IKEA – it’s a love hate relationship
Posted by Lindsayanng I do really, truly, and honestly love IKEA. If you do not know what IKEA is, you should definitely do some googling. For those of you too lazy, you should know that it is a giant “self service” furniture store. You walk through a maze of pre-designed rooms with many coordinating pieces of furniture, accessories, and textiles. When you see something that you like, you look at the tag on the item and write down the isle and bin number. Then, you walk downstairs into the warehouse and pull your own boxes and go to the checkout. It is an amazing business model. Sell as much as you can as cheap as you can by having the fewest employees needed.
If you have never been to an IKEA, I suggest you go to one – especially if you are into design. Not only are the pre-furnished rooms impeccably designed right down to pencils in the pencil holders on top a desk, but the graphics, artwork, and overall product design is just plain cool. They create inspiring color combinations that you can see working right in front of your eyes. Clean lines, cool colors, and awesome movement is what surrounds you when you walk through your first complete room. Everything from bathrooms and kitchens, home offices and businesses – they have everything, and it’s already designed and put together for you. You can buy and entire room or just a piece.
Aye, but here’s the rub. Remember when I said it was self service? Well, so is the furniture. You need to put it all together yourself! That’s just another way that gives them the ability to sell this stuff cheaply. Oh yea, and did I mention that none of their pieces are really numbered like your traditional “do it yourself” furniture, and there are no words inside of the instructions. The reason for this is so they can use the same instructions in any language – genius right?
So I open my double wide filing cabinet unit from the “Effectiv” line of products and sort out the pieces – there were a lot of them because it had 3 drawers. Call me crazy but I really like to put together furniture, especially IKEA furniture. Why? Well, its like a website, when you find the right piece for the right section, it just feels right and it just works. There’s no reason why I chose the square piece with 1 hole over the square piece with 3 holes, but I did and it was right. Oh, and there is that great feeling to tapping in that last piece with a rubber mallet and turning that last cam lock to lock down the hole unit. Nothing is better than that.
Oh.. but there is a lot wrong with this. Just have a look at the wonderful instructions. This one tells you that if you can not figure out the instructions, just call them.
It also gives you advice such as putting a blanket over your floor so that you don’t ding the corners of the wood that you are working with.
All of these wonderful little tid bits of advice are very well received by the general public. But then there is this one. The one that tells “NO! Don’t try and do this by yourself – get a friend!”
Oh yea, that is the worse advice ever for me. I am a control freak that really needs to do stuff like this alone, in a room, with the door shut and the TV on. Maybe, just maybe, my dog can come and watch me and try to help, but no other humans need speak unless spoken to.
Unfortunately I did heed their advice and as I finished up, Matt came to sit down next to me and check out the contraption that connects the drawer to the channel that guides it in and out. He sat down and picked up and piece and said “How does this attach to that?” and I said, “according to the instructions, you attach this little piece to the drawer and then it just clicks.. see here – it says CLICK!” So then he takes the little piece, unattached to the drawer, and CLICK! Oh yea, that clicked in there alright. Clicked in there so darn good that it took about 45 minutes, a pile of different tools and a lot of frustration and cursing to get it out. Needless to say, I was pissed. When we finally got it all out, the only other thing to do was actually attach it to the drawer where Matt had pre-drilled holes and click it in. Oh wait, but the holes were drilled wrong. See, didn’t I say that it was bad advice to do this with a friend? At least when something gets messed up, there is no one else to fight with and blame but yourself. It was a rough night that’s for sure.
We finished the piece the next day when Matt went back to IKEA and they gave him a replacement drawer.
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11 Comments »
well it looks lovely not sure mine would have looked liked that when I was done lol… I hate putting things together I always have an extra screw left lol.. I don’t think it is just IKEA
I don’t think of myself as controlling but I almost never ask for help either. I don’t even like when someone offers advice while I’m working. In my house I am the one who gets to build all of these projects. My Mother just says I’m the engineer, I’m good at it, etc. Lame excuses, I know she doesn’t want to get stuck doing it. I don’t mind. But at times the instructions leave you hanging and at times an extra pair of hands to hold things would be good. I just figure out something and so far none of my constructions have fallen apart. It is kind of fun, in a puzzle sort of way. Frustrating too.
It’s a shame you don’t live in Ireland.
Could have used a great flat pack assembly service.
I designed a site for them a while back.
http://www.IrishFlatPack.com
Least you got there in the end and looks great.
Thats pretty cool.. I think it’s even cooler that you call “DIY” furniture “Flat Pack”
I dont think we have a service like that around here, but we do have handy man type people who will do it. For me, i like doing it – alone. I also like buying it because it’s cheap – when you start paying people to do it it gets more expensive
Oh man, I love these instructions. No words, just pure illustration.
I always enjoy the confidence that comes from assembling furniture yourself.
Something to the effect of “See this drawer? Yeah, I put it together. I could stack everything in this room on top of it if I pleased. I would say the only means of destroying it would be fire. I would know. I put it together.”
You’re right. When someone comes over my house, all i have to say is “All this furniture is IKEA” and they know that I built it myself.. there is DEFINITELY some pride in putting it together yourself.. I would have to say that the best part, though, is putting the first piece of crap into the drawer.. you know, the drawer that was meant to be the most organized thing in your house?
.-= Lindsay´s last blog ..Mix Tape No. 1 =-.
I love the Effectiv combo you chose–did it all come as one unit, or did you have to select the components? I’m not seeing the big file drawer on ikea.com, and I don’t see the particular combo you have. Thanks for any help you can offer!
Beth, this was a complete unit if i remember correctly.. The file cabinet is just a double wide cabinet and there is no bottom to the drawn, just the file racks.. The second drawer is a normal storage drawer and the top drawer is an art drawer..
When i finish my basement office I plan on getting a bunch of these to hold different projects.. I do love the configuration..
Unfortunately Ikea’s website doesn’t have all of the products available, but I can tell you if you can make it to a store you will definitely be able to buy this unit..
Thanks, Lindsay! I hope to go to the twin cities (Minnesota) store sometime soon, so will print out your photo and keep my eyes peeled
We are lucky because we have an ikea about 10 minutes from our house.. Be aware when you get there they might not have the exact configuration on the floor. They have a book of all of the different configurations that you have to look through.. They also have different types of doors.. Clear Glass, Fogged Glass, and the white.. I like the white.
Good luck on your trip.. come back here and post pictures!
thanks very much, I am obliged to say your website is excellent!