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Week 1 [09-15.10.17] Ikea

Read the article at  https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/08/flat-pack-to-the-future-how-ikea-shaped-our-lives and discuss it. Present your personal experiences.

Comments

Unknown said…
Actually, Ikea has become a way of living for many people and it has been offering cosy and modern furniture since the previous century. Moreover, Scandinavian producers show us how to create special atmosphere at our home without enormous and killing usage of natural resources. I belive that this article is quite interesting and useful for everyone, because Ikea is a brand known all over the world.
I heard that Ikea founder is a very modest man. He is driving an old Volvo, and almost all furniture in his house is from Ikea. Personally I have never bought their products, but maybe when I will have my own flat I will try them out, because I like their approach about reusability of materials.
Unknown said…
It's undoubtedly great that IKEA and other big companies think about nature, climate change, pollution. But the problem is that not everyone concerned about it. And there's something called greenwahing, when companies claim that their production and products are environmentally friendly, but it's not entirelly true.
Sylwia Pechcin said…
Ikea in my opinion sells quite good products when it comes to quality. About 3 years ago I was redecorating my room and decided to visit Ikea with much doubts about their furniture. But finally I've bought almost all of furniture that I've needed and I'm really glad about it.
As they sell really much products and have their shops almost everywhere it's really nice of them that they think also about nature and environment.
Unknown said…
When me and my brother came to Poland two years ago, our first rented flat was completely hollow. When the decision to visit "Ikea" came up, we didn't hesitate. We bought everything we need, from sofas to knifes and forks. From all of such well-known and huge stores, Ikea's shopping experience become something that I remember even nowadays. You always know that stuff you are byuing is a high-quality one, even if it is something simple.
Unknown said…
I wouldn't call Ikea's furniture high-quality, but it is cheaper than buying pure wood furniture. It is for mass and to be honest it isn't even that cheap considering it is plywood! However compering to other similar companies, ikea looks best and that price difference seems acceptable. It is sad that pure wooden furniture is 5-10x more expensive than Ikea's plywood.
Jakub Lisicki said…
I consider IKEA to be the best choice when it comes to arranging the furniture, if one doesn't want to blow a bundle. The quality isn't the best, but we can't say it's bad either. When it comes to pure look of furniture and accessories, we can easily find anything that fits our needs much easier than in case of having to check out all of the nearest furniture shops.

In my case, I have visited IKEA quite often recently, as I am moving out to a different city and it has spared me a lot of troubles already.
Would I recommend checking this store? Definitely.
Unknown said…
Personally I like Ikea. They have a lot of very nice products. I think that probably everyone has small table for 20 zł. But I have never decorated the whole flat on their furniutre. I had a few larger pieces of furniture and I say never more. The fact is they have very good prices but I prefer to spend more money and have good furniutre which after two years is good. But Ikea has very good hotdog for 1 zl and very good dinners.

