I dated a Swede and one day, I asked Lars if he wanted to go to IKEA and let me hear how the words are pronounced and it was quite surprising...and somewhat amusing when an IKEA employee tried to correct his pronounciation. It was a fun ride back in the Volvo....
Nick, back in the day IKEA actually made furniture from wood. I am from Finland, and they made quality furniture in the 70s and 80s. I have classic vintage pieces from that era that still look good and are solid.
We had bunkbeds that were solid wood bought from ikea in a little hole in the wall store in Mississauga I think, back in maybe 1983. They hung around for ever.
We had a solid wood kitchen table from Ikea that we had for 25 years. We recently replaced it but it was still going so we donated it to a consignment store and they sold it quickly!
I know! We still have the 2 pine dressers and 2 pine book cases we had bought for our girls quarter of a century ago. They are a bit beat up and I think I will sand them down and give them new varnish. They are worth the upgrade!
Off topic, just got to say my husband and I stumbled across your channel and find ourselves hooked mostly for your amazing personality although we love your advice! We love your sense of humor and I can’t tell you how many time we bust out laughing! Thank you for bringing JOY to our living room! Love your style and show!
I agree, Nick has the amazing ability to have a sarcastic dry sense of humour without being mean spirited about it. Very few people are able to master that.
Seriously. He nails that fine line where his humor has just enough snark for fun but he never veers into being mean or over the top about it. Nick, you’re a charmer! Keep doing what you do.
I love the way you talk like someone is running after you and you have to finish everything you want to say. I’m a grandma but totally love your style and agree with almost everything you say and you like. I know as a Persian kid used to love when people tried to speak my language. It was the cutest and funniest but in a really nice way! Keep up the good humor and work.
I'm sure you know this - but pine is the cheapest wood you can get because it's so soft. It might look pretty, or rustic, but it's not great wood because it dents easily. Birch is a much better choice for furniture or tables because it's a hardwood, higher quality. Acacia and Eucalyptus woods are also hardwoods and used outside because they're so durable.
Think another issue with Pine that I've seen mentioned by some furniture restorers is that pine can stain really weird! If you're doing a DIY project, you might have to do some testing if you want to stain it. Though he did mention it paints well~
I was looking for the comment on Pine. Sure, it looks ok. You can paint it if you don't like the natural aging, but if you accidentally set a glass on it too hard at the wrong angle, it dents like butter. Sanding is an option, but if we're buying furniture from ikea, it's safe to say we aren't spending extra money on sanders and wood seals 👋 I am not the DIY Queen.
Someone taught you the letter "Ä" and you doing such a great job! Like in Björksnäs, you almost get the letter "Ö" but the "Ä" is phenomenal! And you are right, we dont care if you pronounce it right, it actually fills me with joy hearing you say the names, and it is so charming. I love it! 🥰 To get a bit serious, Ivar save lots of people money, so easy to make your own and you are the creator of this piece of furniture. Also, to all ranting about IKEA, look in to the history of the company and what Ingvar Kamprad wanted to achieve with it. It is kind of humbling. We love our IKEA, much is cheap, but there is some good gems in there, and i think you showed some of it Nick.
I have had my IVAR for almost 25 years and it's as good as new, but honestly I have never had any problem with any pieces I got from them, be it solid wood, particleboard, plastic or even fabric. Granted, it was never really that affordable for me so I never bought anything just for a couple of years but I truly wonder what people do to their Ikea furniture for it to fall apart in a short amount of time. I got probably the flimsiest, cheapest little drawer cabinet for under my bathroom sink 13 years ago because it was the perfect size, and with the paint and new handles I slapped on it it's still perfect. To me Ikea is quite the opposite of "fast" interior design.
When painting pine, smooth the visible surfaces with dap and a putty knife, then sand. Knots won't show through. IKEA is so efficient, they probably make their particle board out of the sanding shavings from their solid woods. Interesting that they use acacia.
As someone in the design industry, who started buying furniture in the 80’s, I have always steered people to the real wood pieces at IKEA. Back in the day, much of their furniture was wood and the pieces have lasted forever. I have a 20+ year old IKEA couch that has held up beautifully. I have recovered it with Bemz and Comfort Works covers to update the aesthetic. Furniture, like clothing, should not be disposable. Purchase the best you can buy, in neutral colors, and you can have them for life ~ add your pops of color in the details.
Speaking of long lasting/hidden Ikea jems it would be great to see a video on the Ikea metal furniture like the Lixhult and Rudsta cabinets that are really beautiful in their simplicity. Ikea is great at mixing glass, hardwood and metal to make some really nice pieces...that are super solid and long lasting...and these pieces are often priced on par with the cheap MDF items...and are great for renters as they're lightweight and can be easily disassembled.
Ooh, so glad to hear an informed review of Bemz. I’ve got a Kivik sofa I love and is in solid shape even ten years (and two kids) after I bought it used. But I really want to upgrade and get a new cover for it. It only cost me $200 when I bought it so while that should make it easy for me to spend the savings on a nicer cover, somehow paying twice what I paid for it and more for a cover makes me hesitate. 😂
I'm obsessed with vintage IKEA, especially anything from the 80s or 90s. I wish the overall quality hadn't dropped so much over the years and they were still able sell stuff like that. Unfortunately it seems like their approach nowadays involves introducing "updates" to existing products, which usually means swapping out wood and other more expensive materials for more cheap veneer and particleboard :(
IVAR is their longest solid wood line... over 50yrs!... I love it. Moved 17x since I was 18... easy to take apart and flat pack to move... and looks better with age! It is also very versatile. I love pine 😊.
@@loes6839Yes! It would be better if they would just give it a different name when they change it. Things not fitting, even when being the "same" is the biggest issue I have with Ikea!
