Ikea or not?

[ianthy]

Hi

Next year we will close for 8 months to restore our farmhouse - new windows, doors, floors and central heating etc., also convert the barn so that the property will go from sleeps 6 to sleeps 10 with pool. We have pretty much decided on the look but we are undecided on furniture.

Ikea looks very tempting as it's reasonably priced and can easily be replaced if broken/damage. Other more traditional furniture is more expensive in most cases double the cost of Ikea. Yes - there is a dfferent 'look' to the house but is this reflected in rental income?

My research on holiday rental sites - show properties furnished with Ikea appear functional and child friendly and their bookings calenders are pretty healthy. Some of the properties with darker more traditonal furniture seem to have less booking - Ok not all down to the furniture but appearance has to be factor. I also read a thread that said every 3-4 years you will probaly throw out most of your furniture as it has worn out/broken.

Q. How have other property owners furnished their homes? Also any evidence that using IKea furniture has impacted -/+ their rental and occupancy rates.

Thanks.

[enid]

We have a mix - we do use IKEA but not exclusively. We have IKEA sofas but French traditional dressers. I think if you are selective with IKEA furniture and mix it in with other things it will work very well. Excellent value for good design too.

[Ciapolin]

In my experience, if you want anything that looks half way decent in Italy it costs a fortune, which is why we opted for IKEA. This is our first year, but so far almost everyone who has stayed has complimented us on the furnishings - the biggest thing seems to be keeping everything uncluttered.

From a practical point of view, if something gets damaged, I can replace it at relatively little cost.

[gh]

We have a large traditional French farmhouse and have had a full home from May through to Sept. Dont rent all year.

The interior in furnished in an eclectic style, part French, part Scottish, part Ikea Like Enid and Ciapolin; whom I agree with, select what suits your place. We got good advise when we were starting up; to use good quality sanitary ware and fittings as these take quite a lot of abuse and to buy locally for your kitchen white goods, much easier to repair/replace parts etc, by that I mean not bought outside Italy.
Have a look at our site and Ikea spot.

Good luck with the renovations.

[enid]

Have a look at our site and Ikea spot.

My guess the purple sofas - but that's all!

[Guest3]

All I can say is that there is a new Ikea currently being built in Malaga and due to open 2007 and I can't wait!

PS..All our furniture (apart from the Dining suite..UK) was bought in Spain...and anything 'Wood' in Spain is expensive!!

[Nightowl]

ooh, a subject dear to my heart!1

Most of our house is furnished with IKEA and a lot of our guests really like it - and I like it too because the big pictures and white walls give it that sort of 'style factor'. We have had a lot of positive feedback about the way the house is furnished and honestly it really didn't cost a bundle.

We have been really pleased with the way it has all stood up to wear, we have washed the furniture covers and they have come out wonderfully.

The only thing that isn't entirely IKEA is our lighting, as there are great lighting shops in spain. But one of my favourite lights is the one in our hallway which is an IkEA christmas wreath of fairy lights (about 10 euro) which we adapted as a permanent light fitting. I love it because it's quirky and different and our guests seem to like it too.

I agree that IKEA gives an uncluttered look and I think it's in keeping with what a lot of people are looking for now.

And yes, for our area and price, I have been very pleased with our bookings....

[A-two]

IKEA is great for some things, I'm very glad to have it available locally, but you have to be picky when it comes to high ticket items. Not everything is made very well, some of the furniture falls apart. Go for the tried and tested lines where they already know how they perform. The lighting sucks, not because of the design, which is very appealing and looks great when installed, but the cost of replacement light bulbs which blow every 2 seconds can be prohibitive. They do not care about that aspect, be warned. Also, be careful about quality of furniture. Listen to recommendations for specific products and you'll be fine. It's certainly part of our repertoire, and I wouldn't go anywhere else for some things, but it's not the be all and end all. We mix and match with a local flavor.

Just my opinion...