Alicja said…
IKEA is useful, because it is affordable. However, it is a pity we do not have solid wood furniture created by local craftsmen anymore (reasonably priced, not the designer stores that only the richest can afford to shop in).
Perhaps sometimes it is more rewarding to use IKEA's founder philosophy that waste is a “mortal sin”, go get a lovely old armchair from OLX and renovate it oneself.
My brother and his girlfriend do an amazing job of breathing new life into old furniture they hunt for on OLX and community trash drop off sites.
Yevhen Shymko said…
I my humble opinion IKEA revolutionize the world of furniture. The most interesting thing for me is the character of the founder. Working since childhood obstinately heading towards his goals. He was the first one to order from the factories instead of retailers. Then he assembled them in his own factory thus can sell it much cheaper. Also fun fact - first country he bought cheap parts from was Poland.
Foodocado said…
Ikea has got good value for money that's why people are in love in this brand. Personally I like the idea of self-assembly furniture. The range of products that Ikea offers will fit to everyones taste. It is hard to come into the Ikea and leave without buying anything.
Unknown said…
Price matches quality. When I moved to another city, I found an apartment without any furniture, so I've asked myself a question: "Which one I should buy and where I can by it?". I didn't have enough money for nice furniture and didn't have any reason to buy expensive one because I'd moved here only for couple of years. Somewhere I've heard about IKEA and , as for me, I was really surprised for the price that it offers for the good quality furniture. Actually this article is mostly useful for people that haven't heard about IKEA before.
IKEA has helped many people due to low prices of their furnitures. People could spend less on tables, chairs and etc. and more on other important things. Quality is not bad, the design is simple so it's a good deal.
Wojtek Kania said…
I like IKEA like most of my friends. For me founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad is very interesting person. First of all most Swedes don't like him. He lived in Switzerland for 40 years. Kamprad was a miser. He was a billionaire but all of his stuff came from IKEA :) But he was loving Poland, because export furniture to Poland saved his company. He also admitted that he was alcoholic because he was doing business with Poles. Kamprad is very interesting person and everyone who like reading biography should read book: "Historia IKEA: Ingvar Kamprad rozmawia z Bertilem Torekullem"
Unknown said…
When I came to Poland I've never heard about Ikea. People talked about Ikea and I even didn't understand what they are talking about. I always rent flat and never buy any furniture to rented apartment, so after few years in Poland I still have no idea what is Ikea :)
On the other hand I suspect that there were a lot of furniture from Ikea in appartments I was renting, so maybe quality of it isn't bad, I don't know. Maybe in future when I'll buy my own flat, I would visit Ikea to buy furniture, but who knows.
Filip Sawicki said…
When Ingvar Kamprad the founder of IKEA began to develop his business in Sweden, he found out that setting low prices on cheaply manufactured furniture was very profitable. This strategy combined with Scandinavian futuristic and simplistic design of products turned out to be the idea worth 35 billion euro in 2016. In my opinion IKEA is one of those companies which not only sell reasonably priced furniture and accessories but also produce goods with satisfactory quality. To this date I am using some of the IKEA products in every part of my home and never have been disappointed.
Vladlen Kyselov said…
I believe that the company maximizes the amount of value generated for its target market, because strategic decisions either for long-term growth or operations that reflect their “thrifty” philosophy will benefit consumers. This improves the financial gain to customers as well IKEA’s ability to maintain introducing new models and styles, two important factors that IKEA relies on for brand marketing and positioning.
Exactly ! While Ikea is great for young people or non "forever/permanent accomodation, having it push out local craftsmans is a pity.The market for hand made or order only made furniture atleast in poland was not big enough to let them live off it with Ikea being in town.
Unknown said…
Ikea is a high-minded company. It is trying to improve the world by protecting the environment and by improving living conditions of its customers and employees. Following it’s code of conduct, Ikea employs a large number of migrants to ensure that they also have a chance to live a dignified life.

