Is IKEA a good furniture brand?

Question

We all know IKEA is known for affordable, stylish, and easy-to-assemble home goods. I've furnished my apartment with several products but was recently questioning if I should continue to purchase to maintain quality furniture. I've been aiming more towards quality furniture (trying to get away from cheaper MDF with vinyl coatings) and always thought of IKEA as cheaper but realized some of their stuff is decent. Problem is, I don't know how decent. I usually judge by heft of the product for build quality, material density, strength, and durability. I have some of the HEMNES series and they seem pretty solid (granted I've had the oldest piece for <6 months). My coffee table was on the cheaper end (I forget the series). I certainly feel I'll have to replace that within several years even if decently maintained (due to surface damage and wear and tear).

I also heard IKEA is doing a buyback/trade-in service which they'll give credit for items and recondition them (if profitable) for resale, which given how some people treat furniture as disposable items, this seems like a good incentive. I also appreciate their minimalist and 100% recyclable packaging.

Should I keep using IKEA for furniture? Should I only use their higher quality furniture sets? Or should I go for even higher-quality builds like hardwood pieces from a furniture store? Anyone have furniture pieces that have lasted years in good condition?

Answer 1

The overall environmental impact of furniture is largely determined by three factors:

• Material source;
• Transport distance from source to consumer;
• Product lifespan.

A sustainable furniture product is therefore made from sustainable materials (certified wood), locally produced and long-lasting. If you have any businesses in your area that make high-quality products from locally (and sustainably) sourced wood, that would be my first pick.

IKEA is by far the world's largest consumer of wood for furniture production (making it highly efficient), and sources its wood from sustainable forestry (FSC certified). Depending on your location the transport distance can be considerable, as most of IKEA's wood comes from Eastern Europe, China and Russia. The lifespan of IKEA products is indeed dependent on its quality, but a big plus is that most products can be disassembled, allowing for multiple service lives. Higher quality IKEA products that can be disassembled would therefore be a good second choice.