4 ms·

> comes across as cheap and disposable I think they get a bit of a bad rep because, yes you can get a $10 MDF nightstand that will probably last a couple years

> comes across as cheap and disposable I think they get a bit of a bad rep because, yes you can get a $10 MDF nightstand that will probably last a couple years... but once you stop scraping the bottom of the barrel, their mid-range and up stuff does complete really well on quality and price, especially if mid-century style aesthetics appeal to you...

jedberg 6y ago
That may be true, but most people go to Ikea for the cheap stuff, otherwise they would go to a "real" furniture store.
- nkozyra 6y ago
  Well someone's buying the more expensive stuff or Ikea would stop bothering.
- crazygringo 6y ago
  It really depends on the category. If you're going to IKEA for a sofa, mattress, or coffee table -- yeah, it's going to be super-cheap stuff that doesn't last. But IKEA's phenomenal at a whole range of other stuff that's just as high quality but far cheaper than elsewhere. Lighting/lamps, storage boxes, kitchenware, a lot of their chairs/stools, bathroom, and so on. They're also really good for a lot of "basic" apartment pieces like bookshelves, dressers, storage cubes. A lot of people shop for those things at IKEA not for the price, but simply for the aesthetics. People with a lot of money and good taste still often wind up buying a bunch of stuff at IKEA because it works well. Not for a nice wooden coffee table mind you, but a nice white media stand for sure.
  - kalleboo 6y ago
    IKEA mattresses have lasted fine for me - and they come with a 25 year warranty.
  - xchaotic 6y ago
    I sold my Beddinge sofa after 7 years. You can replace the mattress and covers separately
- colechristensen 6y ago
  The problem is the “real” furniture with a decent design aesthetic and quality is 10x the cost. The rest of “real” furniture shopping involves sifting though large volumes of future which are nearly as bad as ikea’s worst quality for some multiple of the price, or of decent quality with a “grandma’s house” look or cheap suburban look. Reasonably priced, reasonably designed, furniture of reasonable quality is very hard to find. Expensive furniture would own me, as in the value lost through worry about damage, time spent finding, or moving hassle outweighs the value gained with aesthetics, durability, and other quality. Ikea furniture is often of questionable quality, but frequently of acceptable design and price such that i can’t find anything of middling price that i actually want. In other words, I want a $300 couch or a $3000 couch but can’t find or am not willing to spend any more time looking for something in between.
  - jedberg 6y ago
    FWIW I got my couch at Costco for $1500 and it’s great. And comes with a lifetime warranty.
- powersnail 6y ago
  People who buy $100 couch are not the ones who's going to buy $3000 couch anyway, even if IKEA doesn't exist. They --- including me --- are not going to buy, period. I just personally don't see a piece of furniture worthy of that much money.
  - asdasfasdfasdf 6y ago
    At one point I was buying $100 couches, but there's a good chance my next one will be in the $1500 range. I think Ikea has a solid strategy of selling nice looking but disposable furniture to young people (lots of college students)... and they've got a wide enough quality range to keep those people around as their tastes/incomes mature... and if your tastes/income stays the same... they've still got that cheap stuff for you.
mc32 6y ago
Yes their MDF is terrible, but also their plastics are inferior polymers that don’t age well. Some metal furnishings are sheet metal thin and lack structural rigidity/strength as well. Obviously they make compromises to meet a price point, so given the price points of these products I believe they well lean heavily to the Ikea quality rather than Legos quality. I would almost say if people have kids it’s maybe an option since they’d grow out of it, but then engineered wood would have lots of chemicals in them.
- timc3 6y ago
  You get what you pay for, but not all their plastics are like that. For example, the few plastic parts used in the kitchens are quality plastics where needed. The metal used is the same, with some Blum parts and the material the cabinets are made out of is quite substantial.
2muchcoffeeman 6y ago
> I think they get a bit of a bad rep because, yes you can get a $10 MDF nightstand that will probably last a couple years... Their Lack coffee table is an iconic POS. It’s almost completely hollow but I’ve seen them last years and it doesn’t look that bad. It’s also really cheap so I’ve seen lots of hacks for it. I think the hacking is where IKEA really shines. If you’re careful of what you buy, you can reconfigure, paint and chop up their furniture on the cheap and make it your own.
- Hamuko 6y ago
  >Their Lack coffee table is an iconic POS. It’s almost completely hollow but I’ve seen them last years and it doesn’t look that bad. It’s also really cheap so I’ve seen lots of hacks for it. I've had mine for several years and despite the top surface having some wear on it, it's just fine. Definitely a solid purchase considering it costs about as half as much as a takeout pizza.
- smueller1234 6y ago
  Makes for a great play table for kids as well. We bought one and put a custom sticker of roads/trees/houses on it that the kids can play with toy cars on, or amend with additional lego houses/trees etc.
- egil 6y ago
  Such as the Lack Rack :) https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack

jedberg 6y ago

That may be true, but most people go to Ikea for the cheap stuff, otherwise they would go to a "real" furniture store.