I love how you just point out how we are all allowed to disagree with eath other if someone doesn't like a certain style or that something isn't your particular style but someone might like it. Its such a lovely way to talk about things without judging and looking at something on a neutral level.
Pine is very soft and will dent fairly easily. To help pine, apply extra pure Tung Oil. It penetrates the pores and hardens. Also, if you take care of veneer, especially a really great wood veneer, you’ll notice veneer furniture is not prone to the same aging effects as solid wood, such as splitting or warping… so wood veneer furniture will often outlast solid wood furniture by years.
Yesssss, sort of. I come from a furniture family (NC) and veneers can do well but once they are chipped off or get bent then... not so good. Solid wood dents and chips can always be filled and sanded and refinished. Veneers are harder to repair. I love my old 'brown' furniture and some is hundreds of years old. But, hey get what you like! There is a lot of cool veneer stuff from the 1930's that is fun.
@@ForestGreen88 Careful with tung oil though, once you've soaked a rag in it you need to dispose of it in a certain way so that it doesn't spontaneously combust.
I have Leksvik solid pine bookshelves from the early 2000s that have lasted through 5 different houses. I painted them a few years back, but they remain perfect for books. My sister has IVAR narrow shelves from the 1980s they are still using; the natural pine finish has aged to a beautiful warm wood tone. IKEA is a GREAT option as long as you go with solid wood materials. Particle board and MDF not so much
I mean, like, I agree with your underlying point, but the cheap particle board sofa table that shall not be named (in case Nick hears it) *is* probably the best option for the sort of people who are looking for that kind of table in that kind of price range. Ikea changed life for many people because suddenly they didn't have to keep old, ugly, jerry-rigged-let's-hope-it-still-works ugly furniture. Today old furniture is often very good looking, but that's because the ugly and bad furniture was killed by Ikea's particle board offerings. Just know what you're buying.
We have seven Hemnes bookcases in our house. We are in the middle of repainting/restaining 3 of them. I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention them. It's great hearing about some things I haven't read up on yet, so thanks for that, Nick.
yes! i have two hemnes bookcases in that dark brown almost black color, they really class up my living room after looking all over for tall solid wood bookcases it was either particleboard, things over a grand each or these beauties
The entire hemnes line is nice solid wood. Each of my 3 kids has a dresser and night stand, 1 kid has the daybed, and we have 2 nightstands in the spare bedroom. All Hemnes.
He did mention the Hemnes, but just the bedframe. I had the same with the Ivar. I was like: 'You're forgetting the best part! The wonderful, tall, Ivar shelving unit/bookcases!!' 😂
Oh, forgot to say that I bought 4 stacking stools, bent plywood, from Ikea about 15 years ago and they don't make them anymore. Love them as they've held up in a tiny beach guest cottage, meaning they have to be stacked often and got a lot of rough use in a humid beach environment. They have held their shape and finish well. Ikea has been great for me.
This is awesome. Not only does wood last longer, but the glues in MDF off gas and affect indoor air quality. I have the one hemnes dresser that is solid wood (white stain vs white paint).
I have two Ivars in my kitchen!!! I feel so proud that Nick likes it!!! Ikea's solid wood furniture are great. My family has two kitchen shelves and a loft bed. They are 30 years old and still serving. My sister has been using the loft bed since she was in high school. She is in her 40s now and she is still sleeping on it!
Im from Michigan, and i have heard them called Muskoka and Adirondack interchangeably! Buy, Michigan is that state where you drive south to get to Canada❤
Thank you! A LOT of work went into that. You did my homework for me and Ikea in Atlanta here I come. Appreciate all you do and I bet you're a blast as a friend.
I have a dark-stained Hemnes dresser (I unapologetically love the whole Hemnes set), and got 2 of the Tarva nightstands and stained them in a dark color too. Then I swapped out the hardware for one type so that it all matches. I also have the unfinished pine dining set that I mixed a couple of different finishes on. Love them, love being able to customize my furniture. I feel like that's one of the great things about solid wood furniture, is the ability to customize, refinish, etc.
I love acacia wood and am so thankful for this video. Didn't know Ikea did acacia furniture. I was born in what used to be Lourenço Marques in Mozambique, with pavements adorned with acacia trees galore. The fragrance was to die for. I live in the UK, with loads of TK Max stores with acacia chopping boards. I made a lamp stand out of one. It's got my chinoisie lamp. It's beautiful and wish you could see it. 😊
I'm honestly wondering since you live in Van Area if you could make a video about decorating a very small apartment on a very tight budget since that is what most people in your community would also be doing.
Thank you do much for all the mental labor you did for this video. It will help a lot of people, myself included. I always try to find real wood things because of their durability. So excited to chec out a few of these. That first cabinet and the kitchen table especially!
Long ago I developed my mantra for Ikea: "You get what you pay for. You get EXACTLY what you pay for." It's easy to distinguish the solid wood pieces or pieces with any curvature instead of 90° cornered: they're consistently the most expensive. (at least they're honest)
We are about to move into our first home in two months and I am busily looking into furniture and design options, so this video is serendipitous as I'm currently looking at IKEA right now! I always appreciate your thoughts and opinions Nick!
I've had the Norden birch table for years and years, moved with it several times, and I've been very happy with my purchase 😍 It's sturdy and the drawers are amazing
I’m so impressed that you busted out the umlauts! Honestly, I would watch your videos no matter what you choose to share. You have a wonderful personality that brightens up every day.
I have two small Hemnes dressers that i use as night stands that have held up really well, real pine wood for most of it. And i got solid wood doors for the lower half of our Billy bookcases, i think they are oak
Thanks for making last week video and this one. A lot of us out here in reality land appreciate some sage advice on decorating with style without breaking our bank accounts.
