Robby W Posted June 9, 2022 Report Share Posted June 9, 2022 My wife and I went down to the Ikea store to get some ideas for our new house. I know - I'll cut a corner off my woodworker's card later. We are going to need a few chairs before I can get my shop up and running. They have a wooden chair for about $70 that looked like it fit the bill, so I got one down from their display and tried it. That has to have been the most comfortable hard seat chair I have ever sat in! The seat was perfectly scooped, the back was at the perfect angle and radius. I thing I am going to use this chair as a model for the dining room chairs I have to build in the future. Unfortunately, I can't find the picture of it on the website, but I think we will own four of them in October after our move. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BonPacific Posted June 9, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 9, 2022 I think IKEA gets a much worse rap than they deserve. Sure there's plenty of cheap stuff there, but the price-quality ratio is almost impossible to beat, and they also have plenty of durable and long-lasting designs that have been well thought out. Never understood people who expect the $20 dorm-room desks to last forever, but I've got tables and chairs originally from IKEA that are older than I am, and they still sell the exact same designs today. Edit: was it the Nordviken chair? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 9, 2022 Report Share Posted June 9, 2022 About the worst problem I have with Ikea is that it's such a horrible place to shop in person and much of the stuff that you can order online and have delivered, you can't order online and pick it up at the store. I think they could be so much more successful if they'd hire someone that has a clue about providing a good customer experience. Their higher quality furniture is not bad at all and can easily last decades. A lot of the non-furniture items are in a league of their own for value and quality. Ever shop for kitchen utensils? They are heavy, attractive, well made and cheap. I made a pullout garbage/recycling drawer and needed 2 bins. I scoured the usual suspects; home centers, Walmart, other department stores, but choices of size were not ideal and even the better quality bin were definitely not better quality. Ikea had a great selection of sizes and they are very tough. They were also considerable cheaper than any others I looked at. Tons of other great values there. They are kinda like the Harbor Freight or Princess Auto of housewares stores, but Ikea has thrown in a heaping dose of quality and clever design. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted June 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 @BonPacific asked: was it the Nordviken chair? It might have been. I think it has vertical back slats. Either way, it was a good sit. I was impressed with the quality and fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Two years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation as it would have been taboo. I will be building my wife a mobile center island and plans are to buy the butcher block top from Ikea.. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 27 minutes ago, Coop said: Two years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation as it would have been taboo. I will be building my wife a mobile center island and plans are to buy the butcher block top from Ikea.. Grizzly has a good selection of butcher block. I don't know how the price compares to Ikea. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 This will be built from left overs of a slab my brother had left from a galley build on a sail boat. Thanks though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoewoodworker Posted June 15, 2022 Report Share Posted June 15, 2022 There's nothing wrong with buying an IKEA chair and essentially copying it for your own use with maybe some upgrades to make it a longer lasting piece of furniture. IKEA does have a lot of things that are actually very good. I have actually found most to be stronger than you'd think after assembly. I bought some reasonable priced cabinets for my shop. Once put together and hung on the rails that they sell, the cabinets are hung square and have more than enough strength for storage in the shop. They are not heirloom cabinets but they are very functional and strong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted June 16, 2022 Report Share Posted June 16, 2022 I think some of the bad rap Ikea gets is from furniture being moved a lot. When you're moving apartments once a year how long can you reasonably expect a $40 bookshelf to hold up? I hadn't thought of buying an Ikea chair and using it as a template. Will have to remember that whenever the time comes to build some chairs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted June 16, 2022 Report Share Posted June 16, 2022 That is a somewhat flawed thought, but good question. IKEA comes from a Euro model, where cabinetry is not provided and must be moved from apartment to apartment by the tenant. Some may not hold up, most will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted June 16, 2022 Report Share Posted June 16, 2022 They really move kitchen cabinets between places? I had no idea! Our Ikea dressers and night stands are holding up pretty well for 10+ years old. There are some scratches on the top but that's my wife's doing... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 16, 2022 Report Share Posted June 16, 2022 European kitchens to to be far less "extravagant" then their US counterparts, I believe. At least when compared to the typical sub-urban MacMansion kitchen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted June 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 I remember reading somewhere (FWW?) that Europeans take their cabinets with them when they move, and that they are.made.to allow for this. They even move the lightbulbs! That is one way to guarantee the kitchen is the way your wife likes it. What I am really interested in is the angles, scouting and such of the chair. It was really.comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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