In my opinion, Ikea didn’t shape our lives. Not in a direct way. Most people only care about good value for money while shopping in Ikea. They don’t pay attention to the Ikea’s philosophy and live their own life. Fortunately, shopping is also helpful. It helps Ikea to continue their mission to improve the world behind our backs.
Unknown said…
IKEA is example of business which grew stronger and stronger because it has had a good chiefs. Many companys nowadays fall down because they don't have good chiefs. It started as selling simple matches, but beacuse of good managment it could achive many profits. I think many companys started as small business but not many could reach that level of selling as Ikea has.
I like their products. I have at least a few various things, be it chairs, or tables. It's nice to see how efficient and careful they are - especially environment-friendly is always nice to notice. I'd love to see more companies like these, where the owner is not a man blinded by his own success, but rather a proud CEO striking for perfection.
Unknown said…
Ikea is on top of furniture companies because they offer products which are cheap but also have acceptable quality. I don't feel that IKEA changed something in my life. Alright, I have some their furnitures in my home but usually I prefer to spend more money and buy something which was more unusual. But I understand that globally they have influance on how our homes look like. They can advertise new fashion in home design and when they decide that e.g. from this moment purple color is in fashion then after one year in thousands their customers houses will appear purple decoration and a purple sofa. They affect how our homes look like in the same way how clothes designers affect on our appearance.
It's hard to find a flat without a piecie of Ikea furniture/thing. It's all because of Ikea's good value for money. Their products are pretty cheap, quality is acceptable and design is fine. I personally have a lot of things from swedish giant and i never complained about their quality despite the fact of low price.
Unknown said…
Inspired by my recent travel to Scandinavian countries(Norway, Denmark and Sweden) I must admit that I've became a huge admirer of their culture. Also, I got acquainted with the Hygge philosophy. This is a philosophy in which you have to live around the things that make you happy, comfy things and, of course, beautifully simple things. While reading the definition, I've found out, that the AirBnB flat that was fully made out of IKEA stuff is a typical representative of Hygge philosophy. So, when I came back to Warsaw, I've visited IKEA few more times, and, then, made a biggest IKEA haul in my life, optimising my life in IKEA style, step by step. So now, my apartment became the etalon of comfort, happiness and cosiness. "Made in IKEA"
Tomasz Morawski said…
Ikea definitely changed people's view not only on furnitures, but also generally on housing. Nowadays, it's pretty common to buy almost empty flat, fill it with our own furnitues, then move it when changing living place. I believe it wouldn't be possible if Ikea didn't introduce the new look at this subject by creating simple, compact, and of course affordable furnitures. Nothing is ideal, though, and neither is Ikea. Their furnitures have medicore durability. They also tend to lose their charm after few years.
Unknown said…
Since when I live in Warsaw home items I bought only in Ikea. Ikea has improved the quality of its furniture. A year ago I had a refit in the kitchen and I bought the kitchen furniture in ikea and I am very happy with these furniture. Ikea also does not have expensive things. I'm glad that in Poland we have ikea shops
With its humble founder Ikea still managed to quickly become a global devouring machine, avoiding taxes and putting enormous amounts of money into PR campaigns. Shady it is, but who else isn't in today's world Ponzi scheme economy. Still given its price to quality ratio Ikea delivers and claims the top spot as world's biggest furniture retailer.
Zygmunt Z said…
It is not hiked-up if we say that Ikea have dominated furniture market. It has a very vast range of products which can satisfy every client. From simple and cheap solutions to luxurious design sets. Combining it with easy instructions how to fold their products and a complex delivery system, there is no doubt that Ikea is a great example of client-oriented company. I have never experienced any problems with their products and I can honestly say that I am very pleased with the way they are crafted. I know that some people might have had some problems but to me Ikea is a company that I will keep recommending to everybody
Unknown said…
Luckily for me I rent my flat in two bus stops from Ikea, that's why almost every furniture in the flat is from this store! Though there are few other furniture stores nearby, all of them feels deserted comparing to Ikea one.
The founder of Ikea deserves respect(comparing to the Zuckerberg person which is quite the opposite, who-cares-about-user one), and I heard that even now he still manages everything in IKEA stores, starting from furniture design and ending with dishes in a canteen.
Unknown said…
Personally i think that ikea is not so great. Of course it's a great placeifyou want some furniture for a temporary livingplace and you want it to be relatively cheap, but it's pushing out local craftsmen andthat's not good. Consider this:
People have different tastes and ikea provides. But what if someone want's something regional hmm? It's almost impossible to find hand-made furniture.
Let's face it. Ikea is slowly but steadily dominating the market. Stillit's a good company. They hardly make any fancy stuff but they deliver, and are quite a decentcompany.
Unknown said…
If you've never visited Ikea, you should, believe me. It's not like going to a grocery or any kind of store. It's more like a visit in a scandinavian-themed funfair with dining area. :)
Unknown said…
In my opinion, Scandinavians rock in terms of design. I love this clean and simplistic style of Ikea furniture and I try to implement it in my room. I am trying to get rid of all unnecessary figurines, knicknacks - all those dust-magnets - to reduce the time I need to spend on cleaning. Having said that, Ikea has changed my life by showing me a nice way of furnishing a flat.

Moving on, there is one thing I don't like about Ikea. The author of the post mentioned that one of the rules of Ikea's code of conduct is to maintain a "strict 50/50 gender split target for management teams across the globe". For me, that's a hilarious idea. Managers and other employees should be appointed based on their merits, not their gender.
Unknown said…
I am not a huge Ikea fan. But when I've entered it 12 years ago in Istanbul I was so amazed, because we didn't have Ikea and it seemed full of cool stuff. I even still own an orange bowl and a garden figure, that we've bought there with mom.
When I have moved to Poland, I rented a flat - ordinary story - and had to fulfill the empty shelves. Ikea is almost always an answer in such situation. And that is what I am thankful for. But in my opinion, you can never create that cozy unique atmosphere in your flat only using Ikea products. You can use it as a base, or as an addition to something, but as for me - I get bored in 100% Ikea interiors. I don't want to sound categorical, everything depends on one's character and way of living, and we all know that tastes differ. But I am more into seeking for some unique single things, sometimes even on flea markets, but you can find something with soul, and Ikea stuff has no soul, unfortunately. For me it's important. But I still like to visit that place to buy some plants, kitchen garment and lamp bulbs. Oh, and I like their food, chocolate and horrible cheap hot-dogs:) and I guess, some of us had fun pretending to live in those Ikea demo apartments))
Anyway, Ikea is a legendary and successful project, and I am admired by it's creator and his great idea. And I am glad that during last years Scandinavian design and philosophy is becoming more and more popular, we can learn many good things from those guys.
Unknown said…
I like Ikea for its simple and clean design, fair price and behind philosophy (as much as it's a marketing catchword, I wanna believe). My good ol desk I'm sitting behind is from Ikea and I cannot complain. I just cannot stand the endless labyrinth I am always lost in while visiting it just to buy a single thing. Seriously they made it that way so instead of 5 I have to spend 20 minutes. Girls aren't complaining though.