[Giddy Goat]

In our old French farmhouse we have IKEA sofas, armchairs and beds (divans, which have had leg extensions, believe it or not, which suits the high ceilings and makes them look more inviting) - and the kitchen is also IKEA, but solid wood, which has been painted white. So far so good on all counts. We too like an uncluttered look, as befits the house, which is light and airy, and we have kept the walls plain white. But we have quite a bit of old French country furniture, which is usually elm or fruitwood of some kind - ie dark. We can get away with it because of the room sizes, and guests like it because it still feels French, in a casual way. I do worry about how guests will treat the non-IKEA stuff, but the antiques already had quite a bit of history in them - even down to burn marks (our coffee table, found in a junk shop, was created from an old kitchen table, I suspect). It's acquired patina though, and looks great! The same goes for an old grain store, which is like a huge trunk and sits behind a sofa. It actually has a natural-looking hole in it at one end! So really, any future thrashings will only add to the character and appeal of such pieces - and they won't need replacing.

Or that's the theory .... Early days yet!

[Ju]

I agree with everyone here, go for a mix. I for example in one kitchen have a solid wood farmhouse table, old chairs that have been painted and an Ikea leather sofa. It stops it looking like an Ikea showroom. I don't think I have a room which is entirely Ikea, but equally I don't have many rooms with no ikea stuff in them, even if it is just a stool.

Good things to get from ikea include sofas, cots, chests of drawers etc. Be wary of the beds. They are not the same size as normal beds so normal fitted sheets don't fit.

Ju

[Giddy Goat]

Good things to get from ikea include sofas, cots, chests of drawers etc. Be wary of the beds. They are not the same size as normal beds so normal fitted sheets don't fit.
Ju

Yes, that's true, unless things have changed, the doubles are 170cms wide, so our fitted sheets had to be bought in France, and the valances (the beds are divans) were bought in the UK and then altered. Singles are the same width as in the UK though, 90cms, so when pushed together make a 'Superking' double.

[Martha]

We have got almost all our kitchen stuff from IKEA, and our sofas too, plus some other odds and ends like cushions.

We also got a lot of furniture from Cocktail Scandinave, which has been really superb - heavy, solid pine at excellent prices - e.g. we paid 380 euros for a ten seater dining table, and about the same for an enormous heavy butcher's block with two cupboards, wine rack and marble top (though I think this was reduced). They were recommended by our managing agents who say that they've found the stuff to very be well made.
http://www.cocktail-scandinave.fr/magasin.htm

These are the two ranges we got stuff from:
http://www.cocktail-scandinave.fr/pdf%20_jpg/26-27.pdf
http://www.cocktail-scandinave.fr/pdf%20_jpg/28-29.pdf

No prices online unfortunately.

I've found it very difficult to find nice lamps in France though.

[Vally]

I love Ikea!! probably because I live in a little village and its a wonderland, however it is also 3 hours drive from us in Edinburgh so not entirely suitable for purchasing large items that need to be transported home, it would make my life so much easier if I could as the stuff mostly bolts together and can be assembled on site ...a big help to this silly pair here , who built entrance porches onto the front of the cottages , facing away from the " weather " but forgetting that we would have to make a 2 angle turn to get furniture in ... I can tell you it has been a nightmare on occassions , not to mention trapping one one side and one the other both in hysterics with laughter!!

[Hells Bells]

Most of the stuff in our apartment is from IKEA, simply because it was easy to choose what we wanted here, then order it from the home shopping service. What we couldn't get delivered was bought from the Turin IKEA.

[Mouse]

I wish we had an IKEA in Ibiza (we have to order from majorca and the range isn't as good, also they sell out quick and don't replace). They do have some very well priced things that here would cost a fortune. Also we can't order cushions, material and such like. I miss being able to wander round and browse.

Our rental villa is our home - so furnished with items that I love, however we do change things over that we are scared may get damaged (as furniture here is very expensive if you want style) and IKEA has been superb for the replacement things (like dining chairs and occasional tables - that get hammered). As we cater for 8 we also needed a couple of extra chairs and their rattan ones are very good value, as are the mosquito nets (no-one uses them but they look stylish over the beds).

The best item we bought though was the rattan loungers which we put outside on the terrace as an alternative to the sun loungers. They were only about 40 euros but look expensive and guests say they're so comfy for lounging on as the shape moulds to your body.

We've also had items made by local tradesmen like our 10 seater table for the BBQ area. It was cheap and we could specify the exact measurements.

Mouse
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