There's a new IKEA opened up where I live but I haven't got around to buying anything from there as the store is very crowded. I did have a quick look round and was pretty impressed by the design principles used and the relevancy to modern living. Traditional furniture is so bulky. People are living in more cramped spaces these days with more possessions such as computers, videos, books and digital set top boxes and IKEA takes account of this.

I've heard on consumer programmes that the furniture is tricky to put together and so I'm a bit wary of buying shelves and a computer table. At the moment my computer and printer are on the floor and my monitor and keyboard is on an old kitchen table that once belonged to my parents so I could do with a computer unit.

What experiences do other forum members have with putting together IKEA furniture?

I have put together loads of IKEA stuff and never had a problem, The instructions are simple enough and as long as you take your time you will be fine in my opinion.

Most difficult thing was a wardrobe, and it took a couple of hours, but once it was together it looked great.

I live about 10 mins from a store and we tend to go one night and see what want/need then arrive at 0950 the next evening before they close and just bag it.

Never had a problem, and as salsa says take your time.

Why do they build their stores like a twatting maze, You can't just go in and get what you want, you've to go on a half hour journey through crap you don't want .........................Swedish Tossers !

I can understand that, it is a pain unless you go all the time, then you get used to the store.

Looking forward to visiting again when the novelty for the others who shop there wears off. I do like the showroom but hate getting stuck behind people. It makes the products look quite attractive. I heard that it takes ages when queueing up to pay though.

Forgot to mention that there is a warehouse underneath the showroom where you can buy the stuff seen in the showroom. So once you've been to the showroom you needn't go there again, just go straight to the warehouse.

just choose the time you go. and read really carefully on the outside of the box. Its easy to end up with the wrong colour

I heard the cafe is quite good for food especially the meat balls and prices are very competitive. At least they're not over crowded.

Been to the IKEA in Elizabeth, NJ, near the Newark Airport. Huge store. Some things are really nice. Some look like junk. Restaurant is tasty. My son and daughter-in-law have a lot of the furniture and like it. He said it can be a bear putting it together, but persistence pays off.

dave brown, you are right, tho.The store is too friggin' big and too much of a maze.

My Ikea is very good, most products are well designed and reasonable priced, you get a free crèche, free Tea and Coffee half hour before the store open's and breakfasts for £1.

J Arthur Rank spouted:
My Ikea is very good, most products are well designed and reasonable priced, you get a free crèche, free Tea and Coffee half hour before the store open's and breakfasts for £1.

I can't wait to go when the crowds have died down a bit and it's not so cold in the evenings.

I think that all those people who write in to complain to consumer programmes about not being able to put IKEA furniture together are probably a bit drunk anyway. It's amazing how some people can start off an afternoons decorating or assembing with a glass of something first.

lemsip spouted:
I've heard on consumer programmes that the furniture is tricky to put together

Only if you are a complete ignoramus. I find it well designed and easy to assemble. Make sure you use the correct tools: My flatmate (whilst I was out) put a couple of bookcases together, and was well chuffed with the result. So was I, untill I found out she had used my modular screwdriver as a hammer, and fucked it beyond use! :flambe:

IKEA isn't just a furniture store. It's a fucking world. There's one about 10 miles from where i live - near the cinema and industrial park etc. You could spend a day in there. It's like an adventure. When i was younger we used to go there and just generally arse about till we got kicked out. Was so easy to hide......

Never bought 'owt tho.......

