IKEA alternatives

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Having just walked around a large IKEA for the first time in years I am pretty disappointed. I thought IKEA was a sort of sweet spot for half decent stuff and some clever ideas at sensible prices but I'm obviously way behind the times. It seems to be full of the kind of pap you can get on Ebay, but 3 times the price.

Where is the sweet spot these days for buying half decent furniture at a reasonable price?

[Defcon5]

I think that whilst some eBay/wayfair/range etc stuff may look similar to ikea, it is considerably lower quality

[clockworks]

Having recently assembled a fair amount of flatpack furniture, I agree that the stuff from Ikea is far superior to what's sold by The Range - poor quality chipboard, plastic fittings, hardboard back panels nailed on, etc.

[98elise]

Ikeas prices have shot up in the past few years so they don't seem to be such good value. In some cases up over 30% in the space of a few months.

[Dicky Knee]

John Lewis Anyday range has some decent stuff but probably a bit more expensive than IKEA.

[The Gauge]

If there's one thing I hate it's navigating my way around my local Ikea store to find what I want. If there's a second thing I hate, it's trying to find the exit.

[DonkeyApple]

Defcon5 said:

I think that whilst some eBay/wayfair/range etc stuff may look similar to ikea, it is considerably lower quality

I'd agree with that. The other stuff is very much chipboard designs from quite some years ago and the benefit of the ikea stuff is that while it's still cheap materials the assembled and sturdiness is up to date.

Of wanting basic flat pack then there isn't much that betters Ikea.

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Maybe I need to try putting some together. I've had a couple of things from Ebay that were fine (and some rubbish) and the stuff assembled in IKEA looked no better.

[guitarcarfanatic]

98elise said:

Ikeas prices have shot up in the past few years so they don't seem to be such good value. In some cases up over 30% in the space of a few months.

A lot of things have come down though - I have just bought a PAX wardrobe set-up and was 20% cheaper than when I bought the same 18 months ago.