nkozyra 6y ago
Well someone's buying the more expensive stuff or Ikea would stop bothering.
crazygringo 6y ago
It really depends on the category. If you're going to IKEA for a sofa, mattress, or coffee table -- yeah, it's going to be super-cheap stuff that doesn't last. But IKEA's phenomenal at a whole range of other stuff that's just as high quality but far cheaper than elsewhere. Lighting/lamps, storage boxes, kitchenware, a lot of their chairs/stools, bathroom, and so on. They're also really good for a lot of "basic" apartment pieces like bookshelves, dressers, storage cubes. A lot of people shop for those things at IKEA not for the price, but simply for the aesthetics. People with a lot of money and good taste still often wind up buying a bunch of stuff at IKEA because it works well. Not for a nice wooden coffee table mind you, but a nice white media stand for sure.
- kalleboo 6y ago
  IKEA mattresses have lasted fine for me - and they come with a 25 year warranty.
- xchaotic 6y ago
  I sold my Beddinge sofa after 7 years. You can replace the mattress and covers separately
colechristensen 6y ago
The problem is the “real” furniture with a decent design aesthetic and quality is 10x the cost. The rest of “real” furniture shopping involves sifting though large volumes of future which are nearly as bad as ikea’s worst quality for some multiple of the price, or of decent quality with a “grandma’s house” look or cheap suburban look. Reasonably priced, reasonably designed, furniture of reasonable quality is very hard to find. Expensive furniture would own me, as in the value lost through worry about damage, time spent finding, or moving hassle outweighs the value gained with aesthetics, durability, and other quality. Ikea furniture is often of questionable quality, but frequently of acceptable design and price such that i can’t find anything of middling price that i actually want. In other words, I want a $300 couch or a $3000 couch but can’t find or am not willing to spend any more time looking for something in between.
- jedberg 6y ago
  FWIW I got my couch at Costco for $1500 and it’s great. And comes with a lifetime warranty.
powersnail 6y ago
People who buy $100 couch are not the ones who's going to buy $3000 couch anyway, even if IKEA doesn't exist. They --- including me --- are not going to buy, period. I just personally don't see a piece of furniture worthy of that much money.
- asdasfasdfasdf 6y ago
  At one point I was buying $100 couches, but there's a good chance my next one will be in the $1500 range. I think Ikea has a solid strategy of selling nice looking but disposable furniture to young people (lots of college students)... and they've got a wide enough quality range to keep those people around as their tastes/incomes mature... and if your tastes/income stays the same... they've still got that cheap stuff for you.

mc32 6y ago

Yes their MDF is terrible, but also their plastics are inferior polymers that don’t age well. Some metal furnishings are sheet metal thin and lack structural rigidity/strength as well. Obviously they make compromises to meet a price point, so given the price points of these products I believe they well lean heavily to the Ikea quality rather than Legos quality. I would almost say if people have kids it’s maybe an option since they’d grow out of it, but then engineered wood would have lots of chemicals in them.

timc3 6y ago
You get what you pay for, but not all their plastics are like that. For example, the few plastic parts used in the kitchens are quality plastics where needed. The metal used is the same, with some Blum parts and the material the cabinets are made out of is quite substantial.

2muchcoffeeman 6y ago

> I think they get a bit of a bad rep because, yes you can get a $10 MDF nightstand that will probably last a couple years... Their Lack coffee table is an iconic POS. It’s almost completely hollow but I’ve seen them last years and it doesn’t look that bad. It’s also really cheap so I’ve seen lots of hacks for it. I think the hacking is where IKEA really shines. If you’re careful of what you buy, you can reconfigure, paint and chop up their furniture on the cheap and make it your own.

Hamuko 6y ago
>Their Lack coffee table is an iconic POS. It’s almost completely hollow but I’ve seen them last years and it doesn’t look that bad. It’s also really cheap so I’ve seen lots of hacks for it. I've had mine for several years and despite the top surface having some wear on it, it's just fine. Definitely a solid purchase considering it costs about as half as much as a takeout pizza.
smueller1234 6y ago
Makes for a great play table for kids as well. We bought one and put a custom sticker of roads/trees/houses on it that the kids can play with toy cars on, or amend with additional lego houses/trees etc.
egil 6y ago
Such as the Lack Rack :) https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack