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*.
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| 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.
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| 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
#Home27 #NewG219 #Xmas25 #StayHome #BeKind
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