I am not a fan of Ikea. I'm all too happy NOT having a Wal-kea here in St. Louis. That said...I do like a lot of their stuff...But Don't Let That Get Around! I'm about to get up on a soap box a little here.
The biggest issue I have with Ikea isn't even Ikea's fault. It's the consumerism it thrives on. Just
like Old Navy, Ikea can only keep selling as long as today's sold item is SO yesterday's sold
item. We all go to thrift stores right? I can't speak for the women's section but the men's section
is absolutely rife with Old Navy stuff. I really wish I could get some of my non-thrift friends to go
see this phenomena since (even though Old Navy is already ridiculously cheap) they could do
very well to buy almost new clothing for next to nothing and look really good. But since none of
this is purchased with the expectation of keeping for more than the season it's "cool" to wear,
so much get discarded. While I don't pretend to have definitive proof, I suspect the same
happens in cities "lucky" enough to be "blessed" with an Ikea. I have checked out the website
and have noticed how lots of items are only available for a short period of time, like these
candlesticks. I get the feeling that avid Ikea shoppers notice when the New comes out and the
Old disappears and well...out with the old, in with the new. It's really so cheap, how could you
resist? Anyway, I'm just glad that our secondhand market isn't flooded with Ikea. I understand
that some of it is beautifully finished and durable but I get the idea that most of it isn't. Judging
from what I've read on Apartment Therapy, people land pretty far on either side of the love /
hate line. There are all kinds of human rights and environmental issues that more well informed
pundits than I can get into as well.
Whew...THAT SAID...look at my pretty new (used) candlesticks! Not sure if I'm gonna keep
them. They might end up on my craigslist ad at some point in the future, especially since they
are a discontinued item and aren't exactly easy to find here in St. Louis!
Yup, all the stickers are still there. These are pretty substantial too. I'd hate to get whacked on
the head by one of them ala' Clue. A candlestick was one of the weapons in the clue game,
wasn't it? Anywho...when I first spotted these at the thrift store there were only two of them
together. I passed and didn't think much about them...until I spotted the third. I get weird about
empathizing with inanimate objects. I had to put the "Lonely" third with the other two to keep it
from getting left behind should they get bought (and taken to a loving home...leaving the sad
lonely third there all by itself...who's gonna buy just the one? ::sniff sshniff::). But once I took a
moment to eyeball the set all together I nodded my head and gathered them up to take home.
"Your all getting addopted!"
Anybody got an idea who's signature that is? C'mon...don't be shy! Why would someone be so
enamored of these candlesticks that they would leave the "designed by" stickers on them...and
then just donate them to the thrift store? Lazy?
I need some candles.
I really like some of Ikea's decorator pieces and textiles. I even think that buying children's furniture from Ikea makes sense, since you don't keep it long. And I'm sure I would have decorated my house with Ikea furniture when I was in my 20s. But I've never seen any Ikea furniture that I thought was really comfortable, and I've never seen any that held up to many moves...and, trust me, my daughter and SIL bought their share when they were in their 20s. Thank goodness, they've now graduated to "grownup" furniture. :)
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I do like some of their decor pieces. Back in my early 20's I had an apartment full of Ikea. Some of the pieces fell apart DURING assembly. Blech! Stay away if you can. Go vintage!
ReplyDeleteI think Ikea allows younger people to own (even for a short time) pieces of modern design. I do like some of their decor pieces. I've heard their kitchen cabinets are high quality but have never seen them in person. I've heard people refer to Ikea furniture as "disposable". It's interesting that the majority of my local mcm buyers are in their 20s and are ga-ga about Ikea. Your candle holders remind me of my spun aluminum hourglass light fixture which was made in the late 50's which shows I guess that Ikea is trying to keep some of the mcm design styles alive.
ReplyDeleteOh, they are not so bad, especially for storage and decorative options. But Dana's right any furniture you might sit or lay on isn't that comfortable. I live 5 minutes from one, so I do frequent it quite a bit. I have to say though I don't see tons of it at the thrifts. But I also live in a college town and I think a lot of the Ikea stuff either gets trashed, passed on, or moved.
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