IKEA - and others ?

[The Lawspeaker]

Love or hate it. I personally don't mind it because it definitely gave me a functional yet good-looking bedroom.

http://www.bculik.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Ikea-bedroom-designs-3.jpg

http://www.decodir.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ikea-living-room-2010-550x383.jpg

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/ikea-kitchen-ikea-378368_450_355.jpg

http://www.ikeafans.com/images/wordpress/uploads/2008/11/ikea-black-friday-sale-malm.jpg


A plague or poor man's designer ? Should a better, less cluttered and more liveable living space also be available to the common man ?

[Treffie]

Cheap, cheerful and easy to put together. I'm not a snob, I love IKEA! :thumbs up

[Susi]

i like it because it's cheap and lasts a long time )

[Eldritch]

I dislike IKEA.

They shamelessly rip off other designers (they openly copy others' designs, and deviate from them just enough to avoid getting sued, but not an inch more), their products are shoddy and made of poor materials, if at all possible everything they sell is made in the 3rd World, and the whole feel of IKEA is soulless and artificial. And when we're talking about furniture, a long time is decades, not just a few years.

[anonymaus]

Haven't bought anything from IKEA for several years. The last thing was a lamp; before that I can't even recall what I bought from them. I'm not taking a moral stand against IKEA, they just don't make anything I like the look of really.

[Svipdag]

"Good-looking" is in the eye of the beholder. BUT, I, for one, would be willing to pay more for furniture made of only slightly more expensive plywood rather than chip board which cannot endure any shear stress and onto which
nothing can be screwed without the chipboard's disintegrating.

It is a shoddy material and furnture made of it, regardless of how good it may look initially, is doomed to early deterioration. I have a bookcase behind
me which is on the verge ofcollapse because the shelves are screwed tothe sides and have split.

In short, IKEA sells good-looking trash.

[Fortis in Arduis]

When I first moved back to London, I had a fairly stylish bedsit which was the first floor drawing room of a single-fronted early Victorian townhouse.

I bought a black metal framed bed from IKEA, and it was acceptable, and a white lockable metal cabinet and some blinds.

The blinds broke.

IKEA furniture has nasty detailing and looks cheap. I have subsequently tried and failed to buy IKEA furniture.

[Loddfafner]

Ikea was the only place I could find enough bookcases of the right size. They've worked out well even after moving. The other large furniture, however, fell apart quickly: a chest of drawers and a closet got curbstomped. Smaller pieces have generally worked out ok. I enjoy putting them together but I have a deep peeve about automated checkouts so now I avoid Ikea.

The one upside about the shopping experience is walking through what is really just another big box store along the Philly waterfront but realizing that it is an interchangeable experience with Europe. I can feel European. All those Swedish names studded with umlauts add to that sense. A few evoke pleasant memories of specific places in Sweden.

[Treffie]

"Good-looking" is in the eye of the beholder. BUT, I, for one, would be willing to pay more for furniture made of only slightly more expensive plywood rather than chip board which cannot endure any shear stress and onto which
nothing can be screwed without the chipboard's disintegrating.



Ikea doesn't use many products with chipboard, it's mainly MDF, which is much stronger. I'd never buy chipboard.

[Aemma]

Cheap, cheerful and easy to put together. I'm not a snob, I love IKEA! :thumbs up

DITTO!! :thumb001: It's my dirty little secret. Well, not so secret any longer i guess. :rolleyes:

We have another great store in Canada, Anon you've probaly seen this one around. It's called JYSK, the Danish IKEA imitator. I like it too! It's not as big as IKEA is, of course, but it has some different things, and some nice wooden furniture made by a company called Jutlandia, teak stuff for the most part.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2rwaidz.jpg

http://www.jysk.ca/

[anonymaus]

We have another great store in Canada, Anon you've probaly seen this one around. It's called JYSK

I have indeed! Can't say I've ever been in one that I recall; I should pop in and check their stuff out. I do my best to buy artisanal products and from local shops in general. I buy Canadian whenever it's a viable option.

[Aemma]

I have indeed! Can't say I've ever been in one that I recall; I should pop in and check their stuff out. I do my best to buy artisanal products and from local shops in general. I buy Canadian whenever it's a viable option.

In my opinion *this* is the proper way to shop! :thumb001:

[Fortis in Arduis]

The place to buy handmade furniture in Europe is Italy, Italy and Italy.

Thank you very much, mass production.

[Susi]

It is a shoddy material and furnture made of it, regardless of how good it may look initially, is doomed to early deterioration. I have a bookcase behind
me which is on the verge ofcollapse because the shelves are screwed tothe sides and have split..

...What are you doing with your bookcases? My parents have had some since they came to Canada ~20 years ago and they are holding up fine? I have one right beside me... it's been moved house about 5 times and it's also fine.... Cheep and cheerful and they hold together...?



The place to buy handmade furniture in Europe is Italy, Italy and Italy.

Thank you very much, mass production.

