Flatpack furnishings have never been easier to buy or construct (Ikea Bedroom Furniture in general)

Member Name: jamesontheroad

Product:	Ikea Bedroom Furniture in general
Date:	07/01/09 (518 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great design and value

Disadvantages: Don't forget to collect all the components from the warehouse

There are some habits that you inherit from your parents that you will always detest (in my case, stating the bloody obvious when conversation stalls, and rinsing dishes excessively before putting them in the dishwasher). But some you are proud to inherit. In my case, amongst other things, it's Paul Simon's early solo albums and Ikea furniture, notably mattresses and beds.

I grew up, like many people, some distance from an Ikea store, so visits were perhaps annual and special events. Driving some two hours to the store, we would have a long list of big ticket purchases that we had set our hearts on. It was usually the case that we would arrive to find them out of stock in the warehouse and then fill our car with completely superfluous household accessories, and still spend a three figure sum.

Ikea bedroom furniture has, in my experience, been consistently superb. Superb is design, superb in quality and superb in value. But these are big items. You just had to be sure that when buying expensive and large items that they were in stock before you set out on a long journey. Our first attempt to buy an Ikea bed (when I was just 15) was stymied because after a long drive from East Anglia down to London, we found none in stock. £150 of kitchen accessories and an armchair did not console us.

Those days are over, and I would warmly encourage any nervous Ikea virgins to give this Swedish retailing phenomenon a try. The crucial development that has changed my Ikea shopping experience is online shopping and online stock checking. Ikea now support online ordering for much of their inventory in England. If you live in an area not covered by online delivery (like myself, in Scotland) then online stock checking is invaluable. When planning a big trip to the store, checking stock levels a few days before hand will warn you if you are in line for a wasted trip. The system monitors buying patterns and predicts stock levels a few days into the future, taking into account busy weekends and bank holidays by adjusting predicted stock down accordingly until new stock arrives. With this intelligent system you are 99% sure of being able to go home with the product you have traveled all that way to purchase.

Now an adult, I go to sleep every night on an Ikea Sultan Hasselbäck sprung mattress that sits in a Lillesand bed frame. The mattress is, unlike so many I tested, exactly what I was looking for: firm and supportive yet soft and comfortable. The frame is classic but simple, and therefore effortlessly modern. Both were bought in store, and the low cost buyer-collects-from-the-warehouse system works perfectly when you know to expect the product in stock. Since I don't own a vehicle, it also helped me to book a rental van in confidence (see my review for 1car1 for my recommended Ikea shopper's chariot).

You will find in Ikea a wide range of furniture that should suit almost any home. Bedroom furniture is flat pack, but even novices will find the instructions easy to follow and the end result satisfying (provided you take note of all the simple instructions!). For those after the complete bedroom package, complimentary product lines means your bed and bedroom storage can co-ordinate. I was particularly tempted by the current Malm range which is extremely popular here in Glasgow - you should find this range has everything you need for a co-ordinated room.

Three final notes to those unfamiliar with the bedroom experience at Ikea. Ikea is an international company and they sell European standard sized double, queen and king size mattresses. These are slightly different from the old UK and current US standards, and to avoid confusion are sold by their metric dimensions. Beware that a new Ikea bed may not fit your old mattress.

Second note of caution: a bed such as my Lillesand is available in three different sizes, but since the "queen" and "double" are only different in width, not length, they share identical mid-beams and side-beams. When you take a note of the bed you want to buy to collect yourself from the warehouse, beware that you will probably have to collect two or three different items from different locations. Make absolutely sure you know which size bed you want, and note the location down of the component parts.

Finally, Ikea expect you to choose your bed package in three parts: 1) the frame (and it's components), 2) the mattress, 3) the all important slats. You choose each to your personal preference, with slats to provide the spring or firmness you want. The part most often forgotten by Ikea shoppers are the slats, and you won't be able to sleep in your new bed without them!

Summary: Do I recommend Ikea beds? Well I sleep on one every night, and I sleep deeply.