Jose and I took a trip to Ikea today and for the first time ever, I think I came home with items that DIDN’T work as I’d expected.
First up was a wood cutlery tray that I planned to use as a drawer organizer. It was the perfect size for a wide but shallow drawer between the sinks in our master bathroom…or so I thought. Turns out it was a smidge — and I do mean a smidge, less than 1/4 of a inch — too wide for the drawer. If the sides were perpendicular it’d work, but they’re slanted. Ugh. But on the plus side, it really is the perfect size for one of the drawers in our kitchen…
Next was a cheap white metal stand to add another layer of storage for cups and mugs in our kitchen cabinets. I bought two, only to get home and be reminded that our kitchen cabinets are weirdly narrow. They don’t fit. Ugh again! But I can put them in the pantry instead to add a few extra levels there. Both of these organizers were cheap, so it’s no big deal to just put them somewhere else. But the last item means a return trip to Ikea, which is kind of a pain in the butt since it’s 3/4 of the way across Houston. Behold, the desk chairs.
I have wanted a new desk chair for a while because the cheap one I got from Staples when we first moved into the house just isn’t cutting it. They had several models of this chair. The one I tried out was covered in white fake leather. I scooted around the floor and tested the height adjustment and all was well. The chair also come in black fake leather (on the left), a multicolor fabric, and black fabric (on the right). I prefer fabric to leather so I wrote down the item number for the black fabric and went along my merry way. The fabric covered chair was even $10 cheaper, which I figured was just a materials difference.
I never noticed what you have certainly noticed by now — which is the fact that the fake leather chair has casters and a height/tilt adjust mechanism underneath the chair. The fabric covered chair, with no casters and no easy way to adjust the height, might as well be a completely different chair in terms of usability. $10 buys casters and a height adjust. Duly noted. When I opened the chair tonight and realized the issue, much whining ensued.
Fortunately, the other items we got (a new sofa table, a desk lamp, and a few other odds and ends) worked out. I also got some fabric to make throw pillow covers. Did you know Ikea sold fabric? That was news to me! They had some really neat prints and most of the fabric was home decor weight so it’d be great for pillows, curtains, and that kind of stuff. I also saw a rug there that I really want for our dining room, but alas, it wasn’t in the budget for this trip. Maybe in a few months.
As for the chair, well, we’re already planning on heading downtown again next weekend for the art festival — so another trip to Ikea to exchange the chair won’t be too inconvenient.
Still: Ikea tricked me! I love you Ikea, but you tricked me!
Donna says
Have you seen the Ikea Hacker website? There’s some great design ideas and inspiration:
http://www.ikeahackers.net/
I’m headed there this week — fortunately I don’t work far from there.