When we moved back to Birmingham to be closer to family after I had my baby girl we decided to get a furnished flat so that we wouldn't have to worry about getting furniture bit by bit while looking after our new little one. Our place came with this Ikea coffee table, which the landlords told us were newly purchased.

I didn't know this was an Ikea table before my brother who is a die-hard Ikea fan popped over one day and pointed it out. It was only £12.99 on the website at the time. I thought this was excellent value and that it would last a long time as we only used the bottom shelf for papers and the top shelf for a lamp and a packet of baby wipes.

This coffee table is a standard rectangular shape with sharp edges. It is pale brown in colour and is obviously wood-effect. As with most things from Ikea it came flat packed but as I didn't assemble it I can't say whether that was easy to do or not. It only has a few pieces to it so I should imagine that it was easy enough. The table looks nice enough and it has no scratches or notches on it after a year of use. However, it has recently developed a crack in the middle of it, and I can't say how that got there since we never put any weight on the table, particularly not in the middle. The crack is not visible from the top of the table but it clearly is from the side. After looking closely at it it is clear that the table is sinking in the middle, which has caused the crack, even though no weight has been placed on it. The top of the table is thick enough that I don't think the entire thing will collapse, but still I don't want an obviously damaged product in my living room, as it now has a cheap feel to it.

So, although this table is clearly sold at a bargain price, it is nothing compared to an actual wooden coffee table we had in our old place in Hastings, which we sold before coming here so we'd have less to move. I therefore recommend that you save your money and the environment by investing in a more durable, long-lasting table instead of this cheap Ikea purchase, even if you rarely plan to use it, because it will still last longer than this one. 2 stars from me.