cute, is cheap, and works fine for kids' rooms. I have a few pieces from my pre-"Cheap" days. Still work, and if I get rid of them, not much $$ lost. No heirlooms to hand down, but functional.