Interior Decoration: 5 Reasons Why Interior Designers Don’t (Always) Love Ikea
Ikea has become a go-to reference for many people who want to furnish and decorate their home. Here are the reasons why we’re not keen on Ikea, and what you’ll avoid if you hire an interior design professional.
Ikea has now firmly established itself in the furniture and interior decoration space. The Swedish giant has seen significant growth in recent years in the interior decoration sector. This multinational, dedicated to selling furniture, already has more than 300 stores in 38 countries. However, not all that glitters is gold when it comes to these simple-lined pieces of furniture offered at such competitive prices.
At Keinzo Interiores, we give you 5 reasons why decorators and interior designers don’t always love Ikea furniture.
These are our main reasons, as an interior design studio, for not loving Ikea completely.
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Wasted time: Do it yourself, or DIY-saster?
When we decide to add an Ikea piece to our space to improve the interior decoration of a room, it becomes quite difficult to find one that fits. Besides being a fairly tedious process, it should be added that Ikea furniture has impossible-to-pronounce names. Who finds it easy to ask an employee where to find the “Ifsjorden” mirror that appears in the catalogue?
We must also bear in mind the time wasted in finding the product on their giant shelving units. Then you have to load it up and take it home, assuming you’ve taken the precaution beforehand of checking the packaging dimensions and the number of boxes you’ll be given, to make sure they’ll fit in the car.
Once home, and assuming you’ve already passed the lift test — or the stairs, in the worst-case scenario — you still have another obstacle ahead: opening the box on the right side and understanding the manual. You won’t find a single written instruction from the Swedish company. Everything is explained through drawings. So, if you’re not a fan of puzzles, assembling your simple shelving unit will turn into a real headache. Made plans for that afternoon? Go ahead and cancel them. Putting together the innocent-looking piece of furniture you bought will take you much longer than you think.
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An impractical module system: an interior designer’s word
If you’re looking for a piece of furniture to fill your living room wall from side to side, IKEA furniture isn’t the best option. Its module system of 60, 40 or 20 centimetres means that, most of the time, your furniture won’t fit perfectly into the space you’ve set aside for it. This will leave unsightly gaps at the sides, which will become a magnet for dust and dirt. In the end, after so much effort, you won’t achieve the interior decoration effect you had in mind.
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Ikea mattresses: not the bargain you think
Mattresses aren’t the best thing the Swedish factory makes. It’s true that they’re affordable, but they rank below average in terms of consumer satisfaction. What’s more, if you choose a non-standard size for your bed, such as 140 cm for example, you won’t be able to use the bed linen you already have. You’ll end up buying that from them too. Want to know how much the mattress will really cost you in the end? Grab a calculator and start adding up everything you’ll need to buy. You’ll see it’s not so cheap for the quality on offer.
4.An overly standardised decor
It’s true that Ikea’s furniture prices are a great draw, but, in the end, their furniture and interior decoration pieces are too popular. It’s very likely that neighbours, friends and acquaintances will end up with the same thing as you, which means a home with no personality of its own. If you go for the most popular pieces from the Swedish store, get ready to plaster on a standardised smile for whenever visitors come round and, the moment they walk in, say: “This is from Ikea, isn’t it?”.
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Unstable furniture you shouldn’t lose sight of
This is the best advice we can give you as interior designers ourselves: if you’ve fallen for a large Ikea piece of furniture, the best thing you can do is hire a carpenter to assemble it. It won’t work out quite as cheap, but you’ll be sure that the piece will be firmly assembled and will therefore last longer. It also won’t pose a danger to anyone. It’s also very important, if you’re going to buy a tall bookcase, to make sure it’s anchored to the wall. That way you’ll avoid frights and accidents!
In summary, and from our point of view as interior decorators, some Ikea furniture is a viable option as a simple, affordable solution for decorating certain spaces. However, most interior designers believe they are absolutely no match for a piece of furniture made bespoke by an interior designer. A piece designed by an interior designer will put any Ikea piece to shame. The quality in terms of materials used and the detail of the bespoke design have nothing to do with the Swedish giant’s furniture. Hiring an experienced interior decoration professional will allow you to receive guidance on what best suits your home, based on your tastes and needs. What’s more, you’ll save yourself worry and gain time, since we’ll do it all for you: design, manufacturing, delivery and assembly. All that’s left for you to do is enjoy!