An IKEA Home
PREAMBLE Click to expand
When we got married, my husband Aliff moved into my bedroom in my family's apartment unit. It was meant to be temporary, but we lived there for four years. He essentially slept on the floor the whole time (on top of a large low pile rug) because I only had a single bed, and because we thought getting a bigger one would take up too much space.
After renting our own place, we had the freedom to choose the furniture we wanted to fill it up with, and Aliff finally had a bed to sleep on. We tried going to local stores, but they were expensive for low quality and didn't suit our tastes. It just turned out that IKEA was most affordable for the quality and design, at the time. We bought a small number of items across multiple visits, carrying and transporting everything on our own. As it stands, our home furnishing is about 99% IKEA. For the record, most of the items here were purchased between 2020-2023, so they may no longer be available in store.
This page is meant to be a casual record of personal history to look back on, but it'd be a bonus if my wayward descriptions can help anyone who needs it. All product images and information are from the official websites.
Addendum: Up until May 2025, we used one room as a home office to do music audio work, but the entire computer setup has since been moved to the living room, and the office room has been re-dubbed the rec(reation) room.
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This single piece drastically improved our kitchen-dining area. A good height for tasks like cutting ingredients and pouring liquids. The second tier is customisable to three different levels, which we set to the center.
An impromptu gift from a family member. I was surprised that the assembly didn't require any screws, and it was a little fiddly to do alone. I parked it next to the BROR where it fits like a glove, but being able to wheel it around is convenient.
A floor accessory that's modest but elevated a humble kitchen space. Relieved me so much from Aliff's feet moving the previous mat around, thanks to the rubber backing. Good texture, nice length.
We chose to buy two of these instead of the single 4-seater size because we'd planned to place them separately, but it didn't work out. In any case, having two square tables allows more personal space when people sit side by side. The lacquered finish is really easy to wipe clean.
Once upon a time, we invested in 40 of these for our orchestra project. With some help from a few of the members, we assembled them all one by one. We have only a handful left with us now. We'd intended to use these as temporary dining chairs, but it's been four years (as of 2024) and counting. Besides some creaking, they are actually comfortable with JUSTINA chair pads, and I got used to being able to lift my chair with one hand.
I expected that these would lose their cushioning quality with use, but they have held up surprisingly well over the years. They increase the comfort of ADDE chairs by a lot.
A value for money item. I asked Aliff to find the brightest bulb possible, and so we've managed to illuminate the entire space with one lamp. Not having to use the white ceiling lights is a great feeling.
We'd been using the bigger 1.5 l version for a few years, which Aliff had bought for himself before we even got together. We didn't need this smaller one, but it was too adorable to resist. The size is perfect for two people and makes washing much easier. We often drink tea so both sizes have been well-utilised.
This was a bit of an impulse purchase on my part, but it felt right. I was lucky that it wasn't too small to go under our dining tables. Switching from TIPHEDE to this made for a fluffier surface beneath our feet while having meals or entertaining guests, and finally I no longer have to keep straightening out the rug every time. Plus, I think the polka dots are cute. I'll have to brace myself for when a spill inevitably happens, though.
It may not be as high quality as a handwoven Persian rug, but it is plush and transforms an area with its rich, warm colours. Looks more expensive than it is. The centrepiece of our living room.
Aliff liked these so much that we've collected six—five in the wider size and one narrower. They fill up a room and look good with high weight bearing capacity. There are many pre-drilled holes so you can really customise the location and number of shelves. Although I've put this under ‘living room’, the six that we have are split between three rooms.
I sold the idea of using it as a TV bench, and we did use it as such until we moved the TV into the rec room atop another TROFAST frame. The boxes are quite cheap, and inserting them in the frames allows them to act like drawers. This pine one sits alongside the sofa as a space divider, and houses things like our printing paper stock, small tools, and vacuum heads.
A nice neutral shade of dark pink. Changed to these from light linen curtains and it has worked wonders to keep out the unbearable heat on hotter days, at the worthy expense of the home being fashionably dark most of the time.
An unplanned grab from the As-Is which ate into our food budget. Comfy enough and easy to maintain with removable, washable, and replaceable covers.
This was bought long ago but didn't actually get used much in the first few years. Noticing that my back would hurt when using my laptop while seated at a table, I've found it more comfortable to employ this item while sitting on the sofa or armchair. Even using it with a 13" laptop, there's still space left over to use a mouse. This product used to be constantly refreshed with exciting new fabric covers, but we happened to get the most boring one… A neutral is always good though, not complaining.
Heavy enough to be stable, light enough to move around. The tabletop can be adjusted to three different heights and inclined. It does creak and tilt slightly as you put weight on it, which can become a bother. It's been more useful for other makeshift purposes rather than for working with a laptop.
The coveted(?) cat cushion. The cover is non-removable. Aliff discovered the engineering where if you roll it forwards or backwards, the pattern is always upright.
The wheels make it easier to move around if needed since it's moderately heavy. The other two feet are adjustable to accommodate uneven floors. I did happily use it as a laptop table for a few months, but it's since become a substitute hallway table.
This rug fits well underneath work desks, or anywhere, really. Each one of them is somewhat unique since they are made from scraps. They are cheap, and I personally like the slightly rough surface.
