Can someone explain why folks are so high on Ikea?

[Anonymous]

I can find some cute things in their marketplace, flower pots, etc. Maybe some bedding. But I've never been impressed with their furniture, cabinetry, etc. I assume a lot of it is style, i.e. people like the more modern feel of those pieces. And price is good for interim furniture perhaps.

Still, I looked through their kitchen line, for instance, and everything to me looks to too 'Euro' for my tastes - and for a lot of the homes in this area, which lean colonial or farmhouse.

Can someone explain the appeal?

[Anonymous]

It's Cheap.

[Anonymous]

Well you said it yourself. Many people just like the style and the price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can find some cute things in their marketplace, flower pots, etc. Maybe some bedding. But I've never been impressed with their furniture, cabinetry, etc.

I assume a lot of it is style, i.e. people like the more modern feel of those pieces. And price is good for interim furniture perhaps

.

Still, I looked through their kitchen line, for instance, and everything to me looks to too 'Euro' for my tastes - and for a lot of the homes in this area, which lean colonial or farmhouse.

Can someone explain the appeal?

You basically answered your own question.

It's a great way to get started on furniture until you can afford better. It's also a good option if you want pieces that look nice but you know will get battered because you have kids or pets. Frankly, if I had known Ikea did kitchens when we remodeled ours, I would have seriously considered just going with them.

[Anonymous]

Because I can afford it. I can go there and come out with what I need. Does that answer your question, OP?

[Anonymous]

Because not everyone likes colonial or farmhouse and some people like "euro" design.
Not everyone shares your tastes and wallet OP.

[Anonymous]

Because it's affordable and works for families who are only going to be in the area a short time. Also, some little kids are very destructive so I'd rather get Ikea now and then replace with something fancier once they grow.
I have lots of the old wood ikea bookcases and they've held up nicely through several moves and were a fraction of the price that over stores wanted. I happen to like the more euro style and I find that their furniture fits well into the small 50s colonial houses around here as opposed to big and heavy traditional wood pieces (but this is completely a personal aesthetic preference). A whole house of ikea would probably look strange but it can work with a mix of vintage and other pieces.

[Anonymous]

Not being able to pronounce half the product names makes them innately fancier.

[Anonymous]

You have to do strategic buying with Ikea. I wouldn't buy a lot of their furniture, but some of it is particularly creative and, at the price, a great deal. I actually have quite a few ikea items, including a couple of pieces of furniture (by choice, not by budget constraint), and they have held out very well. The trick is to mix a few, well chosen (smaller) ikea pieces of furniture with other contrasting pieces. I do agree that I would never furnish my whole house only/mainly with ikea.

As I have said in other threads, I am familiar with European design magazines, and many of the high-end apartments and home they show feature ikea items along with very expensive furniture. That's something you wouldn't see in American magazines. I think there is a degree of snobbism in the USA around ikea items. This is particularly true with their kitchen which I think are great. I do realize that many people in this area think that an "elegant" kitchen has to have lots of corbels and other heavy details that "look expensive." To each their own.

By the way, I wouldn't buy a lot of their lighting fixtures and other smaller items from their marketplace.

[Anonymous]

Because my tastes ARE "Euro" and I like that I don't have to pay zillions of dollars for it.

I'm not expecting it to be furniture my children inherit, but it's certainly been working just fine for several years now.

[Anonymous]

It may not be to everyone's taste, but it's definitely affordable and better quality than what you could find at a similar price point.

[Anonymous]

I hate that Euro/modern crap. I also hate fake wood. I keep wanting to love Ikea, but I just can't get past their modern, plastic furniture.

[Anonymous]

I love the idea of Euro. I love smaller scale, smarter design and just how Europeans live. This furniture is perfect for that. Sometimes you have to get your furniture home on your bike and not your SUV! But we have a traditional home and furniture so it doesn't mix well. I am using it for my children's decorating though, and it is very appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the idea of Euro. I love smaller scale, smarter design and just how Europeans live. This furniture is perfect for that. Sometimes you have to get your furniture home on your bike and not your SUV! But we have a traditional home and furniture so it doesn't mix well. I am using it for my children's decorating though, and it is very appropriate.

European living sucks ass, concentrated apartments like third world

[Anonymous]

I only really buy the (few) all wood pieces, and I plan to buy some stuff over the next few months because my small children wreck everything anyway.