My house looks like page 36 of the catalogue. I love it. The best things they sell are the bags of little Dime bars in the Swedish food shop.

there's two within five minutes of me
the furniture - lots of it is just cheap semi-disposible stuff but handy if you're on a budget
the maziness - once you've been once or twice you'll usually find the short cuts straight through it, or you can go in the exit and through the tills avoiding the display 'rooms'
putting stuff together - i dunno about in UK but here in germany you can take stuff back within a month for any reason, so if you fuck it up, take it back and try again. they also give out all the extra screws and fittings and stuff for nothing

fun to be had - in one of the bedrooms they have set up there was a pull out computer keyboard in a drawer. i spent ten minutes pulling keys out and rearranging them to say 'lickmyarse' across the middle row. it was there for about six months

oh and try the pear cider

I think they have the same returns policy here.

my first venture to the warrington site today....it is wank...
i am about to move home...and the only thing that gave me inspiration was the bloody black floor markers -->, and they are only to guide me to the bathroom when i'm pissed / middle of the night

Never had any problem with assembling the stuff - except it can be a little fragile and sometimes the holes aren't machined as accurately as they might be, meaning you have to persuade stuff a little to fit.

What I do have a problem with is more than once having been sold stuff in sealed boxes only to find that it was a return from someone else, and, as an earlier poster put it "fucked up" by their shortcomings. I have also had items missing from the flatpacks and only half a bed delivered.

I choose not to shop there any longer becuase I no longer wish to waste time sorting this kind of thing out and because the last few visits I made, they didn't have any items I wanted in stock.

Ah, now, I like the Warrington one, not least because its nearest, but because it also has a good dwarf equal opps policy thing going on.

I love eating there, we always eat first, you need the sustenance for such a long journey, and then we do the showroom first then the household oddities section and then the warehouse bit last for any big purchases.

Word of caution. Check your packaging before you leave. If its remotely damaged, chances are the stuff inside also took a knock and their MDF covered stuff can be a bit easy to knack in that respect. That said, I absolutely love the stuff they sell and do have a lot of it kicking about. Bought a nice red rug there but sadly it didnt stand up to the puppys chewing. The one I really wanted was more money but you would have lost the puppy in it altogether, it was about six inches thick with big woolly loops.

They have fun ideas for storage, I think, and I like their floating Lack shelving. That looks really nice, even when its been up for a while.

And I have had no problems assembling, and I have made lots of things, cd storage units, chests of drawers, chairs etc...

Ah, now, I like the Warrington one, not least because its nearest, but because it also has a good dwarf equal opps policy thing going on.

That has intrigued me immensely please elaborate.

I like the Warrington one, I'll probably be there something Wed or Thurs as I'm up that part of the world. Quite like the Edinburgh one, both nice and big with plenty of parking.

When we go to our nearsed (Thurrock) we always go early on a Sunday and have breakfast - gets Mr Mnem in a good mood for shopping. I have quite a bit of IKEA stuff, particularly in my studio (desks, chairs, drawers etc). Never had any problems assembling stuff.

:hangs head in shame:

I've never been in one! Don't even know where one is!

That has intrigued me immensely please elaborate.

Well, the last time I was there and the time before that, there was a gentleman of diminutive stature working there. I think hes been on the telleh, on some channel 4 programme or other. He had this giganormous coil of trolleys under his control. I was impressed.

They opened one near where some of our mates live, but stupidly they opened it at about midnight when all the drunkards were about... mix that with cheap sofas and they had a mass riot on their hands! (stabbings and all sorts!)

They do have some decent stuff for the price. I still use the "laptop" bag I got there amongst other things.

Some of their food is a bit gross but oddly enough I liked the raw fish...

It's a great store. I go to the one in Cardiff during the week when I feel the need to chill out. The streamlined decor and product design has this effect on me especially as we live in an over cluttered world and most homes are fussily decorated. I can now forgive IKEA for their adverts taking a pop at chintz. They design taking into account today's needs and every aspect of their designs have a purpose.

Just because a few chavs visit IKEA it doesn't make it a chav store. In fact it's pretty mainstream which is not the same as chav. Chav is cheap and cheerful and discount store.

Forgot to mention that there is a warehouse underneath the showroom where you can buy the stuff seen in the showroom. So once you've been to the showroom you needn't go there again, just go straight to the warehouse.

Except for pleasure of course when it's quiet. It's awful when busy but great when the crowds aren't around.