Hi, Nick! My husband and I had those clasdic Billy bookcases, bought in the early 90’s. They survived 2 moves and had to be reinforced with L-braces, the particleboard shelves were turned once they started to sag - but they held up for 30 years of use. During the pandemic, I bought 2 skinny Billy book cases and was stunned to learn that only the tops and the bottoms are particleboard. The rest is engineered paper in vinyl veneer sandwich! They are affordable, look ok, and are stromg enough to hold my boojs and files. I appreciate that they are also light - when I wanted to reorganize my layout, I unloaded them wnd could move them around by myself. One caveat: don’t kneel on the boards during assembly! 😂
Birch wood is beautiful and it is relatively free of knots. The kitchen in my previous house had birch wood cabinets and I wanted to repeat that wood in my new home, but it was way too expensive.
If a person is hard on furniture I wouldn't recommend the pine as it is a softwood and will not hold up as well as the birch, beech, acacia and eucalyptus pieces. Another great video.
Great point. I have a few pine wood pieces from IKEA. Have found pine works best for armoire/decorative storage kinds of uses where they aren't going to be high traffic.
Lovely video Nick!IKEA is a vast universe and there are many solid wood pieces out there. I had a solid wood kitchen from IKEA a long time ago, that lasted 15 years ,then I sold the apartment and it was still perfect! In Argentina we have pinewood and it IS in fact used as a base to paint or stain...very sturdy and reliable!
Maybe I missed it but Skogsta is also great--they just released these spindle back acacia chairs, I paired them with a walnut dining table and they look amazing for the price.
Why paint wood? I have lots of solid wood in my home from pine to mahogany and the woods all look great, I love the knots and different shapes in the wood. It just reminds me all the time of how nature cannot be surpassed in beauty and surprises.
I actually have a solid wood, very simple, executive style desk from Ikea that I got when I lived in Germany back in 2005, and it's still one of my favorite pieces of furniture. Since then it's literally been moved thousands of miles and to about 10 different places. It's still going strong. I would definitely recommend Ikea wood furniture. p.s. My aesthetic is minimalist meets comfy library/study using a mix of antiques and new MCM furniture, and this desk fits perfectly.
Years ago I picked the Hemnes bed frame … the box spring support has 3 available heights to best fit your overall mattress thickness (height.) I also now use the tall/narrow Trofast for closet storage. Not great for large or bulky clothes but just fine for socks and undies.
We have the Hemnes collection in our living room and bedroom and they are both great. Also, we built our kitchen with Ikea cabinets more than ten years ago and they still look and work like new. Plus they were easy to install.
I had a Trofast unit, originally for kids' storage. Then when they were bigger it was my patio recyclables sorter with plants on top. Unfortunately, I didn't treat the raw wood for outdoor use so it eventually broke from exposure. I had it for over 20 years, though.
Thank you for this video highlighting real wood pieces from Ikea. I do not own anything from Ikea as I have shy'ed away from the particleboard furniture. It's good to know Ikea has real wood items, mostly in the wood finish!
Hey there! This is my first visit to your channel. Wow, you deliver the information in such a witty, funny, way. You are a new favorite! Thanks for such a lively video.
So many great choices, I love real wood of just about any species. The little spindle chair is gorgeous and totally timeless, as is the acacia kitchen table.
Wow what a long and thorough video! You definitely put a lot of work into this. I’m loving these wood pieces we’re seeing from Ikea lately. They’ve been stepping it up for sure!
I bought the Nackanäs small round table and some chairs with it to my very small kitchen. Best Ikea buy I’ve ever made! 🥰 The Wood is lovely in a darkish warm tone, and I just love the look of it all 👍🏼😍
I love the Bekvam shelves! I use those in my kitchen to store all my teas and coffee, and in my bathroom to store lotions and perfumes. Super easy to mount and they look great!
The Nämmmarö is so beautiful, cant wait to buy it next summer. We were going to get a stupid ikea bed, but then saw that björksnäs and decided to checkout the collection, the bed is so unique and beautiful especially with an olive green wall. Saved me
I love Ivar... it is one of the most versitile systems I have ever worked with... easy to paint, stain, customise... and a lot cheaper than erecting dry wall, and plastering... used it to half divide an open plan space... I used it to create a home office in a large living room, where the second sofa/ day bed was my spare bed (I moved there when I had visitors and gave them my bedroom) the day bed was 70 cm x 1.9 m, with storage underneath - and then realised I could do it again to create a separate zone (3 in one room) without compromising too much on natural light or having to move heavy furniture to re jig purpose... so using Ivar to delineate zones... a bit like playing with Lego . it's not 'cheap" cheap when you add in the bits and pieces... I wanted two glass door cabinets and two closed door cabinets - and I didn't do it all at once... but by the time I was finished, a 58 sq m one bedroom apartment could sleep 4 ( 2 couples) or .. just once .. 5 adults and 3 children, but still leave my life and home office intact!!! You can leave it looking like industrial wooden shelving for garage and warehouse... or you can stain, sand, or paint the life out of it to make it look like expensive built in cabinetry... Can't praise it enough.. and as pine, it is sustainable, and none of the bits I got had issues with knots, etc that needed to be addressed. P.S - love the Swedish... but some of those words/ names have actually meaning.... I love that the baskets are "shabby"
Veneer isn’t a “trick” it’s what is used in woodworking in situations where solid wood doesn’t perform as well. In the example of the chair I’m pretty sure it’s the curved laminated back piece plus possibly the seat (haven’t seen it so can’t tell fr)
Just to weigh in on the Persbol, it's a mixture of plywood and solid wood, so whilst it isn't a true solid wood chair the durability is definitely there. Love Ikea's solid wood stuff and wish they could/would do more of it.
"Ugly" pla... I mean "lovely" places... I died laughing. I'm saving this to use it the other way round. For people's faces, spaces, clothes, babies... In an obviously obnoxious way... I'm still laughing. 😂😂😂
I have a Trofast in my art studio. Great for organizing tools and materials. I added wheels from another Ikea entertainment stand. Added bonus the plastic bins fit into Rubbermaid tubs, so when I do workshops I can put 3 of them in a tub to transport art stuff.
