Ikea Furniture We've Tried

I'm writing this while it's still fresh in my memory. We bought furniture from Ikea during our stay in Singapore. It was convenient to buy from Ikea, more affordable and honestly I had no idea where else to buy furniture from (furniture shops were located far from where I originally lived). 

Bed & Bed Frame

The first item I bought was a bed frame. I shipped a Uratex mattress and found out too late that the size was an odd size and was not common in Singapore. Ikea had it, but it was out of stock so I slept for two months on the floor! The options were also very limited so I had to wait for the stock to arrive. I immediately went to Ikea when the bed frame became available. It was only then I learned that you have to purchase a slatted bed base for the frame*. 

Locally made mattresses don't fit Ikea bed frames perfectly.

Eventually we got a second bed for Miggy. Got a single bed together with a mattress at Ikea for him. Ikea has a lot of options for single beds and some are really affordable at SG$30 (frame only). When Sweetie moved to Singapore we got a queen bed and I gave my old bed to Miggy. We were not too happy though with the mattress and wished we could obtain one from Uratex. 

What I liked about Ikea beds is the option to have storage. Space is precious so using your bed as storage is good. I used to put towels and fabric under my side of the bed. Will I buy Ikea beds again? They have really nice bed frames, but I prefer using Uratex mattresses. And to make sure that the mattress is a good fit for the bed frame, I'll buy local. 

Book Shelf

Ikea follows their own measurement system. This means most, if not all, their items fit perfectly. I "inherited"** my housemate's billy bookcase when she moved to another country. It fit perfectly in our new place, so we got a matching one since I had a lot of books. The shelf I got from my friend has already lived in 4 apartments in SG and will soon be here in Manila! The second shelf has been with us since 2016. We originally planned to sell the shelves before going home, but decided last minute to bring it back with us since it's sturdy. 

The billy bookcases.

Kitchen Shelf

We got this shelf on a whim because it was very affordable. It's made of metal and fit our needs perfectly. We used it to house our microwave and convection oven. We also used it to store Sweetie's teas, breakfast and snack food. The bottom part we used to keep boxes for other appliances like our vacuum. We were sad to let it go when we moved. How I wish we just stored it since it could be dismantled for storage. 

Display Cabinet

Best way to appreciate the display cabinet is through my "May the Fourth" video. It shows how I organized my Yoda collection in it when we moved last year. I loved that display cabinet since we were able to add lighting to it. Too bad we were not able to bring it back home. We gave it to the cleaner who mentioned he collects toys too. Ikea has a lot of options for display cabinets, go check it out.

Couch

Our most favorite Ikea furniture was our couch. We got a sofa bed as an extra bed in case we had visitors. I spent a lot of time napping on that couch. It became my favorite spot at home and I was really sad to part with it when we went home. We unfortunately had to make a deal to leave it with our landlord when we moved to the apartment. The couch in the apartment was already well-loved and to get rid of it we agreed to leave it when we left. Given the chance I'll probably buy the same again. 

Clothes Cabinet

Ikea offers modular cabinets. We had to get Sweetie his own cabinets when he moved to Singapore, but the space in our bedroom was limited. We found the perfect cabinets for him and we were able to customize it based on his needs. The cabinets were pretty sturdy too and it'll be joining us here in Manila soon! 

Ikea offers a wide variety of furniture and as I mentioned, they follow a measurement system that makes it easy for you to mix and match different items. I struggled though because they use the imperial system of measurement. I'm more used to the metric system of measurement. This is also probably the reason why my Uratex mattress did not fit the bed frame perfectly. 

Ikea made it easy for me to buy furniture. I realize though that I only bought furniture when I was in Singapore. We usually had them customized when we're here since my Mom has an in-house carpenter. He made all our beds and cabinets back in 2009. We'll probably get a few pieces from Ikea, but since we're here I'll probably make a lot of comparisons before I choose where to buy or have furniture made. Buying furniture depends a lot on your needs, your taste and budget. And remember, we have a lot of amazing local artisans who make great furniture, so make sure to do a lot of research before you buy. 

*Looks like they include this now when they sell bed frames.

**Bought for SG$20

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My Favorite Things from Ikea

I'm so happy that Ikea has finally opened here in the Philippines! It's always fun to shop there and it's one of those places I've always been fascinated with because it was one of our case studies in grad school. They were really able to address what the market needs and that's why so many people love Ikea. A similar shop I think would be Uniqlo. 

Ee-kyah, Ai-kee-yah, Ai-ke-ya, honestly I don't know how to properly pronounce it despite being a customer for a long time now. I always loved going to Ikea in Singapore. In fact, that's where I did my walking exercises post-OHS. Shopping is a good motivation to exercise! Haha. 

Saw this tag in 2018 in SG. It was a super long wait for us!

I've brought home many things from Ikea and I thought I'd make a list of what I always purchase. Most of the items are useful and last a long time. Here are my favorite things from Ikea:

Yummy meatballs.

1. Bevara sealing clip - we use this clip to seal opened packages. We even tried using it on our hair!

2. Betydlig curtain brackets - this is what I used for our home. You can also double it up by adding a curtain rod holder.   and they're still working even after 8 years! We probably just need to tighten the screws. After doing some research I also found out they're cheaper than other curtain brackets out there. 

3. Racka curtain rods - I got some of this last week. I needed quite a lot and had to find the cheapest rod I liked. I was surprised to find out that the Racka curtain rods were very affordable. I was also able to get the longer rods I needed. 

4. Kungsfors rail - I have a tiny kitchen so I thought it would be useful to install a rail under the kitchen cabinets. Got two rails from Ikea and added hooks and a condiments basket. It's been very useful. 

PH delivery crew :)

5. Krama washcloth - I've bought this multiple times! It's like the morning glory towel equivalent of Ikea, haha. I normally use it for the kitchen. 

6. Rinnig tea towel - the tea towels go on sale often, so this is one thing I always get whenever I go. I even use them to cover dough whenever I bake bread. 

7. Bath and hand towels - yup, I'm obviously a fan of Ikea towels. Living with two boys I've had to color code our things. Blue for Sweetie, green for Miggy, beige for me. 

8. Nyskoljd drying mat - this item is usually on sale, so it's one of the things I always buy whenever I visit Ikea. 

9. Luddros mattress protector - I normally get this whenever I move. It's washable, so you can reuse it. 

10. Mixing bowl - I'm not sure if this is still available, but Ikea used to sell a mixing bowl that had a cover. It had a hole in the middle which allowed you to mix ingredients without it flying all over your kitchen. It's probably my most favorite item from Ikea. 

I've also tried many other things and can probably make a part two of this list, haha. I just listed down items I bought frequently from Ikea. I'm also happy to give my thoughts on their furniture if you would find it useful. Comment down below if you think I should write about their furniture too. 

Skip the lines, just order online!

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