Lets start with the positive. I love IKEA. And I’ll tell you why. For starters – they have fantastic organizing bins and accessories of all shapes and sizes for all of your organizing needs around the home. Whether you are looking for something strong and long lasting or something to fit your small budget to help you manage – you’ll find it at Ikea.
They are also consistent about the products they carry so I can responsibly recommend them (as opposed to other home stores around Israel- I never know if the product I need will be there). All of their product’s dimensions are listed on the website so I can design and organize my clients rooms with Ikea products and send them the shopping list without even leaving my computer!
As for their furniture – Ikea has come up with the perfect dimensions for every piece they sell. They thought of everything! Their pieces are not too large and not too small. They’re perfect. And they have unique features and accessories which if you would design custom, would cost a lot more. Some of their furniture pieces are quite strong. How can you tell? The price reflects the quality of the piece. As a designer I either learn from Ikea’s furniture dimensions to design custom-made pieces for my clients, or if they are on a tight budget we choose the furniture from Ikea.
When should you not purchase from Ikea? Ikea doesn’t do well with water since its made from chipboard and it also doesn’t do well with rowdy children…So I use their furniture pieces selectively. If i’ts a piece with drawers and doors which will be banged around all day or climbed on by rowdy kids… I would purchase elsewhere. If it’s a cabinet near water pipes, or a closet in a home that washes the floor with lots of water, I would skip Ikea.
But for a home office, a playroom with gentle kids, an arts & crafts center, extra kitchen storage, a girls bedroom, or wall storage – it’s definitely worth a try! Since they have a very informative website- Ikea is also very popular when working in eDesign. Do you think Ikea may have a solution for you? Contact me to discuss your options.