Mass production makes goods accessible to the masses, whereby suppressing the proletarian's revolutionary spirit :coffee:

[Absinthe]

Love it, because it offers a variety of designs and styles, their furniture is comfortable and "smart", and most of all, affordable.
I especially like secondary things such as kitchen equipment, decorative stuff, curtains, etc.

If I had a choice to create a house with unique, custom-made furniture made with better materials that would last for a lifetime, I would still go for IKEA because I get easily bored and I wouldn't want to have the same furniture for life. :p

I very well understand Eldritch's point of view, but I beg to differ when it comes to practicality and affordability.

As for the copyright issues when it comes to design....doesn't the same hold for basically everything?
I mean, if you shop from Zara and H&M you basically buy cheap designer copies.
If you shop from LIDL or similar chains, you buy no-name products of slightly lesser quality but you save up a lot. I don't care about branding and copyrighting, nor do I want to spend enormous amounts of money in commodities.

[Eldritch]

I do my best to buy artisanal products and from local shops in general. I buy Canadian whenever it's a viable option.

This is my main beef with IKEA. If they made their products in Sweden out of Swedish wood (rather than Bangladeshi chipboard) I'd gladly buy them.


I mean, if you shop from Zara and H&M you basically buy cheap designer copies.

If you shop from LIDL or similar chains, you buy no-name products of slightly lesser quality but you save up a lot.

I don't shop at H&M either. ;)

And that's not because I look down on brands like IKEA or H&M, or because I think I'm above them, because I'm not. In fact I'm poorer than a church rat. And that's precisely why I cannot afford to buy anything of low quality that'll just need to be replaced next month or next year.

I do shop at LIDL though.

[Treffie]

Love it, because it offers a variety of designs and styles, their furniture is comfortable and "smart", and most of all, affordable.
I especially like secondary things such as kitchen equipment, decorative stuff, curtains, etc.

If I had a choice to create a house with unique, custom-made furniture made with better materials that would last for a lifetime, I would still go for IKEA because I get easily bored and I wouldn't want to have the same furniture for life. :p

I very well understand Eldritch's point of view, but I beg to differ when it comes to practicality and affordability.

As for the copyright issues when it comes to design....doesn't the same hold for basically everything?
I mean, if you shop from Zara and H&M you basically buy cheap designer copies.
If you shop from LIDL or similar chains, you buy no-name products of slightly lesser quality but you save up a lot. I don't care about branding and copyrighting, nor do I want to spend enormous amounts of money in commodities.

Yeah I agree, Ikea is like a toy shop for adults :D

[Aramis]

DITTO!! :thumb001: It's my dirty little secret. Well, not so secret any longer i guess. :rolleyes:

We have another great store in Canada, Anon you've probaly seen this one around. It's called JYSK, the Danish IKEA imitator. I like it too! It's not as big as IKEA is, of course, but it has some different things, and some nice wooden furniture made by a company called Jutlandia, teak stuff for the most part.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2rwaidz.jpg

http://www.jysk.ca/

I have some bookshelves and bed sheets from JYSK. Can't complain so far. God save the free market.

[Bloodeagle]

I havent been to IKEA in years. I do have a cutting board, stainless steel pot and collander from IKEA that are over 15 years old.
Now, the nearest IKEA is over 2000 miles away in Vancouver B.C.!

We do not have the populus to maintain a mass consumer big box store like IKEA but we do have a local Scandanavian style furniture store whose manufaturers are of a higher end than the IKEA rubbish.


MANUFACTURER'S LINKS BEDROOM
Copeland Furniture (http://www.copelandfurniture.com/)
Night and Day (http://www.nightanddayfurniture.com/)
Pacific Rim (http://www.pacificrimwoodworking.com/)
Serta (http://www.serta.com/)
Tera Grove (http://www.terafurniture.com/)
Torring (http://www.torring.com/)
Tradewins (http://tradewinsllc.americommerce.com/)
Tvilum-Scanbirk A/S (http://www.tvilum-scanbirk.com/)
Vermont Precision (http://www.vtprecision.com/)
Vermont Tubbs (http://www.vermonttubbs.com/)

DINING ROOM
Actona (http://www.actonacompany.com/)
Amisco (http://www.amisco.com/)
Ansager (http://www.ansager.dk/)
Domitala (http://www.domitalia.it/)
Elite (http://elitemfgusa.com/)
Euro Style (http://www.gotoeurostyle.com/)
Gangso Tables (http://www.gangso.dk/)
Greenington (http://www.greenington.com/)
Kinwai (http://www.kinwaiusa.com/)
Koefoed (http://www.koefoed.dk/)
Lyndon (http://www.lyndon.com/)
Ohio Table Pads (http://www.otpc.com/)
Seltz (http://www.meubles-seltz.fr/)
Skovby (http://www.skovby.com/)
Sun Cabinet
Tangso (http://www.tangso.dk/)

FUTON
Actona
Goldstar (http://www.goldstarfutons.com/)
Lifestyle Covers
Night and Day (http://www.nightanddayfurniture.com/)
Renelle Futons (http://www.renelle.com/)
Sis (http://www.siscovers.com/)

