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Why is Ikea furniture considered cheapie in the US,but high class in Europe?
Is it because their prices are very affordable here?Do not tell me it is poor quality,unless you really had a bad experience.So far we only had great!
Answer:
It's not considered high class in Europe. It is considered low cost high style.
Most Americans do not have the patience for IKEA. In New York, arguably the high style capital of the US, many interior designers use IKEA mixed with other pricier stuff. These designers are very high status designers and know a good thing when they see it. For example, the kitchen stuff: I have seen high end granite flooring, counters, appliances, mixed with IKEA's stainless steel kitchen cabinets for the base units, and IKEA's aluminum and frosted glass cabinets for the upper units. These were shown in kitchens whose cost was well in excess of thirty thousand dollars.
At IKEA, you have to know what you're doing and have a good eye as well as patience. They simply have a lot of things so it's not always easy to find what would be suitable.
As for some comments made that IKEA is cheaply made, well, what isn't?
Virtually all but custom made cabinets are made with fake wood and dressed up with veneers. The hardware, (meaning the hinges and supports but not the knobs) is pretty much the same as well. One major difference can be seen in drawer construction. Kraft Maid drawers have medium density fiberboard (MDF) sides and bottoms while IKEA has a high durabilty metal side and an MDF bottom.
The price differential is big.
Solid wood furniture or kitchen cabinets or home office structures usually cost a great deal of money. But, because they are solid wood, usually dove-tailed contstruction, with dowels instead of screws, they will last longer than the person who bought them.
Thrift stores are a great source for solid wood furniture if you have the time, patience and skill to refinish the furniture to your liking.
IKEA gets a bad rap because they also have a lot of kid and student furniture that has a short life.
In the end, you mainly get what you pay for unless you are a truly clever and knowledgeable consumer.
Oh, you also have to know how to put IKEA's furniture together. That's not true with the Kraft Maid and up products.
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