Ode to Ikea

[houseelf]

I went yesterday for the first time.

Holy cow, I'm in love. I want an Ikea house.

Anyone else care to join in the accolades?

Kelly

[rainbabies]

Roughly 50% of our stuff is IKEA.

The quality varies from paper thin to mid range, mostly.

It is adequate and the styles copy some pretty pricey things.

I am in lust with a local store that sells Danish and other Scandinavian furnishings.

It is an awesome place that really allows you to decorate on a budget. We're in the process of replacing most of our Ikea stuff w/higher-end things (v. slowly) as we're now out of training, but we loved it for many moons. Their pillows, sheets, and down comforters are divine (especially for the price). I'll still buy those!

[Auspicious]

Loooove Ikea! Almost all of our furniture and a lot of our housewares are from there except for the sofa, the bed, and my husband's old futon and desk chair.

When I got my first apartment I started looking around at what furniture I could find in the city and found myself thinking "Wow, I guess I'll have to acquire stuff verrry slowly as I can afford it piece by piece."

Then I discovered Ikea and was able to outfit the whole place at once, after all. Thank you, Ikea! It's not heirloom quality by a long shot, but I think it's a very good value for the money and it has all held up and is still serving its purpose seven years later. Plus I like their design sensibilities. I think we'll keep with the Ikea route through the young-children stage of our lives and then look at getting good stuff later.

[Gwendolyn]

We got an IKEA in Phoenix only about 4 months before we moved to Milwaukee (does not have one). I have already begun my shopping list of things I will pick up on my next trip home. I realized most of the stuff for DS is from IKEA (table and chairs to train set to plastic plates). I am so sad about missing the after Christmas sale. There is so much you can't order online...I sure do miss it

Caitlein

[Auspicious]

We got an IKEA in Phoenix only about 4 months before we moved to Milwaukee (does not have one). I have already begun my shopping list of things I will pick up on my next trip home. I realized most of the stuff for DS is from IKEA (table and chairs to train set to plastic plates). I am so sad about missing the after Christmas sale. There is so much you can't order online...I sure do miss it

Caitlein

You are only 1hr 44min from the one in Schaumburg. Day-trip! A long way to go for a store but not so long a trip for, say, an amusement park; think of Ikea as something in-between. They have a restaurant in the store, you know. Get the apple cake, it's good. Leave someone at your house to watch your kids and to be there to answer the phone so you can call and say "Measure and tell me how big that space is between the cabinet and broom closet. I think I found something to go there but I want to know if it will fit before I buy it." When the teenage boy helps you lift the heavy stuff into your car in the loading area, idly check out his jeans. Then drive home contentedly thinking about how you got a car full of stuff and it didn't even break you. ... Wait, whose day at Ikea was I talking about again?

[DCJenn]

LOVE IKEA-

In fact, my kitchen was redone in IKEA- and I got the cabinets at 50% off! (a sale...love their sales).

We saved so much on the cabinets that we went ahead and got the Corian counters. (umm, yes, this is in fact the second kitchen we've done in 5 years...note to self- stop buying houses that need to be fixed!!)

I love their stuff and want to do more, but not until we move (again).

We need a grown-up bed and bedroom furniture.

Jenn

[Tenacious_D]

I love IKEA as well but beware of certain items. We purchased a really nice mattress from a regualr mattress store and I wanted a really cool and cheap bed frame from Ikea but after we left the store (after purchasing it) we were informed by other customers that their frame is a European Frame and only fits their mattress so we had to return it and all the other accesories we purchased to match the bed frame I was a little upset that they didn't say anything in the store about the mattress requirements.

We did get a dresser from there that is GREAT but you must have patience when it comes to building the furniture...it takes a little bit of time.

When the teenage boy helps you lift the heavy stuff into your car in the loading area, idly check out his jeans. Then drive home contentedly thinking about how you got a car full of stuff and it didn't even break you. ... Wait, whose day at Ikea was I talking about again?

It is not uncommon for people to drive from Portland to the Seattle Ikea and make a trip of it, as Julie suggested. Luckily, I think they are introducing one here.

We have an Ikea armoire and dresser. I'm sure I've told the story of our bargain furniture....but it cost us only $4 and a little time. My neighbor was trying to give it away and was sure we didn't want her trashed furniture. One man's junk.... DH fixed it up without much of an investment. I think she bought it in Atlanta, moved it to Denver, moved within Denver, and then we moved it here. Definitely not lifelong furniture but it's a lot nicer than what we had.

The assembly can be some work. I think there was an episode of The Amazing Race where the teams had to assemble an Ikea desk. It was pretty funny.

[Gwendolyn]

I will have to go I was sold the minute I walked in to the signs pointed the way to the bottle warmer and nursing room. After nursing DH and pumping for a year while working and traveling I have a soft spot for any business that provides space. I was still emotional enough about it at the time that I even got a bit teary eyed Those Sweds know how to take care of families :ra:

[spotty_dog]

I love to drool over the catalog and admire the IKEA goodies in my in-laws' homes. Someday I hope to go there; some other day I hope to be able to afford to shop there.

[Sheherezade]

In our last home city, we were friends with an executive from H & M and his small family. He had a company apartment (gorgeous) completely done in IKEA by the comapny. It was like living in an Ikea catalog. The stuff they had was decent quality - probably on the high end of the IKEA scale. When they had to move back to Sweden, the company kept the furnished apartment. After a year in Sweden (in there own home) they opted to move to a new company apartment for a job in San Francisco. Sure, they *say* it was because of the job .... I wish medical training came with cool furnished apartments in hip cities! (And.....expense accounts and family payments for a three year maternity leave.....I want to be Swedish!!!!)

[Rapunzel]

All Hail the Mighty and Wondrous IKEA!!!!

[SueC]

Unfortunately, I've never lived anywhere sophisticated enough to have an IKEA, but I do occasionally go to their website and dream. Maybe I should check out their stuff for Mitchell's new room.