ᐅ Ikea Visit and Purchase – More Frustration Than Enjoyment This Time
Created on: 22 Oct 2017 18:25
Y
ypg
Yesterday we went to IKEA. Something felt 'different' compared to our last visit. I didn’t feel the usual excitement. Even today, assembling the furniture was rather unsatisfying.
But starting from the beginning: I’m used to IKEA introducing many new designs and changes in their showroom after the new catalog is released. Yes, some “rooms” were new, but the sofa, bed, and table sections seemed unchanged. There was no eye-catching display. Worst of all: the dining tables and sofas looked more like clearance sale items. Nothing was decorated or nicely arranged [emoji33]. I barely noticed the kitchens. Just around the corner was the appliance and planning section – normally there are two large standout kitchens set up where you can see various cabinets and get inspired. Well, this time I wasn’t motivated at all to buy anything not on my list [emoji1].
We needed LED bulbs for our outdoor wall lights: both the lamps and the LED bulbs are from IKEA. One of the bulbs is defective. We needed 7W with 260 lumens to match the brightness of the other bulbs, but those are no longer available! They only had 5W bulbs with different lumen outputs. Where have the outdoor lights gone? Are they discontinued??? Every corner had these 5-watt bulbs, but no 7-watt ones... so we ended up buying four 5W bulbs instead of one or two to fit all our outdoor lights [emoji36].
Then I had an idea to buy under-cabinet lights, meaning light strips to go under our new bedside consoles. This would save us the indirect cozy lighting from two floor lamps by the bed. Here they seem to have drastically reduced the selection: in a small area, you need to figure out the difference between task lighting, indirect lighting, cabinet lighting, and strip lighting. It’s not easy when products are mixed up on the shelves as other customers pick up items and don’t put them back properly. Fortunately, my husband noticed that I was about to buy a cabinet light while I realized he was holding an expensive task light. In the end, we found what we were looking for… hopefully [emoji6].
Originally, I wanted two white Besta units, 30cm (12 inches) high with doors to serve as bedside tables. Nicely wall-mounted, as I mentioned, like console tables. They cost about €30 each. My husband liked the drawer version of Eket much better. Well, we swallowed that: those cost about €85 each. Ok, we’ll go with it. I’ve been looking for bedside tables for 3 years, know the prices, and know what else is missing from the market [emoji6]. Unfortunately, there were no shelf or compartment info cards on the furniture anymore [emoji35]. Since when is that a thing??? We had to rely on the computers in the warehouse. We didn’t remember “Eklet” at first, so we flipped through the catalog, then on the PC had to choose between storage, shelving systems, drawer units, and eventually bedside tables, which barely appear. My husband wisely went to a separate PC to search directly for Eklet. I wouldn’t have been surprised if only one item was left in the compartment (that always seems to happen to us), but there were still plenty available. Then we went to the bargain corner where almost nothing was advertised. That is also very rare at IKEA.
-> And my husband asked if the wall rail for mounting was included. I said: at that price everything should be included... of course it wasn’t, which we only discovered during assembly [emoji20]. After assembling the first cabinet, we started the second one. And what do we see? A nasty air bubble worked into the top surface: I’ve never seen this before, never had this, and tomorrow it will send me into a traffic jam on the A1 – but oh well: I still have to buy wall rails anyway [emoji14].
Then I looked closer: the other cabinet has the same issue, just a smaller air bubble inside. For €85, I really find this unsatisfactory [emoji20].
But starting from the beginning: I’m used to IKEA introducing many new designs and changes in their showroom after the new catalog is released. Yes, some “rooms” were new, but the sofa, bed, and table sections seemed unchanged. There was no eye-catching display. Worst of all: the dining tables and sofas looked more like clearance sale items. Nothing was decorated or nicely arranged [emoji33]. I barely noticed the kitchens. Just around the corner was the appliance and planning section – normally there are two large standout kitchens set up where you can see various cabinets and get inspired. Well, this time I wasn’t motivated at all to buy anything not on my list [emoji1].
We needed LED bulbs for our outdoor wall lights: both the lamps and the LED bulbs are from IKEA. One of the bulbs is defective. We needed 7W with 260 lumens to match the brightness of the other bulbs, but those are no longer available! They only had 5W bulbs with different lumen outputs. Where have the outdoor lights gone? Are they discontinued??? Every corner had these 5-watt bulbs, but no 7-watt ones... so we ended up buying four 5W bulbs instead of one or two to fit all our outdoor lights [emoji36].
Then I had an idea to buy under-cabinet lights, meaning light strips to go under our new bedside consoles. This would save us the indirect cozy lighting from two floor lamps by the bed. Here they seem to have drastically reduced the selection: in a small area, you need to figure out the difference between task lighting, indirect lighting, cabinet lighting, and strip lighting. It’s not easy when products are mixed up on the shelves as other customers pick up items and don’t put them back properly. Fortunately, my husband noticed that I was about to buy a cabinet light while I realized he was holding an expensive task light. In the end, we found what we were looking for… hopefully [emoji6].
Originally, I wanted two white Besta units, 30cm (12 inches) high with doors to serve as bedside tables. Nicely wall-mounted, as I mentioned, like console tables. They cost about €30 each. My husband liked the drawer version of Eket much better. Well, we swallowed that: those cost about €85 each. Ok, we’ll go with it. I’ve been looking for bedside tables for 3 years, know the prices, and know what else is missing from the market [emoji6]. Unfortunately, there were no shelf or compartment info cards on the furniture anymore [emoji35]. Since when is that a thing??? We had to rely on the computers in the warehouse. We didn’t remember “Eklet” at first, so we flipped through the catalog, then on the PC had to choose between storage, shelving systems, drawer units, and eventually bedside tables, which barely appear. My husband wisely went to a separate PC to search directly for Eklet. I wouldn’t have been surprised if only one item was left in the compartment (that always seems to happen to us), but there were still plenty available. Then we went to the bargain corner where almost nothing was advertised. That is also very rare at IKEA.