A lot of great pointers. I'm in the process of donating my old hand me down furniture and eventually upgrade. I especially loved the outdoor furniture section🖤
You are SO cute and funny, Nick! I’ve really enjoyed watching your videos and learning about different styles. My husband has even watched a couple with me!
Imagine my overwhelming sense of ecstacy when I heard that IKEA was opening up a store in my home town. How can this be true I asked myself? Well, it kind of isn't. Evidently they are opening a 'Plan and Order Point' which is so not what I was hoping for. Oh well, have car, will travel. Thanks for the video Nick!
The Havasta in black is the dark academia bookshelf for my office I was looking for. My books sag particleboard shelving over time. Thank you so much for sharing this.
OMG Nick, I swear I thought you were on Xanax or something and then I realised that I had the playback speed slowed down to .75 without knowing it LOL. Seriously prefer the non-stoned version of you 😅
I can attest to the paintability of the IVAR cabinets. The knots in the pine are prominent so I painted ours black but I used milk paint and finished them with hemp oil. The wood grain is still visible but the milk paint with hemp oil finish is smooth and fairly matte. This all sounds quite rustic but we wall-mounted 4 units about a foot off the floor and they seem kinda sleek and minimal (no handles/knobs required). Milk paint is pretty different from conventional paint but I'm so happy with the results.
Nick, wanted to say: I despise gateleg (and all "drop-leaf") tables. Which is weird, because bureau desks and davenport desks alike: love. And then I twigged. I'm ADHD / Autistic, which together cause major additive risks to both "having a lot of junk on my table" and "I accidentally bumped into my table". Davenports: accidentally or deliberately close it? That counts as tidying everything away! Bureau: built so that the "table" surface will not drop below horizontal Anyway, just thought I'd mention, since you take different forms of accessibility and reasonable adjustments as seriously as they deserve.
Caveat for pet owners- pine is relatively soft! We bought a pine bed from Ikea thinking it would hold up better, and our cats scratched it up much worse than harder wood furniture
As a swede: yes, it is indeed fun for us to hear you butcher our laguage. This video is Swede-approved!
I was hoping that there would be a comment by a Swede!
❤ you because the Swedes always know how to have a laugh!
🤣🤣 excellent
Swedes speak perfect English with barely an accent. We on the other hand cannot wrap our tongues around all of the consonants you put into one word.
I dated a Swede and one day, I asked Lars if he wanted to go to IKEA and let me hear how the words are pronounced and it was quite surprising...and somewhat amusing when an IKEA employee tried to correct his pronounciation. It was a fun ride back in the Volvo....
Nick, back in the day IKEA actually made furniture from wood. I am from Finland, and they made quality furniture in the 70s and 80s. I have classic vintage pieces from that era that still look good and are solid.
Oh the vintage stuff is amazing! My friend has a dining table from around there and it's stunning!
We had bunkbeds that were solid wood bought from ikea in a little hole in the wall store in Mississauga I think, back in maybe 1983. They hung around for ever.
We had a solid wood kitchen table from Ikea that we had for 25 years. We recently replaced it but it was still going so we donated it to a consignment store and they sold it quickly!
Bought the solid wood stuff for college. My granddaughter has it now. 👍.
Lotta junk at Ikea now.
I know! We still have the 2 pine dressers and 2 pine book cases we had bought for our girls quarter of a century ago. They are a bit beat up and I think I will sand them down and give them new varnish. They are worth the upgrade!
Today's favorite line, "I like it for other people". I can so relate.
Love it for you - not for me.
@@Nick_Lewisnow your sounding like Garrett LeChic!
"It's not super sleek and modern..." While behind him is the furniture which my balkan grandma had in the '60
@aben1893 you should submit your room to his viewer critique! I'd love to see your sleek and modern room
@@blackburned I don’t see him claiming to have modern sleek…
Off topic, just got to say my husband and I stumbled across your channel and find ourselves hooked mostly for your amazing personality although we love your advice! We love your sense of humor and I can’t tell you how many time we bust out laughing! Thank you for bringing JOY to our living room! Love your style and show!
I agree, Nick has the amazing ability to have a sarcastic dry sense of humour without being mean spirited about it. Very few people are able to master that.
Oh thanks so much!
Yes, I totally enjoy Nick's sense of humor. I often rewind and replay his funnier/sillier comments. He brings so much joy!
Seriously. He nails that fine line where his humor has just enough snark for fun but he never veers into being mean or over the top about it. Nick, you’re a charmer! Keep doing what you do.
I love the way you talk like someone is running after you and you have to finish everything you want to say. I’m a grandma but totally love your style and agree with almost everything you say and you like. I know as a Persian kid used to love when people tried to speak my language. It was the cutest and funniest but in a really nice way! Keep up the good humor and work.
😂
"I don't know you... throw whatever you want in that thing!" 🤣🤣🥂
I'm sure you know this - but pine is the cheapest wood you can get because it's so soft. It might look pretty, or rustic, but it's not great wood because it dents easily. Birch is a much better choice for furniture or tables because it's a hardwood, higher quality. Acacia and Eucalyptus woods are also hardwoods and used outside because they're so durable.
Think another issue with Pine that I've seen mentioned by some furniture restorers is that pine can stain really weird! If you're doing a DIY project, you might have to do some testing if you want to stain it. Though he did mention it paints well~
I have a solid wood pine desk from IKEA and there’s soooooo many dings and dents in it.
I should’ve got a glass plate for the top of it I guess
@@16marBEARyou can sand it! Take off a layer or 2
I think he was being sensitive to not offend people who may be able to buy cheaper stuff? Maybe?
