Ikea! (La Mesa, Solana Beach, Mesa: price, moving, beach)
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It doesn't hold up very well if you move around a lot it falls apart when ever you have to shuffle it around or put any added stress on it. If you just want something cheap for a few years and don't planning on moving apartments it might hold up alright. We have a horrible coffee table from there, it was only like $20 I think but the leg screws have become striped and won't stay in place so I put L-brackets on to hold it in place and the cheap particle board fell apart where the screws were put in and they are starting to work their way out and the legs are once again bowing outward. A lot of the stuff isn't worth the money at all like their couches cost a good amount and aren't comfortable and the legs fall off. The dressers break very easily we moved once and the main support piece snapped and the drawer face constantly falls off and these two pieces are only 2 and half years old and we moved once. I think Wal-Mart and Target furniture are actually higher quality, they don't have a tone of screw in pieces that eventually strip like Ikea does. Some of the furniture has pieces that are made of real wood woo whoo. We have a target desk that has held up and looks nice for over 5 years and a TV stand from Wal-Mart that has held together very well. We will never buy Ikea again...
We used to have a lot of IKEA stuff, but almost all of it broke. When we were moving from Boston to Atlanta a lot of the stuff broke in transit. I'd say IKEA is good for decor items, dishes, lamps, etc., but I would not trust it for anything else.
Futurama made a spoof on IKEA and its hilarious and spot on.
LOL @ the video. Darn, that's what I was afraid of. Hhhmmm. Well, I need to furnish an entire apt and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it but, I don't want my stuff to fall apart so, I have some thinking to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohs
It doesn't hold up very well if you move around a lot it falls apart when ever you have to shuffle it around or put any added stress on it. If you just want something cheap for a few years and don't planning on moving apartments it might hold up alright. We have a horrible coffee table from there, it was only like $20 I think but the leg screws have become striped and won't stay in place so I put L-brackets on to hold it in place and the cheap particle board fell apart where the screws were put in and they are starting to work their way out and the legs are once again bowing outward. A lot of the stuff isn't worth the money at all like their couches cost a good amount and aren't comfortable and the legs fall off. The dressers break very easily we moved once and the main support piece snapped and the drawer face constantly falls off and these two pieces are only 2 and half years old and we moved once. I think Wal-Mart and Target furniture are actually higher quality, they don't have a tone of screw in pieces that eventually strip like Ikea does. Some of the furniture has pieces that are made of real wood woo whoo. We have a target desk that has held up and looks nice for over 5 years and a TV stand from Wal-Mart that has held together very well. We will never buy Ikea again...
Um...that's horrible. I was thinking about getting one of their coffee tables and it's about $70. I'm "hoping" it'll be better quality but, you never know. Probably not. Just like I told aacole, I have something to think about now. I can furnish my entire apt for about 2K at Ikea (instead of 5K at other places) but, by the sounds of things, it doesn't sound like I should spend 2K (on beds, dressers, couches, dining room tables, chairs, etc.) at Ikea.
Lightweight furniture always falls apart eventually if you move often. Just the way things are. IKEA, Wal-Mart, Target, Office Depot, does not matter. I wore down three Office Depot / Plummers computer desks since 2001 because I moved a lot. The only way to avoid that is to buy solid wood furniture, which not only costs 3x as much as comparable IKEA stuff, but is also royal pain to move (because it's so HEAVY!)
I have a TV stand, a chair, a coffee table and two bookcases from IKEA. So far they withstood a surprising amount of abuse. I had to replace one screw, which got lost during the last move. So I just went to the store and got the replacement for free. Bookcases are new and I intend to keep them in one place, hopefully they will last a decade.
I love Ikea and have furnished the majority of my apartment with their stuff. I'm sure it's not the greatest quality, but the price is certainly right and very stylish. As for Wal-Mart and Target, it's a step up imo and I think their prices are much better for the quality. For examples, their dressers are much more sturdy with deeper drawers at a lower price. Also, it depend on what level of stuff you buy. Many times the more you spend the better the quality will be. I would definitely say it's a great way to start out! Just leave a weekend free to put it all together.
IKEA... GREAT PLACE! My husband and I have an entertainment unit with two book shelves and glass doors... about 300 for it all total... (we have HUGE dvd collection) we have had it for almost 5 years... everything is still in pretty good condition.. The tv stand which holds our LCD TV is a LITTLE bowed in the center, but still works (It was a cheap TV stand like 40 bucks)
We recently bought an IKEA table for 250 It is a small circular table and expands to dine 6. Nice if you don't know the size of your apartment. (TRUST ME, apartment sizes here, greatly differ in square footage so it's nice to have options.) The chairs we bought were more pricey, they were like 70 a piece and you buy the slip covers $15 each... nice cause you can change your patterns and take them off and wash them. You cant even tell they are slip covers they look completely sewn chairs. Its cool.
I think you should think about buying a couch somewhere else... there aren't as comfortable and can be pretty pricey. you should check out Ashley Furniture homestore and any furniture outlets you can find here... My BEAUTIFUL chaise and couch were under $700 together. and I have had them 7 years.
IKEA has a TON of decor which can be cheap if you know what you are looking for, and you can be creative. everything is pretty much customizable and comes in many colors so it is easy to add pieces thoughout the years... we haven't had ANYTHING fall apart but we also don't take anything apart except for table legs. everything fit in our moving truck, we moved from MN to SD and NOTHING BROKE... well a flat screen tv... but NOT anything IKEA. definatley check out the store... but also before buying, make sure to check out some outlet stores because you may find some GREAT DEALS.
As a general rule, IKEA stuff looks cool from far away and is fantastic as long as you don't sit on it. Meaning bookshelves, lamps, tables, even dishware, is ok. Avoid the beds, futons, and couches, especially the couches.
My guest bedroom is 100% Ikea although it doesn't get much use I would say it holds up well considering we move every other year. (I though want to have very comfortable furniture for people to overstay they welcome) If you assemble it correctly you should have any problems. I think they target people with small apartments studio's and Lofts cause they fit great. Most of the people I met in Japan had Muji,Loft & Ikea style furniture.
It's great for young people first starting out. Easy to assemble, trendy and affordible. Movers don't like IKEA because the furniture doesn't hold up well and they told me they are afraid of breaking things. Certain items have done well for me (bookcase, desk) and others haven't (coffee table, end tables). They look old and faded now.
Thanks for all of the responses. After hearing what everyone has to say about IKEA, I think I'll just invest the extra 2K I'd be saving and buy furniture that'll last me for who knows how long. No use in saving 2K and having to buy furniture 3ys later. Darn IKEA!
^ Hey, it's worth a visit to IKEA. You should check it out even if you're not buying anything.
I like IKEA for food and bookshelves. Their computer chairs might not last long because it can't hold heavier weight. Try to ignore any of their smaller cheap items, because of course, those are not reliable and can break easily. Despite certain cons in IKEA, I love their bookshelves with doors. Those are very sturdy for me.
I grew up with IKEA so it's like a love/hate relationship with the place. I was one of those little kids who you'd take into those "play places" to be entertained while the parents go off shopping. Back then, those child day-care places were much smaller. Kids, these days, are fortunate to have bigger places to play in.
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