IKEA: love it? Hate it? A little of both?

On the one hand, they make some beautiful things plus every other possible household need too, and they’re all really well-priced. The place is practically essential if you want a well-decorated home on a budget.

But on the other hand, if too much of your decor comes from IKEA, you simply cannot have a chic home — ‘ubiquitous’ is not a complement.

Here’s the things I love and hate about IKEA, plus some tips for using IKEA well in your home.

IKEA: the things I love

Chic items for pocket change. Reasonably priced practical stuff. Assembling it myself! (I’m not joking, I really do love assembling flat-packed furniture.)

And I LOVE their storage solutions — beautiful wardrobes make me drool!

Here’s two of my other favourite IKEA things:

Hej tealight holders

I have a bunch of these Hej tealight holders and love them. These sit right next to the Ittala Ballos they’re ‘inspired by’ in my dining room, and the two complement each other really well. The Ballos are about twice the size of the Hejs, so I think of the Hejs as the cheap little cousins.

Lingo storage boxes

I’m kicking herself for not noticing these Lingo storage boxes sooner.

So pretty! And at $7 for the pair, these are cheaper than the fabric I bought to cover some plain boxes, which still need to be done. Still, my handmade ones will be completely unique, so she won’t see them in every other house she visits.

Update: I now have two sets of the Lingos. They’re great. Covering boxes myself just didn’t happen. Who has time?

IKEA: the things I hate

Some of the stuff looks as cheap as it is. I don’t buy that stuff.

The place is really crowded on weekends… so I only go during the week when 9-to-5ers are at work and kids are at school.

Plus I HATE this:

The Morker work lamp is reasonably attractive, and for $9 it’s a great buy.

So why do I hate it? Because everyone has it. Literally everyone. (Or at least two-thirds of my friends, and almost every student I know.)

It just doesn’t seem as cool when I can walk into almost anyone’s house and say “I’ve got that lamp too!”.

Note: there are a lot of IKEA items just like this. If you love conformity, buy your whole house there and you’re set!

IKEA shopping tips

Some tips to keep in mind if you want to shop well at IKEA:

• Don’t buy everything there. Mix it up a little.
• If it looks as cheap as it is, leave it.
• Go when the store isn’t busy.
• Keep the catalogue and look things up all year.
• Measure the spot where you want to put your new purchase.
• Don’t use their home delivery service; it costs about the same as renting a truck for a day.