IKEA furniture. What is your opinion of their furniture?

[Anonymous]

Great?
Good?
Ok?
Bad?
Terrible?

[Anonymous]

I have owned one of their mattresses and it was really comfortable when I first bought it. Almost like sleeping on air. But it did not last.

[Anonymous]

Looks great, but breaks easily.

[Anonymous]

Agree with pp's. It is great for college or first apartment because it is cheaper than most furniture, however it is not sturdy. Also, a pain to put together.

[Anonymous]

I think what Ikea has going for it is predictable quality. If you're buying their cheapest items, it will serve you well until you need to move. Generally, they stuff will start to crack in the first move, and totally collapse in the second - but that's predictable and you know what you're buying.

Their mid-market items are really sturdy though and you're getting more value for your money. A few years ago, I bought a couch from a popular furniture wear house in the neighborhood. It was much more expensive than Ikea's cheap line, but it broke within a few months. I've since seen the same couch in a couple other homes - also broken in exactly the same way. We replaced it with an Ikea couch, priced about the same, but it is of solid quality. I feel confident that when I'm buying from Ikea, spending more means getting more. That's not always true with other stores - they'll mark a product up regardless of its durability, quality of materials, etc.

[Anonymous]

When I was a kid, I had a desk that fell apart within a month. I haven't got anything since from there.

Of course, things have changed a lot since then. I haven't set foot in the store in a very long time, and it has nothing to do with getting lost.

[Anonymous]

Isn't it made in China with the worst wood they can find?

[Anonymous]

Mixed bag. But generally our IKEA stuff has held up well. For example I have a solid wood coffee table that I've had for 15 years and 10 moves- still going strong and looks good. My primary dishes are IKEA and they are also 15 years old and won't die.
Some other pieces are more throwaway, not solid wood. But overall a good value for the $$.

[Anonymous]

Gotta love IKEA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=09ThzESqNC0

[Anonymous]

We have a ton of Ikea stuff. Agree that the mid-market items are generally well made and good for families with younger kids. The cheaper items do not last, and some of the products made of particle board smell pretty bad. We have a Karlstad sectional (discontinued) that we like much better than the Pottery Barn sectional we previously had. Our dining room table is large and very sturdy. The kids storage items are great.

[Anonymous]

Stuff like bookshelves and kitchen tables = fine. Their couches and armchairs always seem fairly cheap to me and not comfortable after a while.

[Anonymous]

I have Ikea stuff that has lated a long time. I bought it knowing that it won't last forever. They look cute and don't break the bank. I bought the small kiddie tables thinking they would last a year or two tops- and 8 years later they are still going strong. I have the Kallax shelves and they look brand new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think what Ikea has going for it is predictable quality. If you're buying their cheapest items, it will serve you well until you need to move. Generally, they stuff will start to crack in the first move, and totally collapse in the second - but that's predictable and you know what you're buying.

Their mid-market items are really sturdy though and you're getting more value for your money. A few years ago, I bought a couch from a popular furniture wear house in the neighborhood. It was much more expensive than Ikea's cheap line, but it broke within a few months. I've since seen the same couch in a couple other homes - also broken in exactly the same way. We replaced it with an Ikea couch, priced about the same, but it is of solid quality. I feel confident that when I'm buying from Ikea, spending more means getting more. That's not always true with other stores - they'll mark a product up regardless of its durability, quality of materials, etc.

Agree with this. Their cheapest stuff will inevitably fall apart, their more expensive lines can actually last a good while. We've had good luck with their dressers making it through multiple moves.

[Anonymous]

Much of my home is IKEA furniture. I have one piece that I bought in 2000 that is still going strong and has had several different lives. And the dresser in my little one's room was one of my dressers in my room as a teenager, bought in 1990, and survived multiple moves.

I'm not saying stuff is heirloom quality, but treated well, it can last more than a couple years.

[Anonymous]

The quality varies a fair bit by item. Price is one proxy. I also quite frankly try to abuse the assembled item in the store and if it holds up ok, it will hold up at home as well. I have a few pieces that are older than a decade now and still in fine shape.

I always say I'll never add more IKEA furniture to my house since I can now afford decent furniture, and then I have some specific problem I need to solve in my house, like putting a tall, narrow wardrobe in a nook, and my options end up being $3,000 for custom carpentry or $200 at IKEA.