ᐅ Ikea Visit and Purchase – More Frustration Than Enjoyment This Time
Created on: 22 Oct 2017 18:25
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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].
The reading lamp is a wall lamp, originally priced at over €100, from an older season by Nordlux... I got it this spring for about €20 (around $22) [emoji2]
It has the advantage that you can rotate the rod and tilt the head. The on/off switch is located on the head, just the way I wanted it [emoji2]
For the wall cabinets, we spontaneously picked up this indirect lighting from IKEA. We connected them centrally to a main outlet, which is switched both at the door and above the bed.
Glad you like it [emoji847]
My husband still finds it a bit bare at the moment, since we previously had stools as side tables and floor lamps for indirect lighting.
When you move with "old" furniture, you like to take your time for new things. We have been living in the house since 2014 [emoji16]
It has the advantage that you can rotate the rod and tilt the head. The on/off switch is located on the head, just the way I wanted it [emoji2]
For the wall cabinets, we spontaneously picked up this indirect lighting from IKEA. We connected them centrally to a main outlet, which is switched both at the door and above the bed.
Glad you like it [emoji847]
My husband still finds it a bit bare at the moment, since we previously had stools as side tables and floor lamps for indirect lighting.
When you move with "old" furniture, you like to take your time for new things. We have been living in the house since 2014 [emoji16]
I like Eket. A wall-mounted nightstand is a great idea – I’ll keep that in mind. I always get annoyed when vacuuming and mopping.
As I mentioned before, we have quite a few Ikea furniture pieces, and there will be more to come. But that doesn’t mean the entire house will be “Ikea-fied.” Some old farmhouse cabinets and display cases – real old wood, partly with paintings – are and will remain the focal points. They have survived many generations and are simply timeless to me. They also just fit perfectly in the half-timbered house. You just don’t find such beautiful cabinets these days anymore (or only with great difficulty and a high cost).
And yes, I admit, I’m heavily influenced by my childhood and youth: In the 1980s, it was bulky wall units, “wall systems,” white kitchens with colored panels, and plank-style floor furniture. In the 1990s, black dust-collecting furniture appeared in the teenager’s room, massive upholstered sofa landscapes, kitchens in rustic oak with matching corner benches, and equally rustic-looking sideboards for the living room along with tiled tables.
I believe (and hope) that most Ikea purchases are timeless. I bought my first Billy bookshelf 20 years ago – and I still haven’t outgrown it. The same goes for various kitchen and bedroom cabinets – simple, without frills or a specific style. Some might see this as bland, but I see it as a way to enjoy the basics for a long time and to work with smaller decorative items (often old stuff from the attic ) and textiles.
As I mentioned before, we have quite a few Ikea furniture pieces, and there will be more to come. But that doesn’t mean the entire house will be “Ikea-fied.” Some old farmhouse cabinets and display cases – real old wood, partly with paintings – are and will remain the focal points. They have survived many generations and are simply timeless to me. They also just fit perfectly in the half-timbered house. You just don’t find such beautiful cabinets these days anymore (or only with great difficulty and a high cost).
And yes, I admit, I’m heavily influenced by my childhood and youth: In the 1980s, it was bulky wall units, “wall systems,” white kitchens with colored panels, and plank-style floor furniture. In the 1990s, black dust-collecting furniture appeared in the teenager’s room, massive upholstered sofa landscapes, kitchens in rustic oak with matching corner benches, and equally rustic-looking sideboards for the living room along with tiled tables.
I believe (and hope) that most Ikea purchases are timeless. I bought my first Billy bookshelf 20 years ago – and I still haven’t outgrown it. The same goes for various kitchen and bedroom cabinets – simple, without frills or a specific style. Some might see this as bland, but I see it as a way to enjoy the basics for a long time and to work with smaller decorative items (often old stuff from the attic ) and textiles.
W
winnetou7828 Oct 2017 14:46Looks nice,
Is the silicone under the skirting tiles already tearing?
Is the silicone under the skirting tiles already tearing?
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