I was looking for the comment on Pine. Sure, it looks ok. You can paint it if you don't like the natural aging, but if you accidentally set a glass on it too hard at the wrong angle, it dents like butter. Sanding is an option, but if we're buying furniture from ikea, it's safe to say we aren't spending extra money on sanders and wood seals 👋 I am not the DIY Queen.
Someone taught you the letter "Ä" and you doing such a great job! Like in Björksnäs, you almost get the letter "Ö" but the "Ä" is phenomenal! And you are right, we dont care if you pronounce it right, it actually fills me with joy hearing you say the names, and it is so charming. I love it! 🥰 To get a bit serious, Ivar save lots of people money, so easy to make your own and you are the creator of this piece of furniture. Also, to all ranting about IKEA, look in to the history of the company and what Ingvar Kamprad wanted to achieve with it. It is kind of humbling. We love our IKEA, much is cheap, but there is some good gems in there, and i think you showed some of it Nick.
Wonderful comment. I will look into the history; the company ethos is evident in how they present themselves 🫶😊😊
I have had my IVAR for almost 25 years and it's as good as new, but honestly I have never had any problem with any pieces I got from them, be it solid wood, particleboard, plastic or even fabric. Granted, it was never really that affordable for me so I never bought anything just for a couple of years but I truly wonder what people do to their Ikea furniture for it to fall apart in a short amount of time. I got probably the flimsiest, cheapest little drawer cabinet for under my bathroom sink 13 years ago because it was the perfect size, and with the paint and new handles I slapped on it it's still perfect. To me Ikea is quite the opposite of "fast" interior design.
When painting pine, smooth the visible surfaces with dap and a putty knife, then sand. Knots won't show through. IKEA is so efficient, they probably make their particle board out of the sanding shavings from their solid woods. Interesting that they use acacia.
Yes I was hoping a furniture painting person would chime in as I know nothing on the subject.
I love Nick Lewis videos, I love IKEA. This is a good Saturday morning.
As someone in the design industry, who started buying furniture in the 80’s, I have always steered people to the real wood pieces at IKEA. Back in the day, much of their furniture was wood and the pieces have lasted forever. I have a 20+ year old IKEA couch that has held up beautifully. I have recovered it with Bemz and Comfort Works covers to update the aesthetic. Furniture, like clothing, should not be disposable. Purchase the best you can buy, in neutral colors, and you can have them for life ~ add your pops of color in the details.
Speaking of long lasting/hidden Ikea jems it would be great to see a video on the Ikea metal furniture like the Lixhult and Rudsta cabinets that are really beautiful in their simplicity. Ikea is great at mixing glass, hardwood and metal to make some really nice pieces...that are super solid and long lasting...and these pieces are often priced on par with the cheap MDF items...and are great for renters as they're lightweight and can be easily disassembled.
Bemz rocks! Great way to keep good pieces and update them. :)
Ooh, so glad to hear an informed review of Bemz. I’ve got a Kivik sofa I love and is in solid shape even ten years (and two kids) after I bought it used. But I really want to upgrade and get a new cover for it. It only cost me $200 when I bought it so while that should make it easy for me to spend the savings on a nicer cover, somehow paying twice what I paid for it and more for a cover makes me hesitate. 😂
I'm obsessed with vintage IKEA, especially anything from the 80s or 90s. I wish the overall quality hadn't dropped so much over the years and they were still able sell stuff like that. Unfortunately it seems like their approach nowadays involves introducing "updates" to existing products, which usually means swapping out wood and other more expensive materials for more cheap veneer and particleboard :(
@@twix2615 Agreed and I would skip most of it.
IVAR is their longest solid wood line... over 50yrs!... I love it. Moved 17x since I was 18... easy to take apart and flat pack to move... and looks better with age! It is also very versatile.
I love pine 😊.
Oh yeah been around for ages. A true classic!
Yes, I have some old Ivar, sadly the cabinets changed shape, so my old ones don't fit with the new ones.
@@loes6839Yes!
It would be better if they would just give it a different name when they change it.
Things not fitting, even when being the "same" is the biggest issue I have with Ikea!
I love how you just point out how we are all allowed to disagree with eath other if someone doesn't like a certain style or that something isn't your particular style but someone might like it. Its such a lovely way to talk about things without judging and looking at something on a neutral level.
If there’s a person who doesn’t like Nick Lewis, I don’t trust that person. Nick is the best.
I initially misread this comment as "I'm a person who doesn't like Nick Lewis." I was sooo close to throwing down 😂
Pine is very soft and will dent fairly easily. To help pine, apply extra pure Tung Oil. It penetrates the pores and hardens. Also, if you take care of veneer, especially a really great wood veneer, you’ll notice veneer furniture is not prone to the same aging effects as solid wood, such as splitting or warping… so wood veneer furniture will often outlast solid wood furniture by years.
Yesssss, sort of. I come from a furniture family (NC) and veneers can do well but once they are chipped off or get bent then... not so good. Solid wood dents and chips can always be filled and sanded and refinished. Veneers are harder to repair. I love my old 'brown' furniture and some is hundreds of years old. But, hey get what you like! There is a lot of cool veneer stuff from the 1930's that is fun.
Thank you for the tip for hardening pine. It's a nice-looking wood but I haven't bought any yet because I've been worried about the durability.
@@ForestGreen88 Careful with tung oil though, once you've soaked a rag in it you need to dispose of it in a certain way so that it doesn't spontaneously combust.
@@lsamoa Thank you for the reminder, I'll make sure I look up proper disposal methods when I'm ready to use it.
If I am sanding and staining, when would tung oil be applied in that process?
I have Leksvik solid pine bookshelves from the early 2000s that have lasted through 5 different houses. I painted them a few years back, but they remain perfect for books. My sister has IVAR narrow shelves from the 1980s they are still using; the natural pine finish has aged to a beautiful warm wood tone. IKEA is a GREAT option as long as you go with solid wood materials. Particle board and MDF not so much
I mean, like, I agree with your underlying point, but the cheap particle board sofa table that shall not be named (in case Nick hears it) *is* probably the best option for the sort of people who are looking for that kind of table in that kind of price range.
