[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by IamNikhil

Have heard a lot of hype about IKEA but hoping it's not a damp squib!

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

The elegant looking functional designs at reasonable prices of IKEA items can turn you into a shopoholic. And if you are even half good with DIY, you can put everything up in no time. Worth a visit for sure.

Very true. Let me describe my very first visit to an Ikea store, more than a decade ago. I was looking for a laptop table/stand and came across this model called 'Dave' which was sold in Ikea. Of course, I hadn't heard about the brand before and there was no way to get it. A few months later, I and a couple of buddies went on a backpacking trip to Singapore and Malaysia. On a whim, I found that there was an Ikea store in Kaula Lampur, and dragged my friends along. It was across the town from our hotel but we were just sightseeing. I still didn't know about the size of the store or what else does Ikea offer. Went inside with the plan to buy just the small table worth around 1k and go back, but we ended up spending over 15k amongst the three of us. If not for the small baggage allowance of our cheap flight ticket, the damage would have been much higher. So beware!

[IamNikhil]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

If you're setting up a new home or renovating yours, an IKEA visit is highly recommended. Also if you are ready to throw out old things and replace them with new items, you should visit. But otherwise, you'll be tempted to buy things that you won't need. The elegant looking functional designs at reasonable prices of IKEA items can turn you into a shopoholic.

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

To answer whether it is worth it or not, if you have a list of items to buy, then yes worth it. For aimless browsing and picking up useless things that you buy but don't need, not worth it.

Thanks guys! We do need to replace some furniture at our house in Goa. Mom has been fussing over it for the longest. Perhaps a visit to the Ikea store is in order now. Will make sure to not abuse my credit card

[adg_andy]

Originally Posted by anandtheleo

Me and my friend are planning to start about same time (or little earlier) to Hyderabad, main purpose is Ikea and Paradise biriyani

Weather update : It's raining heavily in Hyderabad and nearby areas now. Please drive safe. I have got a hand injury and my trip is postponed for a few days. Maybe next weekend, but I am definitely going

[anandtheleo]

Originally Posted by adg_andy

Weather update : It's raining heavily in Hyderabad and nearby areas now. Please drive safe. I have got a hand injury and my trip is postponed for a few days. Maybe next weekend, but I am definitely going

We too have postponed the trip due to the rains, did not want to take chance of going there and returning empty-handed as the area around Ikea is prone to flooding. Maybe in the upcoming weeks.

[adg_andy]

Update: Did a Bangalore-Hyderabad trip just for IKEA over last weekend. Roads were in very good condition. Also IKEA were running some good offers. Load the car up to the brim and came back on Monday. Few heavy items were booked through courier present inside IKEA store itself, just after checkout.

[condor]

Was checking google maps for something: and found a label for "Ikea Bangalore Site office".

This is in Nagasandra, Tumkur road - between the NICE road jn and the start of the elevated road. Looking at that stretch of road, location looks suitable. Will check that point next time I head there.

https://goo.gl/maps/Fwkadif3WMpdUNrS8

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by condor

Was checking google maps for something: and found a label for "Ikea Bangalore Site office".

This is in Nagasandra, Tumkur road - between the NICE road jn and the start of the elevated road. Looking at that stretch of road, location looks suitable. Will check that point next time I head there.

https://goo.gl/maps/Fwkadif3WMpdUNrS8

I think the first IKEA store in Bangalore would be at the lower ground floor of VR mall, adjacent to Phoenix mall. I know for a fact that the lower floor of this mall has been completely vacated and I think some interior work is going on as well. I think this store would open up most probably by March or April 2022. IKEA May eventually have a one or two of their massive stores on the outskirts of the city, but they are also looking at smaller stores in certain malls in Bangalore. I think this is the right strategy since they then start becoming more accessible.

[_chikku]

Originally Posted by condor

Was checking google maps for something: and found a label for "Ikea Bangalore Site office".

This is in Nagasandra, Tumkur road - between the NICE road jn and the start of the elevated road. Looking at that stretch of road, location looks suitable. Will check that point next time I head there.

https://goo.gl/maps/Fwkadif3WMpdUNrS8

Yes, This place is right behind Nagasandra Metro station. That real estate is kept empty for more than 5 years now. Looking at the map there seems to be a structure now.

[itwasntme]

IKEA's full format store (500K SFT) will open in Summer 2022 with a dedicated connection to Nagasandra Metro station. A smaller store (100K SFT) is also opening in Whitefield.

https://trak.in/tags/business/2021/0...r-a-new-store/

[volkman10]

IKEA to open store in Bengaluru on June 22.

The 460,000 sq ft IKEA store at Nagasandra would feature over 7,000 furnishing products. The store would have a children’s play area, ‘Småland’, along with a 1,000-seat restaurant and a bistro serving a mix of Swedish and Indian delicacies.

[GutsyGibbon]

I hope to not upset Ikea loyalists. I generally support cost effective, functional designs. I have bought ikea furniture for a decade, before I developed an interest in hardwood. I think most people would want these trendy designs. Truth is pretty much everything at Ikea is particle board, MDF. Sawdust, glue, and color paper. Designs from Sweden, built where they can find cheap labor, to last a short while, hoping they return again, soon to replace with another ikea product.