"while the sofas are given Swedish place names and the beds are named after towns in Norway, the Danish place names are reserved especially for toilet brushes"
made me chuckle.
Nataliya Tkach said…
I believe it is quite popular to renovate nowadays. I am witnessing more and more people, wondering how cool it is to get something old from local market platforms, spent few days with sandpaper and polishing spray in your hand. It is amazing and also green.
Nataliya Tkach said…
There are a lot of IKEA shops around the globe, and the reason is - their goods are value for money, and also it is a quite convinient place to buy furniture. There is enjoyable atmosphere within it, you walk through all branches one by one, having fun, touching all these things. They did a great job with these showrooms, very innovative approach they have created and we can assure their success on the market.
Pylyp Radionov said…
I am totally with you, IKEA is a true company which has customer oriented business model. They are capable to extract as much wealth as they can, and not only for themselves. The opposite approach has prosperity only in short term.
Pylyp Radionov said…
Their market strategy was unique and this is a big key for a successful start, but still to continue constantly growing like they did, you have to be prepared for every possible scenario. I can see, most of you post your personal attitude towards their quality, I will gladly join you -- I also believe furniture produced by IKEA is worth the price you are charged and design also is cool.
I think Ikea is convenient. It’s a good value for money and you can basically buy everything you need for your house in one place. The way in which they arrange their stores makes you feel at home already. On the other hand, it became so popular that everyone winds up owning the same stuff, but with the endless possibilities of arranging their products, people don’t even notice it. And that’s the beauty and simplicity of Ikea.
Vyvyan said…
Now a days everyone buys stuff in Ikea because it's cheap and kind of durable. Also, people are quickly bored with appearance of their houses. Changing furniture with Ikea is not a problem because of the price. Sadly, it causes that our houses are all the same and they are not unique.

