IKEA...it's a bit pants

[CantUnderstand1t]

Dh and I went yesterday. We went to get hinges for our kitchen cupboard Dh had fitted this years ago. Anyway he's had to get them from amazon IKEA didn't have them.

I used to think it was great. I always found something to inspire me. Yesterday there was one room they'd done that was quite gothic that we liked. Nothing else. I looked at a few dining tables they were so cheap looking and feeling but not always cheap prices. I know everything has gone up though.

I'll never set foot in one again. Dh said the same.

It was very busy even though it was a Monday. So they won't miss us 🤣 plus been at least 10 years since we've been.

Do you love it there? Or like us not for you?

You've got to be a bit selective. Some of it is brilliant. I bought some beautiful cotton bedding recently which was really cheap compared with JL etc. I also took DD - she's a young adult, really into art, and she'd never been to IKEA. She loved the rooms. I think generally their design is really good.

We got our dining table from Ikea about ten years ago, solid beech and not a mark on it after daily use for all this time. The thing was we wanted it for a narrow space and it was absolutely the only one we could find that fitted in and 4 could still sit round. Same with a sofa recently, a very small space and we found the Ekaneset sofa was the only one we could find anywhere that seated two comfortably and actually fitted in our space and looked good (it has very narrow wooden arms). So much second hand furniture is big because it is downsizers getting rid of it.

I don't go anymore as they shut the Tottenham one a few years back

Oh, I didn't know that closed, that was my nearest one. Which shows how often I went!

I agree that it's more for a certain phase of life. Although I'm not convinced it was ever that cheap. My Ex built some wardrobes from there about 20 years ago now, when we moved into my current house. By the time we bought all the various bits separately I think it would have been cheaper to just buy a couple of wardrobes.

I was also never keen on the one way system. It made me feel trapped!

Can’t stand the furniture but it’s useful for kitchen utensils, storage boxes, Tupperware type stuff etc.

The one on Oxford St is great because it’s filled with that sort of stuff without having to traipse to an out of town warehouse hanger.

I've just moved from a flat to a house and will be furnishing with IKEA. It's an easy and cheap way to buy lots of furniture quickly, which can then be replaced piece by piece with better when they wear out.

I don’t think we’ve ever had anything from Ikea wear out.

I think it’s gone very bland in recent years.

I don't mind it but I don't find that most things are very cheap there. You can get the equivalent at argos, debenhams ect for a similar price. We recently moved and went to look in store for the first time and the set ups were ok, we only really liked the dark dining room but that's just our taste. My kids love all of the white furniture so we got some bits that they liked. I don't think I could kit out a whole house with ikea.

I don't get to go very often but find IKEA very inspiring and particularly great for space saving solutions.

I love (some) Ilea stuff and am 50s! You have tonpicknamd choose though.

Did the dark dining room have a smoky smell?

I think the quality is far far better than what you get in Argos. I’ve got coffee tables which are 10 years old and cost about £12 and they still look fine. My daughter’s wardrobe was from there7 years ago and still looks perfect and functions perfectly . The Argos one we’ve got the doors and drawers are almost impossible to open, something’s gone wrong with the alignment, and the back is hanging off as it was held in by about 10 nails. Can’t wait to get rid (and am replacing with ikea!)

I was surprised at how expensive everything seemed when I went in the summer mind, but I haven’t bought furniture there for 6/7 years and I guess everything is more expensive now.

i never thought it was particularly inspiring, just functional at a sensible price and good quality.

Pre covid (2018) we got 2 str ektorp sofas for £250 each
Same sofas are now £450 and the covers are now not full - they have lining/thin fabric where it was fully fabric previously.
Everything is now made cheaper and sold for a higher price.

I agree with this. Definitely better quality than the equivalent price at places like Argos.

I've got Ikea stuff older than that. I wouldn't buy imitations.
If you think it's expensive, look at what it costs in other countries.

I love my leather settee

I've been to Ikea maybe twice in the last 10 years - once to buy a mattress and more recently to get a bamboo desk. We now have 3 of the same desk in this house!

That's is though - I can live without all the marketplace tat. If I needed to replace one saucepan, for example, I'd buy local. I bought the things my DC took to University from charity shops and FB marketplace - it all gets lost in my experience!

The rooms never seem to change, and neither does the furniture. It’s great for basics, but that’s about it

I first discovered Ikea when I lived in the US almost 40 years ago. Back then, and for 30 years or so, I've loved it. I love the Scandi style, it's to my taste.

But I feel that Ikea has lost its way a little bit with its designs. I'm in the market for a new sofa. My last 3 have been Ikea. But now, all their sofas are a bit meh. Borderline old fashioned. No real difference to what I've seen anywhere else.

Their bedding is OK. Nothing special. Light fittings, same. Bathroom bits, not a lot of choice. JL much better. They're good for kitchen stuff. I think there, they win.

I feel they definitely need a bit of a shake-up, design wise. I also think there is a lot of plastic crap going on in Ikea and I think they need to consider that. It actively puts a lot of their target market off.

It's still mobbed, whenever I go. So I don't suppose they care about these opinions really. But I do feel there is a bit of a drift away from them. If they only keep customers because they're cheap, aren't they going a bit wrong?

It's ok if you want a large wardrobe that's functional, we have Pax in 2 bedrooms but not in our bedroom as I prefer the look of my old Harveys ones, very sad when Harveys closed as I had comfy sofas from them as well. I recently bought a very cheap green Ikea bathroom cabinet which looks lovely in our downstairs loo, I had been looking for something for ages that I liked. We have Billy bookcases as they are good value and variety of sizes

I furnished my first flat 25 years ago in IKEA stuff and again in first home with DH 20 years ago. Ektorp sofa bed still going strong. Only recently replaced a set of drawers and gave away a kallax unit which still looked great. I think the quality isn’t as good now and it’s not as stylish. But about to order a new mattress for DDs new to her double bed frame.

Yes it all feels so soulless and depressing to me now, so much mass produced stuff piled high.

Can anyone else remember the Ikea ‘chuck out your chintz’ advertising campaign where they made us all think our traditional home furnishings belonged in the bin 😂

I think they were always a bit mixed - the chipboard type furniture was never great and the market area was full of tat way back when I used to go as a teenager!

But some of their stuff is brilliant quality/ value. I've got a stainless steel pot that's been going strong for 22 years and survived many shared houses and moves. Our handed down Ikea sofa is at least 18 years old, needs new covers again but the frame and cushions are in excellent condition.

I also rate them for storage (boxes, files etc) and in recent years we've bought a few bits of furniture for DD - interested to see if the quality is still as good.

My husband and I each have a Kallax in our offices. I still think they're fantastic storage solutions. We also have the famous flip down 4-drawer shoe storage unit in the hallway, which is excellent, and the Pax wardrobe system, which looks really stylish and neat. But that's it. I like mid century modern styling and solid wood (often buying second hand) for everything else.

God I hate IKEA. And the absolute faff that people make of it like it’s a brilliant day out 😆 and like the meatballs don’t taste like dog food.