I just want to urge people to consider products made from hard wood. These last generations. They can be refinished, repurposed, renewed, & they last forever. If you also end up supporting a local carpenter, it's even better. If you can't find affordable hardwood, get Indian plywood and support your local carpenter. You can even be inspired by the Ikea designs, and ask them to build functionally similar things.

The USA allowed itself to destroy locally built furniture industry, let the small commercial carpenter perish. Hardwood is for ultra rich, for the rest, it's a lot of cheap use and throw furniture that will not last 1 apartment move. Even if Americans want to find a local carpenter, they don't exist, or they are unaffordable.

When I build furniture from fine hardwood people expect it at Ikea prices, instead of bargaining, I give it away for free. I can do this because it's a timepass hobby for me, but I feel for the local carpenter.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I hope to not upset Ikea loyalists.
…
I just want to urge people to consider products made from hard wood. These last generations. They can be refinished, repurposed, renewed, & they last forever. If you also end up supporting a local carpenter, it's even better. If you can't find affordable hardwood, get Indian plywood and support your local carpenter. You can even be inspired by the Ikea designs, and ask them to build functionally similar things.

Completely agree! And if you are someone who shift houses frequently, better to avoid IKEA pieces. Though they are supposed to be high on DIY, it doesn’t stay intact after dismantling and reassembling. We visit IKEA more for their household items and those are quite awesome and not too expensive; furniture I normally look elsewhere.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I hope to not upset Ikea loyalists. I generally support cost effective, functional designs.
I just want to urge people to consider products made from hard wood. These last generations. They can be refinished, repurposed, renewed, & they last forever. If you also end up supporting a local carpenter, it's even better.

+1 and +1 again. We need to support the local carpenter, the local kirana shop, the local eatery, the local book shop and such others each of which is being utterly demolished by the likes of Amazon, IKEA, Zomato etc. Mind you the business model of at least Amazon and Zomato/Swiggy like Uber/Ola is painfully exploitative of the small self employed vendor, driver, delivery man. This is urban 21st century version of the ryot zamindari of the 19th century which uses power of capital to exploit the supply chain of small vendors, converts employees into 'independent contractors' (who can then be exploited the way an employee cannot) and uses capital to discount prices to nuke competition. Maybe today the customer benefits from lower prices but for how long?

Mind you I am not a left wing slogan shouting warrior. I am a dyed in wool capitalist to my buttonholes as evident by my posts on IT industry attrition threads. Capitalism is healthy when it serves all stakeholders - shareholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, employees, government and local society.
Today's capitalism being imported into India by PE funds such as Softbank, Sequoia through their investments are driving in a draconian fashion the Milton Friedman spawned culture of Gordon Gecko - "greed is good" - and that only shareholder returns matter at the cost of all else.

This was always not so and in many parts of industrial India still isn't. Tatas, Aditya Birla, Reliance, Bajaj, etc all build great infrastructure for their employees and the neighbouring rural & semi-rural areas where ever they put up factories & plants. Navratna PSUs do it all the time. Jamshedji Tata, Walchand Hirachand, GD Birla, Ardesher Godrej, Jamnalal Bajaj and so many others were practicing the concept of trusteeship as industrialists a century and more ago. What is the trusteeship concept - that the wealth they are creating as industrialists is to be used for the good of society just as it is to be used for the good of their employees, their business and their shareholders.

This worship of loss making PE funded unicorns and decacorns is inimical to an India that needs to use every drop of capital to create jobs and not create some jobs (e.g. delivery boys) while destroying others (e.g. the small storekeeper). We talk of our population being ~140 crores. Most of us don't really realize how vast that number is. For example there are ~140 crore seconds in 44 years and 4 months.

The bottom half of our diverse society needs livelihood with dignity.

[adithya.kp]

I bought an IKEA single bed recently. Though its very good , its not hardwood. Dont know how long it will last. As for the assembly, they claim its DIY by watching youtube videos. But I gave up after trying for two minutes. I hired a carpenter from urbancompany. It took two hours for him to assemble. He is a professional. That tells how complicated it is.

I did explore indian orgnanized players like urban ladder, pepperfry etc. But I didnt anything intersting. Didnt consider local offline guys since I assumed the quality/design wont be good. (May be I am wrong?). Buying the wood and getting it done from a carpenter is not practical. I wonder how many people actually do it.

But I agree that loss making funded/established companies getting into every space is not good. They raise money at ridiculous valuations and can survive several years. It will destroy the small guys who cant compete.

[Naetik30]

I bought the SLAKT single bed for my son's bedroom as we planned to redo his room as a gift for his birthday. After looking for a lot of options at urbanladder, pepperfry, amazon and visiting a lot of local shops in and around Bannerghatta road, I gave up. They were all over priced or of bad design and finish.

So, finally found the SLAKT bed on ikea to be good and cheap. Ordered it online at ikea and got it delivered. But the first one that arrived was damaged. Got it replaced without much of a hassle. Took about a week to replace the bed, but the one that arrived was pretty good.

Also, bought outdoor table+chair set for the balcony and should say I am really happy with it.

Waiting for the store to open in Bangalore this month.