Ikea changed life for many people because suddenly they didn't have to keep old, ugly, jerry-rigged-let's-hope-it-still-works ugly furniture. Today old furniture is often very good looking, but that's because the ugly and bad furniture was killed by Ikea's particle board offerings.
Just know what you're buying.
We have an IKEA table from the late 80s, completed wood. Still have it, just have to tighten the screws from time to time. Great content, as always!
Why do you have to tighten the screws? Just because of moving it orr
@@Thepeanutcollector It just loosens over time. We tighten them about every 6 mos.
Nice overview! Ikea also has great bamboo items. Although technically not wood, bamboo has those qualities we look in wood.
We have seven Hemnes bookcases in our house. We are in the middle of repainting/restaining 3 of them. I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention them. It's great hearing about some things I haven't read up on yet, so thanks for that, Nick.
yes! i have two hemnes bookcases in that dark brown almost black color, they really class up my living room
after looking all over for tall solid wood bookcases it was either particleboard, things over a grand each or these beauties
The entire hemnes line is nice solid wood. Each of my 3 kids has a dresser and night stand, 1 kid has the daybed, and we have 2 nightstands in the spare bedroom. All Hemnes.
I think there is a Hemnes piece in every room in my house. We’ve moved them several times, and they look great wherever we use them.
Also here to say I’ve got Hemnes bookcases in several rooms, as well as the TV stand and a writer’s desk with hutch.
He did mention the Hemnes, but just the bedframe.
I had the same with the Ivar. I was like: 'You're forgetting the best part! The wonderful, tall, Ivar shelving unit/bookcases!!' 😂
Oh, forgot to say that I bought 4 stacking stools, bent plywood, from Ikea about 15 years ago and they don't make them anymore. Love them as they've held up in a tiny beach guest cottage, meaning they have to be stacked often and got a lot of rough use in a humid beach environment. They have held their shape and finish well. Ikea has been great for me.
This is awesome. Not only does wood last longer, but the glues in MDF off gas and affect indoor air quality. I have the one hemnes dresser that is solid wood (white stain vs white paint).
I have two Ivars in my kitchen!!! I feel so proud that Nick likes it!!! Ikea's solid wood furniture are great. My family has two kitchen shelves and a loft bed. They are 30 years old and still serving. My sister has been using the loft bed since she was in high school. She is in her 40s now and she is still sleeping on it!
We Canadians are probably the only ones who call them Muskoka Chairs 😊Great video! Loooove IKEA 🙌🏼
You are so special.
@@653j521 is that sarcasm?
I love Nick’s videos! From a fellow Canadian 🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦
Im from Michigan, and i have heard them called Muskoka and Adirondack interchangeably! Buy, Michigan is that state where you drive south to get to Canada❤
Thank you! A LOT of work went into that. You did my homework for me and Ikea in Atlanta here I come. Appreciate all you do and I bet you're a blast as a friend.
I have a dark-stained Hemnes dresser (I unapologetically love the whole Hemnes set), and got 2 of the Tarva nightstands and stained them in a dark color too. Then I swapped out the hardware for one type so that it all matches. I also have the unfinished pine dining set that I mixed a couple of different finishes on. Love them, love being able to customize my furniture. I feel like that's one of the great things about solid wood furniture, is the ability to customize, refinish, etc.
I look forward to your new uploads each Saturday morning so I can watch them while drinking coffee. Such a great way to start the weekend
Me too.
Another great video. Our tastes are NOT the same but your ideas are just so interesting. I love listening to you talk so fast and enjoy your humour.
I’ve been out here prayin for this EXACT VIDEO!!!!! THANK YOU X1000000
I love acacia wood and am so thankful for this video. Didn't know Ikea did acacia furniture. I was born in what used to be Lourenço Marques in Mozambique, with pavements adorned with acacia trees galore. The fragrance was to die for. I live in the UK, with loads of TK Max stores with acacia chopping boards. I made a lamp stand out of one. It's got my chinoisie lamp. It's beautiful and wish you could see it. 😊
I'm honestly wondering since you live in Van Area if you could make a video about decorating a very small apartment on a very tight budget since that is what most people in your community would also be doing.
Don't shop at Ikea, but could watch Nick talk about Ikea all day long, well, for 19:44 minutes. So entertaining!!
i'm solely here for the pronancination 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 Greatings from Sweden
I love your videos. You speak plainly, honestly. Keep it up.
Thank you do much for all the mental labor you did for this video. It will help a lot of people, myself included. I always try to find real wood things because of their durability. So excited to chec out a few of these. That first cabinet and the kitchen table especially!
Long ago I developed my mantra for Ikea: "You get what you pay for. You get EXACTLY what you pay for." It's easy to distinguish the solid wood pieces or pieces with any curvature instead of 90° cornered: they're consistently the most expensive. (at least they're honest)
We are about to move into our first home in two months and I am busily looking into furniture and design options, so this video is serendipitous as I'm currently looking at IKEA right now! I always appreciate your thoughts and opinions Nick!
I've had the Norden birch table for years and years, moved with it several times, and I've been very happy with my purchase 😍 It's sturdy and the drawers are amazing
I’m so impressed that you busted out the umlauts! Honestly, I would watch your videos no matter what you choose to share. You have a wonderful personality that brightens up every day.
I have two small Hemnes dressers that i use as night stands that have held up really well, real pine wood for most of it. And i got solid wood doors for the lower half of our Billy bookcases, i think they are oak
I love our birch Rönninge bar table!! Definitely not cheap by IKEA standards but worth it for the look, feel, and sturdiness of solid wood
Thanks for making last week video and this one. A lot of us out here in reality land appreciate some sage advice on decorating with style without breaking our bank accounts.
