Tell me about your experience with IKEA Furniture

[Anonymous]

We're in the process of making our son's room a "big boy" room (he's only 3), but looking for a good reasonable furniture store that won't cost a fortune. IKEA looks nice, but how good is there quality? We'd like to purchase headbaord, nightstand, and set of drawers.

Any of you out there have experience with IKEA furniture?

[Anonymous]

I have a crib, toy chest, and set of drawers/changing table from Ikea. Have had it for two years and it seems fine. We are not 'hard' on furniture, and it seems to keep up well. We also got a nightstand in their reduced/slightly damaged room for our guest room and again, seems fine. I don't expect much for what I paid for them, but I didn't want to shell out a lot of a baby's room. We're hoping to use it all for baby #2 next year and maybe get a toddler bed from Ikea or off craigslist.

[Anonymous]

Shoddy and looks cheap.

[Anonymous]

get the higher end stuff if you can - that will generally last longer. But I can tell you that my parents still have furniture that we bought at IKEA 20 years ago and it continues to be useful and functional. We have plenty of pieces in our home, too - bookcases, entertainment units, dressers, etc. Oddly, our child's furniture is about the only stuff that WASN'T from IKEA. We got her bed at Baby 2 Teen in Manassas and her dresser at the now defunct Pottery Barn Outlet.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends what you want out of the furniture. We bought our almost 3 YO a twin bed from Ikea a few months ago and it's perfect for our needs now. It's a sturdy bed and low to floor, which is good for him now. It definitely looks like Ikea furniture, but we don't care about that. And we spent so little on the bed (like $70) that whenever we move and if we decide to get him a bigger bed like a queen, we don't care about just getting rid of it. I think some folks want to hold onto their kids' furniture for 25 years and therefore invest a lot of $$ in it, but you need to look at whether it will be appropriate furniture for your teenager or kid visiting home from college.

[Anonymous]

Ikea is decent inexpensive furniture. It is ideal for times when you want something that will last a few years and not break the bank. So, anytime you are getting something that you will not need for a long time, it works. So, furniture for a first apartment when you may have a higher income and different taste in a few years. Or, in this case, children's rooms where the children will grow and have different needs in the future. I do have Ikea furniture from 15-20 years ago. This was furniture for an office/guest room in my first rental condo. It now sits as extra furniture in our playroom 2 houses and 2 family expansions (wedding and children) later. I would say that some Ikea furniture is good for about 5-7 years. But, make sure to take a look at the demo versions in the store to see how they are built. Some of the really cheap stuff is not built well and I wouldn't get it. But with a careful eye, you can find reasonable inexpensive furniture. If you are getting furniture for a first child and expect to have more children and handle the furniture down, then you may not be satisfied with Ikea, but otherwise, it's a good deal with a moderate lifespan.

[Anonymous]

Ikea's solid wood furniture has held up really well for my roughneck boys. It will serve some other family long after we pass it on. For the price, the quality and durability can't be beat.

The reasons not to go with Ikea are that it will always look like Ikea furniture, which matters a lot to some folks. The other is if you want family heirlooms that will be kept and passed on to your grandchildren; unique and marvelously crafted pieces that impress. That's not Ikea.

[Anonymous]

I will second decent and inexpensive. Heirloom? Going to last through college? Heck no. But if you're on a budget, it's a good option. My house is full of the stuff.

[Anonymous]

I think if you buy the cheap stuff at IKEA, it serves the purpose of holding up for a few years, and has the benefit that it was so inexpensive in the first place that you won't mind getting rid of it or selling it for cheap if you move/your needs change.

However, I do think some of the higher end stuff at IKEA is far better quality and is likely to hold up for a long time.

[Anonymous]

We have a bunch of stuff from IKEA - desks, shelving units, etc. Most of it has held up fine, although one drawer in my DD's dresser has a defective track. (although possibly my fault since I assembled the thing!) We also had one office swivel chair that broke after a couple of years. My former company's office was mostly furnished with IKEA desks and bookshelves which seemed to withstand lots of use long-term.

I think the wooden furniture is great, but we've never tried any upholstered pieces, aside from the office swivel chairs, so I can't really speak to their durability. Despite or perhaps because of all the particleboard, I do find the wooden furniture very heavy weightwise, and it is agony to move.

[Anonymous]

We have a few key IKEA pieces that are great. The best is my kid's bed, which is a twin, with big storage drawers, that turns easily into a king when guests are here or when there are sleepovers. It was cheap, but more importantly, it is more functional than anything else that we have found. We also have some bookcases and a few other random pieces. They all look great, but I wouldn't dream of getting all of my furniture from IKEA. It would look way too cheap. And, we are way too design conscious. Thus, we have a lot of very high end furniture, but the IKEA pieces fit in quite nicely. But, I would never considered any of the accent type pieces that are at IKEA.

[Anonymous]

We have some IKEA stuff and it has held up reasonably well but I don't expect to keep it forever. If you are looking for something for the next few years, IKEA is perfect and has really cute stuff for kids. But if you want it to be furniture for the long-term, probably not so much.

Crate and Barrel has a line of furniture that is less expensive than their regular stuff but a step above IKEA. I think it looks really nice and is better quality than IKEA. Macys and JC Penney also have decent furniture for a reasonable price.

[Anonymous]

We have had positive experiences so far, and so far it's lasted 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Our boys sleep in an IKEA bunk bed that was dirt cheap ($150 I think?) and is now about five years old. They have beat the living snot out of it, we have taken it apart and put it back together four times, and the kids are heavy -- and still, it is as strong and sturdy as ever. DH has even slept in it (top bunk - no joke!) and he weighs close to 300 pounds. I'm really not sure what it will take to break the thing because honestly, it's in great (functional) condition.

Come to think of it, we have two different large bookshelf units that are from IKEA, too, which have been beat up and down and also moved several times. One is about 10 years old. Still in great condition.

This isn't to say that IKEA furniture is "great" or timeless or classy or anything. I mean, I prefer solid wood as much as anyone, but really IKEA will hold up just fine and probably give you more life then you are counting on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if you buy the cheap stuff at IKEA, it serves the purpose of holding up for a few years, and has the benefit that it was so inexpensive in the first place that you won't mind getting rid of it or selling it for cheap if you move/your needs change.

However, I do think some of the higher end stuff at IKEA is far better quality and is likely to hold up for a long time.

+1 We have a good bit of IKEA furniture. We've been really pleased with our dining room table, which has held up during a cross-country move, though we had to replace one chair. A couch we bought when we first moved here is doing great. I envision it being a long-term family room/basement couch whenever we manage to buy a house.

Our baby's room is almost all IKEA. We expect to convert the crib to a toddler bed then get another crib for #2. We're using one of their basic dressers as a diaper changing table. It may or may not hold up, but we paid less than $100 for it, so I really don't mind. I like the thought of selling our baby furniture on Craig's list eventually and letting the kids have input on a bed, dresser, nightstand when they are older. It may be IKEA all over again but we'll see!