I really love the hemnes furniture range. When first setting up home we seemed to go there every other saturday!! Great for light shades, candles, napkins and kids stuff that is so cheap it is virtually disposable - £16 highchair! I know some people dislike IKEA but I have to say their stuff lasts the distance and they have some great space saving ideas! I'm a little sad they've got rid of the Expedit though and replaced with something of cheaper quality!

I'm planning a trip this weekend for cutlery, bath mats and glasses... not such an exciting adventure!

Over the years have used it for different things ... furnishing the spare room - hemnes, colourful napkins definitely, hanging shelves for the study, most of the frames for my artwork come from Ikea, clever things like salt and pepper grinders that open at the top so they don't leave a mess on the table, years ago a large round red wool carpet ... I love they have lots of colourful things, drawers for stationery, when I first moved in and on a tight budget, some small lamps, light bulbs ... now I don't go so often and if I do it's for small items. They have some great fabrics, bought some bold red/white fabric for internal curtains to cover laundry area, some great bright pink cotton velvet ... great colour and quality, would have cost 20x the price at Designers Guild. Have even used them for items at the office.

Gosh, where to start!
Meatballs, definitely meatballs. Lingonberry chirpottle. Biscuits and rude named sweets.
Glasses, candles, bedding, picture frames (Ribba), towel rails.
I'm not over keen on the furniture.
Oh, last but not least, their linen, off the roll, for reenactment.

I started to go to Ikea when my daughters were small (they are now in their twenties), the reasonably priced furniture and accessories coupled with the fact that I could leave them in the play area was a great draw! As they grew up and I seemingly endlessly redesigned their bedrooms, or moved them into student accommodation, it was always a great source of budget necessities. Even though I now run a business upcycling furniture I still find myself popping in from time to time, I love their fabrics, candles and meatballs :-)

I like Ikea,but sometimes I cant find my way out! Numerous people have said the same thing. I have purchased cups saucers,glasses,and even a large rug ,which I have had for a while and still looks great.

Where to begin…I love Ikea!! Scented candles, cheap but stylish chairs, bedding, down comforter, bathmats, storage boxes, that £5 LACK side table that I've had in every country I've ever lived in….Ikea is a practical dream for the budget buyer :)

Love it for furniture!

We bought an Ikea kitchen and had it professionally spray painted - brilliant.

Glassware, candles and orchids.

Candles, lighting, storage, plants and plant pots are my main attraction! I have a dinner set in black and white square shape, black glass with circles that must be 6/7 years old and used every day, all in black and white to mix and match. Still looks great and is easy to match to serving dishes etc. All discontinued now of course, but fingers crossed will last a couple more years!

Would totally agree with the earlier comment about replacing Expedit with the new cheaper looking replacement, and losing the grey colour option, what's that all about?....

Free pencils !!! lol !

They are great for rugs. Also tableware, utensils, bed linen, cabinets and tables.

Apart from the free pencils mentioned by OnePlan there are the free tape measures - you can never have too many of those! And I have to really stop myself from launching into the ball pool by the front door....

Ikea is a haven if you know what you are looking for - there ARE pieces of their furniture that are a bit shonky (and certain ranges have reduced in quality over the last 20 years e.g.Ivar) but if you know what to buy and what to avoid you can get great quality, well designed home furnishings for a fraction of the cost of other retailers. This is largely to do with innovations in their sourcing, production and shipping methods. Pretty much the only things I have in my home that have not come from Ikea are vintage, or original designer pieces, and you'll find many an architect/ designer in the same position.

Fabric!

Bed linen (great if your 10 year old likes Cath Kidston), cushions, curtains (love their mint velvet ones), lights and shades, candles, lanterns, ektorp sofa, fabric, frames, bottles and vases and cinnamon buns.

Where do you plan on going to purchase them?

oops, I see it's Ikea! sorry guys. I avoid Ikea when it comes to furniture, but for sure, their small goods are great! I really like their wooden chopping boards. Thick, strong and at a great price too! I would definitely advise one to purchase many smaller items that one doesn't think about for storage solutions from Ikea. They work a treat!

beautiful kitchen

A divorce

Candles, picture frames, tea towels, glasses and more candles.