For me, our house or flat should be reflection of our character and tastes. Ikea is ruining that conception because, in Poland, people can't afford for durable furniture made by craftsman or companies which are using good quality materials.
Andrzej Gulak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
In my opinion Ikea is one of the best furniture stores.
Their products are pretty good quality and they are not so expensive. When we buy furnitures or some accessories in Ikea we can save a lot of money. This is a big benefit for example for students who need to buy furniture for their flat or room. I think their furnitures are modern and good looking. Nowadays in many homes we can find Ikea products, it shows how big success Ikea has achieved. The great advantage of this store is that they care about the environment because nowadays this is very important for many people. If I had to buy furniture and accessories for my flat or room I would definitely go to the Ikea store.
Ikea shaped our lives? I never thought abut it. I've been there just couple times. Becouse someone told me about 1pln hot dog and that is a FANTASTIC deal. But if its about furnitures? I got only 2 things from Ikea. Chair, because it was on sale and it's got 10 years warranty and trash can. That is how Ikea influenced my life.
Magdalena Popek said…
Recently I've moved to a flat with no furniture and my very first thought was "IKEA". Because the quality/price ratio is surprisingly good. The design of even the cheapest furniture is consistent, so you can cheaply furnish your apartment and it will actually look good! And I love the minimalism of their basic furniture. If I were to move to my own apartment I would rather choose better quality furniture, but I would stil have plenty of IKEA things - cutlery, towels, plates, kitchen equipment. Again because of low price and nice design.
Being in Sweden and in the city where Ikea was founded, I can say that they are holding onto their traditions. Continuously striving for simple solutions for a large number of customers and ecological and renewable materials. Their furniture and accessories are designed for everyone, simple, stylish and at the same time fulfilling the task. Surely everyone will like it.
Unknown said…
I think that's great shop for everyone. Things in Ikea are very usefull and quite cheap. I can say that's basic for every house. What's more, using accesories from Ikea we can made our home spaces in various ways. It was a good idea to standardize the goods sold. Thanks to that, we will find the same in every shop. Additionally, the shops are in many places on the ground and easily accessible to customers. A big plus is the ease of folding furniture. Of course Ikea isn't perfect for every aspects... for people who want be totally exceptional and oryginal this shop may not be satisfactory... But in total opinion is very positive. Simple, quick and my favourite scandinavians style :)
Bartosz Łyżwa said…
I've already heard story about Ikea few times and it always seems like a simple story. It's amazing how small idea turns into a big, big store with history. Now, Ikea is a lifestyle for many people and it won't change in nearby future I think. Personally I like furnitures from Ikea because those are cheap but very handy and... I love to put every elements together :D
The phenomena of IKEA is very simple - you can find everything there to furnish your house in modern or classic way.
You do not have to wait long for your furniture as in many companies like BRW, Agata Meble and etc. - they are all in stock mostly all the time. IKEA is quite affordable shop, for me the only concern is quality - it could be better. One thing you may not know - do you know that IKEA makes 90 % of furniture in country they sell them ? By example there are almost 30 companies in Mazowieckie district that are making tables, beds and other components for IKEA.
Unknown said…
I understand phenomena of IKEA, because I'm part of it. People like IEKA, because of number of designs - something for everyone. Joyous, colorful furniture for children, plain furniture for people, who like crude, modern style or dark, for people who prefers more classical style. There is a lot of accessories for every room, so even when you go there without a plan to buy something, probably you will.
Marcin Mróz said…
I have recently moved to the new flat, so my experience with IKEA is really fresh. I spent almost every weekend during holidays either walking around in this shop and looking for furniture or putting together already bought ones. But I don't regret it. I really like this minimalist, swedish design that comes together with good price and durability. For example, I managed to buy a kitchen table that perfectly fits into my tiny flat for only about 100pln. I think it's really good to have a shop like IKEA near you when you're arranging your new house or flat.
KamilG said…
I think that popularity of Ikea stem from currently vision how home should be furnished. Young people, our generation want more space at homes and useful things around. Ikea meets our expectations. Now many people travel, change flats, houses, move in and out during short time...We need furniture which is easy to pack, move and reassemble. As many people wrote previously, the essential value is price. That attract everyone.
In my case, most of furniture in my room is from Ikea, just because of low price and high functionality.
Unknown said…
For me Ikea is not just a shop where you can buy furniture. I'd say it's kinda lifestyle nowadays. Their products are stylish, minimalistic and these are the terms that people like. The most important thing is that their stuff is value for money. Personally, I'm IKEA customer too and I've never complained about things I bought there.
Unknown said…
My experience with IKEA started very early as I grew up in Sweden, so the vast majority of furniture shopping meant driving 15 nordic miles with my parents to the nearest IKEA store and returning with a fully loaded car after a couple of hours of browsing (and of course getting Köttbullar for lunch in the canteen). Even being a kid I liked these trips, partly because of the IKEA stores being great playgrounds, but mostly because of the furniture assembly that would take part after getting back home. That were my first encounters with tools and any kind of handcraft, even before the crafting classes in ground school.

Now, almost 20 years later I still enjoy shopping at IKEA and assembling all the bits and pieces, although it is not the only reason for that. IKEA has very nice and simple designs which do not age very fast. They offer great terms when it comes to warranties (25 years of warranty on kitchen furniture!). They have the best value for money ratio of all the stores I ever heard of. Prices are really reasonable, which makes it possible for more people to redecorate their homes every few years, when they feel like it. There is also one advantage that many people do not know about - many parts work fine with parts from other pieces of furniture, even entire products are possible to assemble together with other, making more suitable versions of them for the individual needs. I see IKEAs products a bit like 'adult Lego's', and strongly recommend visiting http://ikeahackers.net for ideas and inspiration.

Lastly, IKEA does a great job being green and as non-intrusive to the environment as possible for such an enormous company, both when it comes to their product range and solution (focusing on recycling, not using unnecessary power, being minimalistic) and their manufacturing processes (recycled materials, 'clean factories', flat packaging and more) which for me makes it even more justified to choose IKEA as the furniture store of choice.
Ikea definitely changed people's view on furnitures and also in general on housing. If you want to decorate your apartment quickly and cheaply enough, Ikea is ideal place to buy furniture. Unfortunately, for this reason most of the apartments look the same and boring, Ikea furniture is also questionable quality. Often the elements are made of cheap and unstable materials. It's a little bit the same as the fast food restaurants, that displace high quality food, - the same Ikea kills the beauty of handmade furniture.
Unknown said…
Despite Ikea's innovative design the value of bought furnitures devaluates the moment we buy them. In second hand market you can see plenty of Ikea products, but no one seem to buy them as a result they just end up cluttering a junk yard. Use of paper in production tables doesn't help it's longevity resulting in essentially creating single use items. Such practices are only marketing image Ikea as environment friendly but truly it isn't.
Dorothy said…
I am glad to discover this page : i have to thank you for the time i spent on this especially great reading !! i really liked each part and also bookmarked you for new information on your site.

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