It was the cheapest bath mat at IKEA, just to have something to step on and prevent water marks on the floor. Mostly stays in place with the rubber backing.
This was a huge pain to assemble, but we did think the finished product was worth the trouble. It's a cute steel box that we ended up using to store small camera and audio equipment in with a lot of silica gel packs, so it's almost like a crude dry box. Thanks to the colour and its position in our living room, it's totally inconspicuous yet allows quick access to things.
Grossly overestimated the size of this first ever rug we bought. It did end up serving a good purpose, though. Being small and unobtrusive, it can be put anywhere.
Intended to place this along the entryway, but the dark colour felt too gloomy. Luckily, it goes alright in a different corridor. I had been aiming for this rug for the kitchen but budget didn't permit at the time. SOLLINGE turned out to be a perfect fit sizewise so this one would've been slightly too big.
I was immediately drawn to this stool when I saw it in the showroom. We decided to get two of these for our busking kit upon learning that it was foldable. They were used alternately to sit on and to hold our amps, but they're also handy at home. They feel very stable even though they are not heavy, and the folding mechanism is easy to manage.
The bench-type shoe rack that we'd initially wanted to get was slightly longer which we feared may not fit in our entryway, so we went for this one instead. The clean design is great.
Cotton rug that was under our dining setup for five years. It has been moved a few feet to the side, serving a new purpose. We made the mistake of sticking it in a tumble dryer once, so it has shrinked a little from its original size.
Graduating from a much cheaper IKEA desk that wobbled annoyingly when you wrote on it, this desk conquered our expectations at a time when physical stores were closed. Unlike everything else on this page, this was delivered after we bought it online without ever seeing it in person. You can install the drawers on the left or right side according to your preference.
After years of sitting on cheap chairs to do computer work, this tilting and height-adjustable chair was like a godsend. There's a castor lock function that makes sure the chair stays in place when there's no weight on it, which is either cool or annoying. The selling point for me was that it's all fabric and the seat cover can be removed if it needs a wash.
This steel stand is such a nice-looking item on its own, you don't even need to use it with a monitor. The bamboo drawer is nice to the touch and has built-in compartments.
I dare say this piece of fabric has elevated the pine TROFAST that I put it on.
Wasn't our first choice, but it offered nice style for the price. It started to creak after a while, but it probably just needs its screws retightened. I'm impressed that it manages to look both classic and modern.
Didn't think much of it but the design grew on me over time, and now I think it's quite pretty. Smooth action with pull-out stop. Fits more than expected. Seems to be discontinued at the time of writing (Apr 2022).
Simple and stable rack. Holds Aliff's entire set of casual clothes, and some of mine. I used some white clothes pegs as stoppers because I didn't like the hangers slipping down the rounded edges as they get pushed by wind from the ceiling fan.
There is a rail and hooks on the back for additional utility. Sturdy, will probably last a lifetime with careful use.
Kind of an impulse purchase. Very pleasant dimmable lamp. Ours even flickers (because of our janky power supply) like I imagine a real gas lamp might, or do they?
A replacement for our MACKAPÄR coat rack. The materials are a bit cheap, but it does the job. It was a challenge for the two of us to bring home, assemble, and move to its designated space. The clothes rail feels the most solid of all its parts.
Nice for an open wardrobe. Has movable rails and hooks. Three shelves to store any items that will fit, not just shoes. It was being under-utilised, so it was sold off.
Our apartment must really be small because many pieces of furniture we bring in end up looking way bigger than we thought it was. The beige colour of this is intriguing.
A nondescript pickup because there was a need to add more surface space.
Even after taking measurements, we overestimated the size of this rug which turned out to be too small for the living room. We ended up buying a second one and putting the two next to each other before later moving them both into the
Heavier than it looks, a stable little table. Rather than a bedside companion, it has been used to hold Aliff's portable gadgets like his audio interface and headphone amp. It's small enough to fit in tight spaces while being discreet.
We'd been wanting to buy a single bed frame for quite some time; both to rescue my old mattress and to help absorb sound in the home rec. Value is great for the quality and it has a nice matte powder finish. The no-headboard design is exactly what we wanted. We grabbed one as soon as I saw it was in stock in the app.
On IKEA Family sale, this was hard to pass up. It's a nice-looking shelf, but there is a lip under each shelf that makes it difficult to fit in things taller than A4-exact, so those need some fiddling to pass through the gap. Having added some white TJENA magazine files and SAMLA boxes both new and old, our shelf wouldn't look out of place in an IKEA showroom.
After considering actual TV benches, we decided to just get another TROFAST frame. We moved two large boxes of XLR cables and peripherals from the pine TROFAST to this one in the rec room.
Aliff loves golden retrievers, and this good boy was on sale. We had him before moving to the new place. Sadly he lost the prized spot on the sofa after we got the large BLÅHAJ. Has been relegated to guard duty on the top shelf of a HEJNE.
I had no particular inclination toward this blue shark for at least ten years. It has since become the third member of our family. If you want a large cuddly friend, I highly recommend it for anyone of any age. It's the best MYR 60 (etc in your local currency) you could spend.
I was elated when I first found out they were selling the baby sharks in our local stores. This one has been my permanent bed companion. The smaller one is the same great quality as the larger one. You can always spot someone carrying a small or large plush shark at an IKEA here.