Okay, a lot of design-minded people in the States don't care much for Ikea, but the fact is I can think of no other large company so rooted in the Bauhaus ethic and concept: i.e. they are producing furniture design for the masses.
My personal favorite Ikea piece is the Rian side table... I flip it around and place it leg-end first- it goes well with many of my Breuer, Mies and Corbusier pieces... it looks superb complimenting a Wassily chair if you don't have room for a Laccio table in the space beside the chair...
One piece in my place that draws a lot of compliments and questions is the console table I placed behind my Gran Confort... and the truth is it's nothing but an Ikea mod. I took the bases from two Rian tables and attached them with wood screws into a wide and deep black lacquer shelf. The long "feet" are tucked underneath the couch... it looks great.
Did I mention a Rian table is 9.99 US?
glad we can be dignified about it
its such a shame to see people frozen in time - clinging to a ridiculously small number of designers. Yes, many of the mid century designs are great. But... this forum is not "mid century design addict". Lets integrate some of the contemporary designers into the mix.
Ikea is a fantastic place to get affordable furniture that doesnt look white trash, or bland 'american' style. Not to mention that the whole Ikea experience is very well designed - both from a purchasing point of view, and a sales point of view. I dont suggest that their furniture quality is life everlasting, but thats the beauty of their pricepoints.
So the rant aside, my favorite Ikea items are the Klubbo and Svansbro series of side/coffee tables. They have a lovely mix and match quality, and clean shapes.
My livingroom is furnished in Conran, Eames, Ikea, and Workbench - to a surprisingly warm and cozy look... and I'm damn proud of it!
Who's That-
Vivienne's...
Who's That-
Vivienne's entitled to her opinion... if she likes the biscuits -and only the biscuits- then so be it.
I knew this would be a controversial topic when I posted it... this site has more than it's fair share of label snobs. It should be interesting to see the varied responses...
Okay, so we have the Rian side table, Klubbo and Svansbro tables, and packs of crunchy biscuits.
Anyone else?
I like
the blue tarp material shopping bags with IKEA sewn into the nylon handles....big and strong enough to carry a 3 year-old comfortably.
The Hella Jongerius vases are an interesting venture, going for 1/50th the price of her studio work (done by her staff). They were on markdown when I saw them..
I am always disheartened by the snobbery regarding IKEA.
Here's a company that makes stuff you can look at without burning your eyes and live with without decimating your bank account. Most of it is emminently practical to assemble and use. You'd think people would be grateful that functional, fairly tasteful things are affordable. But noooooooooooo, it's always the chant/rants of "IKEA copies designs" (like who doesn't these days) or "IKEA uses particle board and melamine veneer" (The horror! Duh! How else is a table $9.99) I have a house full of modern furniture some of it cost me thousands and some of it cost me barely anything at IKEA. Some of the IKEA pieces have held up better than the 'pedigreed' pieces. What you pay and what a piece is worth can be very different realities.
I have a CD tower from IKEA that has withstood over a decade of opening and closing that is still one of the favorite pieces I own. IKEA doesn't make it any more, sadly. I also actually reupholstered two Romme chairs, also discontinued that are still about the most comfortable things to cozy up in ever made. And finally, IKEA's bed and table lines are unbeatable, they wear well and are supremely affordable, even in king-size!
I'll keep IKEA, thank you and probably Target too! Good products do not have to cost beaucoup dinero to be valuable.
Ikea has a new seating line...
called Arild... It's not only good looking but the scale is nice and it's comfortable too... I could actually see having it in my house in white or black leather... Opinions anyone?
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?cattype=su...
Before judging Ikea too severely...
Ask yourself when looking at an Ikea piece:
A- Can I keep the same function and price and improuve the shape.
B- Can I keep the same shape and function and improuve the price.
C- Can I keep the same price and shape and improuve the function.
If you can answer yes to one of these questions , become a designer!
Can we have more than one favorite?
I have had two IKEA kitchens and am planning on a third, most likely with the Hallarum cabinet doors. They have a nice 50's Danish mod look if you use the right style hardware. The cabinets themselves are very good with Blum draw glides (the best) and all kinds of other features. The price is much lower than the next cheapest alternative and the quality is way better.
After that:
The Poang chair. Most comfortable chair I've ever owned and I like the looks, too.
The Pax wardrobe with the big sliding frosted glass doors---I want this so badly but there's no place to put it in my house. Wah!
The Ensen bathroom sink faucet. I just got two of them in the AS IS department for 60% off.
Some of it is junk...
..and some is pretty good. Depends on the piece and how it's used. The Hollviken (?) bathroom sink is a beautiful design and is the same vitreous china that Kohler and other quality sinks are made of. Same for their Ann sink.
Koen--aren't you Danish? The water here is not nearly as hard as Danish water so water spots aren't as big a problem.
One of the better design...
critics in Denmark (for Berlingske Tidende) wrote many years ago that I was (in his view) the most Danish of the non-danish designers...so, there you have it...The closest I ever came to becoming Danish was that, as a child,I tried desperately to convince my parents to immigrate to Denmark...
I remember a story about Danish water contaminated by Roundup...but I have no idea how hard it is. Here ( a very small part of Canada) the water is quite hard, but I tried it with mineral waters and the markings on the "Ensen" tap are similar.
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