I adore my IKEA shelves. It's all about "you get what you pay for" there. They have some stuff that's really cheap and relatively crappy, and some stuff that's less cheap and much less crappy.

I have to admit, my perusal of IKEA bookcases was such that I wasn't tempted at all, despite the rattiness of my existing bookcases. They just didn't look -- permanent. Target and Kmart bookcases are the same way; maybe I'll just make my own some day.

I do have an IKEA chair, because it was cheap and cute and I needed another chair. I'm not sold on the sturdiness of it, however, and in general I think you have to look carefully to avoid stuff that looks like plastic. (I went for a darker color, to avoid the "blond laminate" look -- it's probably still laminate, but it doesn't look as fake.)

My general understanding of furniture is, if you want real, sturdy, worthwhile stuff, buy antiques from the 1950s or earlier. (For not-zillionaire values of "antique".) It'll end up being about the same price as new, and will last a lot longer.

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Try not to laugh.

My dining room table is nice. The shelving unit is kinda crappy, but eh, I'll replace it eventually.

I've had enough people tell me "But my IKEA couch has lasted 15 years!" to suspect that 15 years ago, they were making much sturdier furniture.

Me too!

I love my Ivar bookshelves. They are highly adaptable and useful for studio apartment living.

I've had enough people tell me "But my IKEA couch has lasted 15 years!" to suspect that 15 years ago, they were making much sturdier furniture.

I think that this is true.

As long as I put it together with glue, the IKEA has done well. The stuff that is not glued is woobly bo bobbly. I have 2 stools, a coffee table, an entertainment center, and a corner shelf that I sold. The rest has been wall shelves and the odds and ends.

I don't like the stuff that looks like it came from IKEA-- the Swedish must really love plastic and light woods. But my (dark wood) entertainment unit has survived for two years with only damage to the fiberboard back of the bookshelves.

I guess it's a bad idea to get a bed there, hmm?

My bed is from IKEA, and it's done me very well. So was my last one, come to think.

I have some very sturdy metal Ikea shelves that I like. I could probably stack gold bars on it without it collapsing.

Our office (except for anthrocart desks for the computers) is all IKEA stuff and it works really well. Certain of their items are really fabulous and styling althoug I agree that and others are too laminate-y.