LIVING ROOM AND ENTERTAINMENT
Actona
American Leather (http://www.americanleather.com/default.aspx)
Amisco (http://www.amisco.com/)
Andes (http://www.prompex.gob.pe/catalog/detempresa1.asp?leng=2&idsector=4&idempresa=97)
BDI (http://www.bdiusa.com/)(mirrors and TV/entertainment)
Carl Hansen

Couture (http://www.coutureinternational.com/)
Dutailier (http://www.dutailier.com/)
Eilersen (http://www.eilersen.eu/)
Ekornes (http://www.ekornes.com/)
Elite (http://elitemfgusa.com/)
Fjords (http://www.fjords.no/)
Haslev (http://www.haslev.com/)
IMG (http://www.imgcomfort.com/)
Instyle (http://www.notio.dk/)
Jaymar (http://www.jaymar.ca/)
Jesper (http://www.jesperoffice.com/)
Johnston Casuals (http://www.johnstoncasuals.com/)
Lafer (http://www.lafer.com.br/)
Lazar (http://www.lazarind.com/)
Nordic (http://www.designns.com/)
PBJ (http://www.pbj-furniture.com/)
NOVA Lighting (http://www.novalamps.com/)
Seltz
Stylus (http://www.stylussofas.com/)
Tvilum-Scanbirk A/S (http://www.tvilum-scanbirk.com/)
Verikon (http://www.verikon.dk/)
[/URL]

OFFICE
[URL="http://www.chairworks.com/"]Chairworks (http://www.americanleather.com/)
ConSet (http://www.conset.us/default.aspx)
ErgoGenesis (http://www.ergogenesis.com/)
Eurostyle/ESI (http://www.gotoeurostyle.com/)
Euro Tech
Hon (http://www.hon.com/)
Instyle (http://www.notio.dk/)
Jesper (http://www.jesperoffice.com/)
Notio (http://www.notio.dk/)
Office Star
Rabami (http://www.rabami.dk/)
Tangso
(http://www.tangso.dk/)Tvilum-Scanbirk A/S (http://www.tvilum-scanbirk.com/)
(http://www.tangso.dk/)
AREA RUGS
Foreign Accents (http://www.foreign-accents.com/)
Hellenic
Dalyn (http://www.dalyn.com/index.php)
Rug Market


LIGHTING
Lite Source (http://www.lite-source.com/)
Nova Lamps (http://www.novalamps.com/)
Designs for Living (http://www.designsforliving-inc.com/Lamp%20Styles.htm)
Roland Simmons

[The Lawspeaker]

http://www.janfrantzen.nl/upload/2010oct/MB30A2-0001-web1.jpg

1z1sXOReAWg


I am a sucker for Art Deco and I remember coming across a Dutch shop (Jan Frantzen) that has a lovely collection of Art Deco furniture and on the website (http://www.janfrantzen.nl/index2.php?m=01k_collectie&lang=nl) you can enjoy the sampling.

[rhiannon]

Love or hate it. I personally don't mind it because it definitely gave me a functional yet good-looking bedroom.

http://www.bculik.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Ikea-bedroom-designs-3.jpg

http://www.decodir.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ikea-living-room-2010-550x383.jpg

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/ikea-kitchen-ikea-378368_450_355.jpg

http://www.ikeafans.com/images/wordpress/uploads/2008/11/ikea-black-friday-sale-malm.jpg


A plague or poor man's designer ? Should a better, less cluttered and more liveable living space also be available to the common man ?

We have an IKEA close to us:) Gotten many a cool item from them, too:thumbs up

I tend to prefer Scandinavian design because of its cleaner lines.

[Albion]

I like the idea of Ikea in theory but looking through their catalogues none of it appeals to me.
It's all modern rubbish which will be out of fashion in 5 years, I like simple, functional but sturdy and well-built furniture to classic, timeless designs which won't go out of fashion.
There's nothing I hate more than some shitty chipboard or mdf, that stuff has its uses but not as long-term furniture.

When it comes to buying furniture you can pick up some much better stuff if you shop around. Of all the real woods, pine is probably the cheapest and you can paint it or stain it so that it stays that tacky yellow colour. If I had the money all of my furniture would be solid oak, but unfortunately I'm not loaded so I can;t waste £250 on a set of draws.
A good place to buy furniture are auctions, there's often new or newish stuff in them together with the old tat.

Pine furniture:
http://media.pinesolutions.co.uk/images/products/908.213.2.3.jpg

http://www.colinspicer.co.uk/furniture/tables/images/painted_table_and_chairs.jpg

http://www.thefurnitureemporium.com/product_images/a/pic161650__55748.jpg

Avoid chipboard like the plague, it doesn't last and never looks like the real thing. Pine isn't expensive, chipboard has no place in long-term furniture.
Classic designs which are still relevant today should be used, if we look back at the design trends which were modern in the 60s then you can see just how these fad designs become so despised and ugly over time.