IKEA

Huge, HUGE, YUUUGE fan of IKEA. We’ve purchased many items over the years, from food to housewares to furniture.
Ten years ago we turned our smallest bedroom into a walk-​in closet. We built everything ourselves, and it’s still one of the best decisions we ever made.
We recently added a bathroom to our basement. We bought a really cool vanity, sink and faucet there for the new bath. It is so cool and modern and very sturdy.
We have also bought some great travel accessories and bags, stuffed animals (they have the BEST selection), kitchen supplies and even napkins with cute seasonal designs.
We really couldn’t be happier customers, and it would be a rare occasion for me to pass the store without stopping in to see what’s new.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Honestly, if you are a human being who is mildly interested in interior décor or home furnishings, the inevitability of you finding yourself squeezing through an overcrowded sea of shoppers at IKEA could not be more real.
I visited IKEA for the very first time 3 weeks ago. I cannot express how excited I was to finally see what the rave was about! Someone below said that it is the Costco of furniture! The accuracy of that statement is real. First of all, this IKEA is huge. Now that I think of it, i believe all IKEA’s are huge. But this one felt massive because of that huge parking lot, that yes, was packed on a Saturday early afternoon.
The location of this IKEA is opportune for suburbians or city dwellers who have vehicles. But for me, a downtown Chicago dweller with no car, it is such a pain to have to travel all the way here. Luckily I have great friends who volunteer to act as chauffeur for me for the day while I grab my necessities.
IKEA is a great store because of its affordability matched with its price point. I love the modern pieces that they offer here. That day I purchased a TV unit and a coffee table.
Being that it was my first time at IKEA, I did not know that in order to get your pieces, you have to write down where the pieces are located, how many pieces are included in the set, etc. None of the workers there informed me of this practice either. Had I not been with a friend who is an avid IKEA shopper, who showed me the ropes, I would have been so overwhelmed between all of the people slowly walking around, not seemingly shopping for anything in particular, plus how huge the store is, plus how there was no real layout for the store. I was just all so overwhelmed.
Upon entering you will immediately get smacked with the heavenly aroma of cinnamon buns! It made me hungry! So we decided to have brunch before we shopped. We hit the cafeteria and I ordered the meatballs, and mashed potatoes with lingon berry sauce. Again, the prices were cheap! But for what it was it was okay. The meatballs were okay, the mashed potatoes were okay. My friend had the chicken wrap. He was not a fan, so he did not even bother finishing.
The store is full with neat pieces. Some look so cheap (and are) and some look very expensive (and are). Perhaps my favorite part of the store is looking at all the staged rooms. It is a great way to gain inspiration for your personal space.
Getting all the pieces for the items I wanted was like going on a scavenger hunt. It was pretty fun, but I had this undertone of anxiety the whole time I was searching for the pieces because I was scared they were not going to have some of the things I needed. Luckily, they did so I was not too concerned.
Checkout was quick and easy. Before I left I made sure to grab a tray of the cinnamon buns. THEY WERE FANTASTIC! Seriously, treat yourself to these babies!
Will I return in the future? Well, yes. I am sure they will come out with some new piece that screams «ME» but will I be one of those people who just like to go to IKEA every weekend to shop? No. There is just too much going on… although those cinnamon buns make me want to go back weekly. Thankfully there are no IKEAs in the city of Chicago.

Oh, what is there to say? Fantastic, crowded, crazy, fun, everything you need. Sometimes, I just I could find a worker easier. Also, please improve the signs. The floorplan is so jagged that it is overwhelming to find anything.
The place is very self-​service. Wear comfortable shoes and prepare to overspend, not because of the prices, but because it is a bigger version of Target.

If you like modular furniture, modern, functional, relatively inexpensive (in comparison to BDO or Bo Concept) and low maintenance — then IKEA is for you. And we have a mixture of both high end stuff along with IKEA stuff (and one TV stand from Walmart, shishh, please don’t tell anyone) and guess what — we’re happy with our choices! IKEA stuff will last, provided you don’t have a wrestling team living in your home. It’s just not meant to hold up to abusive treatment.
Walmart, hmmm, and this is what has me coming back to IKEA, you can get items made in Sweden! Yes, finally, and I love their minimalistic approach toward all of their items. I like the sleek and timeless look of their bed frames, night stands, tables, chairs, kitchen products, spatulas, napkin holders, etc.
Finally, I will mention their parking lot, it’s about the size of two football fields. If it gets crowded on the weekend, just park far and enjoy your quarter mile walk. From there, you can enjoy the 99 cent breakfast, cinnamon rolls and other semi-​bland items (heck, you’re there to shop right).
The proximity to Woodfield and the other stores and restaurants on Golf road makes this a pleasant trip on a Saturday morning. Oh, get a bag of the Swedish meatballs on your way out, that goes really well with mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli.

I personally own zero furniture from Ikea, but I have a floor lamp and random kitchen stuff. I happened to stop in the other day bc I will soon be in the market for an entertainment center/​tv stand and a guest room bed. I wanted to browse the showroom bc i find it inspiring!
I think I’ll definitely be getting a few things here in the very near future. Such as the roskog (sp?) cart, a «bar», the hemnes daybed and the tv stand.
I’m kind of excited, but scared of the process that is putting it together.
Also, no trip is complete without a fro-​yo cone at the end!!!

I give IKEA only three stars simply because there is no one around that can help you to tell you where anything is. I finally found an elderly man and I tried to asking about the mattresses and he seemed to be annoyed that I even asked him a question. He just pointed out the price like I am supposed to look for the tags. Later I could not find my way to the elevator because an employee did not know how to send me to it. I went to look for things for the kitchen and did not have what I was looking for. They did not have little tiny spoons for expresso and once again I asked an employee there and he said I don’t know did you look? Am like please I have no time for games. Later he was asking me what restaurant needed it them the place where was it located.
My last place to look was the food place back in the day they used to carry more sea food variety and I used to buy shrimp. I guess they do not carry shrimp nor those thin cookies any more bummer totally disappointed. The leather furniture was of very poor quality so no to ikea