Hi, Nick! My husband and I had those clasdic Billy bookcases, bought in the early 90’s. They survived 2 moves and had to be reinforced with L-braces, the particleboard shelves were turned once they started to sag - but they held up for 30 years of use. During the pandemic, I bought 2 skinny Billy book cases and was stunned to learn that only the tops and the bottoms are particleboard. The rest is engineered paper in vinyl veneer sandwich! They are affordable, look ok, and are stromg enough to hold my boojs and files. I appreciate that they are also light - when I wanted to reorganize my layout, I unloaded them wnd could move them around by myself. One caveat: don’t kneel on the boards during assembly! 😂
Love it! Watched it with my husband and as soon as it ended I said, "Thanks Nick! I'll take one of everything 🙂" and he gasped. 😂
"Guys, settle down with the umlauts" Words to live by! Thank you Nick for the chuckles as always.
They're not umlauts though but letters of the Swedish alphabet. We're not going to stop using certain letters lol.
Birch wood is beautiful and it is relatively free of knots. The kitchen in my previous house had birch wood cabinets and I wanted to repeat that wood in my new home, but it was way too expensive.
If a person is hard on furniture I wouldn't recommend the pine as it is a softwood and will not hold up as well as the birch, beech, acacia and eucalyptus pieces. Another great video.
Great point. I have a few pine wood pieces from IKEA. Have found pine works best for armoire/decorative storage kinds of uses where they aren't going to be high traffic.
Or you can say it adds to the patina.😊
I really enjoy your IKEA roundups - the place can be overwhelming and a “Nick filter” helps to signpost the best of the bunch. 👍🏼
Hello from Muskoka! Adirondack region may claim it elsewhere, but here that's a Muskoka Chair!
My childhood bedroom was pine and I love the smell
I really did enjoy this video Nick. Thanks.
Lovely video Nick!IKEA is a vast universe and there are many solid wood pieces out there.
I had a solid wood kitchen from IKEA a long time ago, that lasted 15 years ,then I sold the apartment and it was still perfect!
In Argentina we have pinewood and it IS in fact used as a base to paint or stain...very sturdy and reliable!
Love the IKEA videos, keep them coming!
Maybe I missed it but Skogsta is also great--they just released these spindle back acacia chairs, I paired them with a walnut dining table and they look amazing for the price.
i got myself an ivar a few years ago, did not paint it but bought and stuck strandmon legs to it to elevate it slightly. 10/10 would recommend
❤❤❤❤ *DECOR WITHOUT NICK IS NOT AS SASSY* with you we feel like we’re just chatting with our friends irl convos and reactions 😂
Recently bought the hemmed and we were shocked that it was all real wood. As always,, great video.
I love using trofast for storage in a pantry for things like: cans, bags of flour, tubes of tomato paste, pasta.
Why paint wood? I have lots of solid wood in my home from pine to mahogany and the woods all look great, I love the knots and different shapes in the wood. It just reminds me all the time of how nature cannot be surpassed in beauty and surprises.
I actually have a solid wood, very simple, executive style desk from Ikea that I got when I lived in Germany back in 2005, and it's still one of my favorite pieces of furniture. Since then it's literally been moved thousands of miles and to about 10 different places. It's still going strong. I would definitely recommend Ikea wood furniture.
p.s. My aesthetic is minimalist meets comfy library/study using a mix of antiques and new MCM furniture, and this desk fits perfectly.
Thanks for breaking this down and sifting through it all.
You crack me up. I just love listening to you talk.
would be cool to see you do a video doing a rundown of all the different kinds of wood and their advantages/disadvantages
Some of these pieces are stunning. Certainly, there would be something for most people included. Thank you for the video.
TOTALLY AWSOME VIDEO NICK!!!! I LOVE ALL SOLID WOOD FUNITURE AND PRODUCTS. A GREAT INVESTMENT FOR NOW, AND FOR THE FUTURE.
Years ago I picked the Hemnes bed frame … the box spring support has 3 available heights to best fit your overall mattress thickness (height.)
I also now use the tall/narrow Trofast for closet storage. Not great for large or bulky clothes but just fine for socks and undies.
We have the Hemnes collection in our living room and bedroom and they are both great.
Also, we built our kitchen with Ikea cabinets more than ten years ago and they still look and work like new. Plus they were easy to install.
I had a Trofast unit, originally for kids' storage. Then when they were bigger it was my patio recyclables sorter with plants on top.
Unfortunately, I didn't treat the raw wood for outdoor use so it eventually broke from exposure. I had it for over 20 years, though.
Thank you for this video highlighting real wood pieces from Ikea. I do not own anything from Ikea as I have shy'ed away from the particleboard furniture. It's good to know Ikea has real wood items, mostly in the wood finish!
I LOVE PINE!!!! LIGHTWEIGHT AND GREAT FOR STAINGING AND PAINTING!!!! ONE OF MY FAVORITE WOODS!!!!
Hey there! This is my first visit to your channel. Wow, you deliver the information in such a witty, funny, way. You are a new favorite! Thanks for such a lively video.
So many great choices, I love real wood of just about any species. The little spindle chair is gorgeous and totally timeless, as is the acacia kitchen table.
I love IKEA. My house is pretty much an IKEA showroom.
I find most of American furniture too large. Especially sofas.
Wow what a long and thorough video! You definitely put a lot of work into this.
I’m loving these wood pieces we’re seeing from Ikea lately. They’ve been stepping it up for sure!