-> And my husband asked if the wall rail for mounting was included. I said: at that price everything should be included... of course it wasn’t, which we only discovered during assembly [emoji20]. After assembling the first cabinet, we started the second one. And what do we see? A nasty air bubble worked into the top surface: I’ve never seen this before, never had this, and tomorrow it will send me into a traffic jam on the A1 – but oh well: I still have to buy wall rails anyway [emoji14].
Then I looked closer: the other cabinet has the same issue, just a smaller air bubble inside. For €85, I really find this unsatisfactory [emoji20].
Well, I used to think the same. Owning your own house means we’ve outgrown the IKEA phase. Um, yes.
Item 1: Wardrobe (already purchased here for the current rental):
There’s nothing decent at the furniture store under €800 (around $860). And even then, I don’t get a spacious closet.
Conclusion: a 150cm (59 inches) Pax with mirrored doors—at least I can fit all my jackets and coats and still have drawers for hats and such.
Item 2: Living room / TV furniture – currently in planning
1. At furniture stores, what we want costs at least €8,000 (around $8,600), if not easily five figures.
Also, well-known manufacturers (Hülsta, etc.) don’t offer cabinets only 20cm (8 inches) deep. But I don’t need more depth for CDs/DVDs.
Conclusion: we’ll probably end up at IKEA again, using Besta in this case.
I just can’t justify spending the equivalent value of a car on a cabinet system.
Item 1: Wardrobe (already purchased here for the current rental):
There’s nothing decent at the furniture store under €800 (around $860). And even then, I don’t get a spacious closet.
Conclusion: a 150cm (59 inches) Pax with mirrored doors—at least I can fit all my jackets and coats and still have drawers for hats and such.
Item 2: Living room / TV furniture – currently in planning
1. At furniture stores, what we want costs at least €8,000 (around $8,600), if not easily five figures.
Also, well-known manufacturers (Hülsta, etc.) don’t offer cabinets only 20cm (8 inches) deep. But I don’t need more depth for CDs/DVDs.
Conclusion: we’ll probably end up at IKEA again, using Besta in this case.
I just can’t justify spending the equivalent value of a car on a cabinet system.
kaho674 schrieb:
Ok, I wasn’t aware of the price limit. [emoji4]
I don’t put furniture in my new house anymore unless it’s perfect or immediately wins my heart. I saved for almost a year for my wardrobe – it had to be the Masello from Wittenbreder. There were other options, but this one really captivated me right away. It will stay in my hallway for a long time – possibly forever. I don’t make compromises on that. Eket immediately won my heart. I mean, 30€ / 85€.
That’s why it took 3 years, because…
…I don’t set a strict limit, but I won’t pay outrageous prices. And I wouldn’t be happy with a piece if it’s super expensive and I have to look at it every day. I’m different from others in that regard.
I like it when there’s a great balance between price, performance, and design. That’s why my kitchen is free of ridiculously expensive appliances.
By the way, my glassless display cabinet was super expensive, but it’s a unique piece (design!). It hardly holds anything, comes from overseas (it even smells like it), but it’s a pleasure to look at. For bedside tables that are wall-mounted, my only requirement is that they have enough space for my books, phone, glasses, and medication.
What I like about Ikea is the clean, straight lines of many pieces: Malm, Besta, Eket…
Müllerin schrieb:
I used to think the same. Owning your own home means you move past the Ikea phase. ...I just can’t justify spending the equivalent of a car on a cabinet system. It’s really quite different for everyone. When I had to buy a new car, I didn’t even look at it when I picked it up. The poor salesperson was desperate because I showed no interest. My husband took pity and went through everything with them while I was on the phone with my sister.
But with furniture, it’s the opposite. It lasts much longer than a boring car. Such beautiful wood with elegant finishes and smooth features – that’s where I give in.
ypg schrieb:
I really appreciate a great balance of price, performance, and design. That’s why my kitchen stays free of overly expensive appliances...
For bedside tables that are wall-mounted, I only require enough space for my books, phone, glasses, and medication. That wouldn’t be enough for me today. Maybe something like that is okay for the garage—but actually, not really. It’s way too shabby.
My husband also brought a collection of cheap cabinets into the marriage. Gradually, they all disappeared. They kept breaking, anyway. My solid wood wall unit in the living room has been there for 20 years now. Nothing is broken. There have even been thoughts that it might last too long, because maybe you want to get something new sometime. But I still like it.
No question, real wood can be very beautiful!
I have a few quite old treasures, unique pieces, in fact. But for the "wall unit" we want something neutral and white in between – and for that, I don’t need real wood under the paint.
Our kitchen appliances are high-quality – which is also connected to my husband’s work.
Apart from that, we are not poor, but we clearly feel far from wealthy, and it simply isn’t enough to ALWAYS go for the best and most expensive option. Although it’s worth considering whether expensive always means best, and whether you want something for its function, its appearance, or simply because of the brand name.
I have a few quite old treasures, unique pieces, in fact. But for the "wall unit" we want something neutral and white in between – and for that, I don’t need real wood under the paint.
Our kitchen appliances are high-quality – which is also connected to my husband’s work.
Apart from that, we are not poor, but we clearly feel far from wealthy, and it simply isn’t enough to ALWAYS go for the best and most expensive option. Although it’s worth considering whether expensive always means best, and whether you want something for its function, its appearance, or simply because of the brand name.
Similar topics