It's a fun place for ideas, and some really clever furniture pieces that serve well on a budget, especially for apartment living . I agree on the rugs, got a lovely Persian rug very cheap, obviously not hand done for the price but it's nicer thank cheap synthetic.
They are great for storage on a budget.

What do I get from Ikea? Stress.

Ha ha ha P&P Maintenance - Your comment reminds me of the days when I first moved out of London and the nearest Ikea was over an hour away. A girlfriend and I would make a day trip to either Brent Cross or Birmingham, we'd start with a breakfast of coffee and croissants and a relaxed wander round the showrooms, then a lunch break for meatballs and lingonberry juice, all very civilised. Then we would get down to the serious business of going through the catalogue and jotting down the details of the items we actually wanted to purchase (note no smart phones or ipads in those days ;) and head off to the marketplace/warehouse - result - a good day out ruined! We once spent over an hour looking for replacement parts for a Billy bookcase. When, in desperation, I asked a depressed looking employee if anyone had a clue where anything was he just replied 'nope'....

Do you remember what most homes looked like before Ikea came to UK? Pretty awful, unless you were able to buy from amazing designers. The average home was fairly dismal. Even if you don't shop at Ikea, I think Ikea has "educated" us in design. Hurray for Ikea!

I swear I have seen people having anxiety and panic attacks in Ikea!

Definitely not couches (backs are too low and unsupported) or most of the furniture to be honest. You can buy far better quality and comfortable furniture second hand or from liquidators. I do love their glass water glasses (indestructible!), mason jars, chopping boards, bathroom mats and children's toys.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Ikeas furniture range is that it's mostly made of composite board, or cheap plastic. You can't shabby chic their furniture, or make it look interesting at all. It just comes as is and that's what you're stuck with. booooring! Give me an old wooden chair from a charity shop, or let me shabby chic and age what you already have, and you can put Ikea right out of your mind. I find their prices shocking too.

Trader Routz - people buy Ikea furniture because they like Ikea furniture,and, for the most part, it's reliable. It's not meant to be "shabby chic"-ed; not everyone likes that particular look: I'd rather let a piece age gracefully.

I hear what you are saying R Thomas Rainbow, but if letting a piece age gracefully is what you love, you won't get that from Ikea. Their furniture is not like the good old days solid wooden furniture. It's more 'flat packed' easy to do furniture. I don't feel everyone should have the shabby chic look, it was just an observation. You cannot age, paint, or change the look of Ikea furniture at all, and I personally find that a hindrance, whereas someone else might not be fussed.

Actually Trade Routz there are websites/blogs and Pinterests boards devoted to ways of altering the look of Ikea furniture or 'Ikea hacks' as they call it! You would be amazed at the things people do to transform their furniture although you might also (as I sometimes do) wonder WHY they go to such lengths when they could probably have found something at a charity/junk shop or auction with a similar look and achieved the same result with a great deal less effort. Often they bear very little resemblance to the original 'modern' design when they have finished with them and would sit very comfortably in a shabby chic home :-D

That's interesting gerryrust. Goodness, I must have a look up and see what people are doing to their Ikea furniture. Thanks for this, most interesting!

Tealights, always tealights.

aaah, now TradeRoutz livingStyle has plenty of those too!! (just thought I'd let you know)...go to http://www.traderoutz.com and find the best tealights ever!

IKEA is great for anyone starting out, furnishing a rental property or just not sure what they want. It may not be the best "last for ever" quality, but it does the job, looks reasonable and can be mixed with other pieces over time. It tends to be good quality for the money. Tastes change over time and while my parents invested as much as they could in the furniture they bought, as they wanted it to last a lifetime, I prefer to think I will be able to change and update easily in the future. I spent a fortune on some furniture a few years ago, that I would love to replace now. We didn´t have a nearby IKEA at the time unfortunately.

Batteries and breakfast - both very good value!

Here's an article I wrote earlier this year about what to get in IKEA… hope you find it of interest!

https://www.jessicabuckley.co.uk/blog/popping-to-ikea/

Their Pax wardrobe systems are brilliant and very well built with useful internals.

Also, their famous blue bags are indispensable for us interior designers on installation and photo styling days!