Yay, 🎉loved the arkelstorp coffee table and the kloven chair for outside!! Thank you Nick for the review🙏
I bought the Nackanäs small round table and some chairs with it to my very small kitchen. Best Ikea buy I’ve ever made! 🥰 The Wood is lovely in a darkish warm tone, and I just love the look of it all 👍🏼😍
Nick, so helpful! I also want to recommend the Ikea bamboo cell phone and tablet holders - such beautiful design! 💐
I've got a Havsta cabinet with sliding glass doors. It holds all my books. The pine is such a lovely smell every time I open and grab a book.
I love the Bekvam shelves! I use those in my kitchen to store all my teas and coffee, and in my bathroom to store lotions and perfumes. Super easy to mount and they look great!
The Nämmmarö is so beautiful, cant wait to buy it next summer. We were going to get a stupid ikea bed, but then saw that björksnäs and decided to checkout the collection, the bed is so unique and beautiful especially with an olive green wall. Saved me
I love Ivar... it is one of the most versitile systems I have ever worked with... easy to paint, stain, customise... and a lot cheaper than erecting dry wall, and plastering... used it to half divide an open plan space... I used it to create a home office in a large living room, where the second sofa/ day bed was my spare bed (I moved there when I had visitors and gave them my bedroom) the day bed was 70 cm x 1.9 m, with storage underneath - and then realised I could do it again to create a separate zone (3 in one room) without compromising too much on natural light or having to move heavy furniture to re jig purpose... so using Ivar to delineate zones... a bit like playing with Lego
. it's not 'cheap" cheap when you add in the bits and pieces... I wanted two glass door cabinets and two closed door cabinets - and I didn't do it all at once... but by the time I was finished, a 58 sq m one bedroom apartment could sleep 4 ( 2 couples) or .. just once .. 5 adults and 3 children, but still leave my life and home office intact!!! You can leave it looking like industrial wooden shelving for garage and warehouse... or you can stain, sand, or paint the life out of it to make it look like expensive built in cabinetry... Can't praise it enough.. and as pine, it is sustainable, and none of the bits I got had issues with knots, etc that needed to be addressed.
P.S - love the Swedish... but some of those words/ names have actually meaning.... I love that the baskets are "shabby"
Veneer isn’t a “trick” it’s what is used in woodworking in situations where solid wood doesn’t perform as well. In the example of the chair I’m pretty sure it’s the curved laminated back piece plus possibly the seat (haven’t seen it so can’t tell fr)
Just to weigh in on the Persbol, it's a mixture of plywood and solid wood, so whilst it isn't a true solid wood chair the durability is definitely there. Love Ikea's solid wood stuff and wish they could/would do more of it.
"Ugly" pla... I mean "lovely" places...
I died laughing. I'm saving this to use it the other way round.
For people's faces, spaces, clothes, babies... In an obviously obnoxious way...
I'm still laughing. 😂😂😂
I have a Trofast in my art studio. Great for organizing tools and materials. I added wheels from another Ikea entertainment stand. Added bonus the plastic bins fit into Rubbermaid tubs, so when I do workshops I can put 3 of them in a tub to transport art stuff.
A lot of great pointers. I'm in the process of donating my old hand me down furniture and eventually upgrade. I especially loved the outdoor furniture section🖤
You are SO cute and funny, Nick! I’ve really enjoyed watching your videos and learning about different styles. My husband has even watched a couple with me!
Imagine my overwhelming sense of ecstacy when I heard that IKEA was opening up a store in my home town. How can this be true I asked myself? Well, it kind of isn't. Evidently they are opening a 'Plan and Order Point' which is so not what I was hoping for. Oh well, have car, will travel. Thanks for the video Nick!
The Havasta in black is the dark academia bookshelf for my office I was looking for. My books sag particleboard shelving over time. Thank you so much for sharing this.
OMG Nick, I swear I thought you were on Xanax or something and then I realised that I had the playback speed slowed down to .75 without knowing it LOL. Seriously prefer the non-stoned version of you 😅
It seems more and more that Nick is training for the speed-talking world record. Maybe listening at 75% is a good thing.
@@JuliaMarieSheehan That's hilarious - yet slightly true 🤣
Love love Love all the solid wood options. Agreed ... a tad sacrilege to paint that lovely Birch. 😮
I can attest to the paintability of the IVAR cabinets. The knots in the pine are prominent so I painted ours black but I used milk paint and finished them with hemp oil. The wood grain is still visible but the milk paint with hemp oil finish is smooth and fairly matte. This all sounds quite rustic but we wall-mounted 4 units about a foot off the floor and they seem kinda sleek and minimal (no handles/knobs required). Milk paint is pretty different from conventional paint but I'm so happy with the results.
Nick, you are so funny. Love watching your videos! In addition to being informative, they are also entertaining!
Nick, wanted to say: I despise gateleg (and all "drop-leaf") tables. Which is weird, because bureau desks and davenport desks alike: love.
And then I twigged.
I'm ADHD / Autistic, which together cause major additive risks to both "having a lot of junk on my table" and "I accidentally bumped into my table".
Davenports: accidentally or deliberately close it? That counts as tidying everything away!
Bureau: built so that the "table" surface will not drop below horizontal
Anyway, just thought I'd mention, since you take different forms of accessibility and reasonable adjustments as seriously as they deserve.
Ivar with sliding doors dunked in tung oil is a very durable kitchen cabinet, love it
I love this video! Thank you, thank you for going through all the pictures to find all the solid wood options. It helped me quite a bit. 😊
Pine is a soft wood so it can dent if your rough with it. I love the ivar because of the knots thats what makes it classy.
Caveat for pet owners- pine is relatively soft! We bought a pine bed from Ikea thinking it would hold up better, and our cats scratched it up much worse than harder wood furniture
Use a Norden as a sewing table..it is very solid and it has awesome drawers
I have a butcher block as my desk from ikea, I love that wooden piece so so much. Going from a cheap desk to a heavy wooden desk is so much nicer 😊
I have a Norden! I bought it 10 years ago and it's been great, still looks good even after a few scratches and bumps... because it's solid wood.