Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[qubed]

buy all Ikea and ***** about assembly.

replace each piece bit by bit with some long term keeers.

I did the same, except my initial pieces were somewhat pricey. Finding one’s interior style takes time and often lost money in the process.

 

[gomestar]

we still have some of our original IKEA.

one piece we have is like their $9 side table. Wife had a slab of Calcatta as a sample, and we put that on top of the table to create a newer marble-yer table.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

we still have some of our original IKEA.

We have a lot, and I can't see us getting rid of any of it because it does the job.

The best are probably a couple of simple Frosta stools with bent laminated pine legs, which look almost like they could be Artek Stool 60, and our Voxtorp kitchen cabinets, which are simple, functional and indistinguishable from much more expensive products. There's great litle bamboo desk that my son uses; his bed is also simple pine Ikea, and he's got one of those 'deathstar' lights (that's what he calls them, they are actually PS 2014). Oh, and pantry shelving (Ivar, of course) and the inevitable Pax wardrobes in our dressing room. The last ones are the things I like least, and I would prefer to have something else, but they are in a room that no-one else ever sees and they work, at least.

 

[TheFoo]

We have a lot, and I can't see us getting rid of any of it because it does the job.

The best are probably a couple of simple Frosta stools with bent laminated pine legs, which look almost like they could be Artek Stool 60, and our Voxtorp kitchen cabinets, which are simple, functional and indistinguishable from much more expensive products. There's great litle bamboo desk that my son uses; his bed is also simple pine Ikea, and he's got one of those 'deathstar' lights (that's what he calls them, they are actually PS 2014). Oh, and pantry shelving (Ivar, of course) and the inevitable Pax wardrobes in our dressing room. The last ones are the things I like least, and I would prefer to have something else, but they are in a room that no-one else ever sees and they work, at least.

Ah, but have you had to move any of it yet?

Ikea for starting out is the best advice. When I was a law student, my apartment in Chicago was entirely Ikea-furnished, with the exception of some splurge items from Crate & Barrel. Then we got married, moved to NYC, and spent money on a couple keep-for-life pieces, like our Florence Knoll sofa and Saarinen table. Still, we kept using mostly all Ikea—whether stuff we brought over or new things. It wasn’t until my early 30’s that we were completely rid of it. The last and only survivor was our Malm bed, which we replaced in 2014 with the real thing from e15.

Some of the stuff is sturdier than others, but in our experience most will not survive a move without losing structural integrity. Also, moving guys don’t seem to give a **** about being careful with your Ikea furniture...

As life progresses, you’ll naturally find yourself replacing piece by piece. It’s a rite of passage.

 

[TheFoo]

Also, the old Expedit bookshelves were a ***** to assemble. Never again.

 

[Van Veen]

My strategy has always been to rotate the Ikea pieces into less prominent places, which has finally been happening over the past few years. We rotated an Ikea bed frame into the guest room when we got our current bed. (Sadly the Ikea bed with the bent ply slats is more comfortable than our current platform bed. Had to buy a thicker mattress.)

Hand-me-down Ikea kitchen table is now in the sewing room. Chairs are still being used. (Dining chairs are the next thing on my list to replace, but there's no point in buying more "keeper" furniture until we move.)

Poang chair will probably wind up in a nursery, if we ever get to that point. (It's not the most beautiful thing in the world, but it sure is comfortable.)

I also started buying chrome NSF shelving years ago (knowing I'd be moving a lot) because it breaks down easily. It's not that cheap, but it will last forever, it's modular, and it's standardized, making it easy to repurpose. I have 5 units now that will eventually wind up in a storage space like a pantry or garage.

Also, the old Expedit bookshelves were a ***** to assemble. Never again.

I bought one of those assembled from the discount room at the end of the warehouse. Guess I lucked out!

 

[otc]

As I say over and over again. The key steps to ikea success are:
1. Don't buy the cheapest version of any item (dresser, bookshelf, etc.)
2. Use wood glue on key joints during assembly (e.g. you can glue all of the doweled joints on your bed headboard--as long as you can still remove the side rails, you can fit it in a moving van).
3. Go back and tighten the fittings after you've used it for a little while. Joints will develop play as the fasteners sink into the wood, play leads to wobble, which leads to more force on the joints and eventual failure.

My Jerker desk and shelving/drawer unit are from the early 200s and still going strong. I have a malm dresser and nightstand that I bought used in college, did some work to fix/glue the drawer bottoms, and which have lived in at least 5 apartments counting the original owner.

I also have some Ivar shelving that I spent an inordinate amount of time sanding and finishing with coats of wet-sanded danish oil. I love them, but...yeah...not worth it.
It is a solid system though...especially since it looks like they have shifted back to metal hooks on the shelves, but better if you just stick with bare wood, paint them, or slap on some finish without worrying about sanding out all the evidence of the rough machine planers that they use.

 

[TheFoo]

As I say over and over again. The key steps to ikea success are:
1. Don't buy the cheapest version of any item (dresser, bookshelf, etc.)
2. Use wood glue on key joints during assembly (e.g. you can glue all of the doweled joints on your bed headboard--as long as you can still remove the side rails, you can fit it in a moving van).
3. Go back and tighten the fittings after you've used it for a little while. Joints will develop play as the fasteners sink into the wood, play leads to wobble, which leads to more force on the joints and eventual failure.

My Jerker desk and shelving/drawer unit are from the early 200s and still going strong. I have a malm dresser and nightstand that I bought used in college, did some work to fix/glue the drawer bottoms, and which have lived in at least 5 apartments counting the original owner.

I also have some Ivar shelving that I spent an inordinate amount of time sanding and finishing with coats of wet-sanded danish oil. I love them, but...yeah...not worth it.
It is a solid system though...especially since it looks like they have shifted back to metal hooks on the shelves, but better if you just stick with bare wood, paint them, or slap on some finish without worrying about sanding out all the evidence of the rough machine planers that they use.

This sounds like way too much work...

 

[otc]

The Ivars were obviously too much work...the first one was just a fun project that turned out to be less fun without any power tools. Then later when we needed a second one...well...gotta make them match.

But the assembly steps are pretty easy. Adding a a sqeeze of glue to a joint during assembly barely takes longer than fitting the joint dry. Going back after a month and tightening 8 bolts with a little allen wrench should take all of 90 seconds.

Then again, I enjoy assembly ikea furniture, as well as wandering around the warehouse...both of which are things that incite panic attacks in other people.

 

[imatlas]

I enjoy putting together flatpack furniture too. I even had a job doing it at an office furniture place when I was in high school.

 

[sugarbutch]

What I’ve found with IKEA is that the true nature of the piece is revealed upon assembly. If it goes together well and feels solid, it should hold up decently well. Items which require a fastener to hold in particle board (which covers a lot of IKEA furniture) likely won’t withstand more than one disassembly/reassembly cycle. The pieces with solid wood, especially those which use barrel bolts and nuts, are nearly indestructible. The cam-lock fasteners are less desirable.

 

[RJman]

My Jerker desk

Must have been inspired by Jeffrey Toobin

 

[gomestar]

on that note, any mastrbatorium chair and tissue dispenser recs?

 

[sugarbutch]

on that note, any mastrbatorium chair and tissue dispenser recs?

All-in-one multitaskers are a fool’s errand. Get a chair and dispenser each fit for purpose.

 

[Jr Mouse]

IKEA has made some nice stuff on and off over the years. I have the Stockholm bed they used to sell and it's about as solid as you could ask for. Unlike most IKEA stuff it's made from solid wood. Leather is actually decent too. Full-grain and has a nice hand.