While I can see how the concept is designed to make it that way, and 20-year-old me would have agreed with everything else you said, for some of us the magic wore off at some point and turned into a dark curse.
Maybe it was yet another misadventure with an ill-fitting drawer or door, maybe it was making a trip for something that was supposed to be in stock but wasn’t, maybe it was that great bargain of a sofa that turned out to be really quite uncomfortable (given away, barely used, after five years of taking up space), maybe it was just that once the style started to seem boring and stale all the rest of the magic was bound to fail. Maybe it was the realization that very little of it was built to last. Maybe it was the discovery that if you have a little patience, you can get vastly better deals on furniture, making Ikea seem like poor value for money.
I recently spent $350 on an approx. 80-year-old barrister bookcase. It’s no handcrafted antique: it’s modular, and I’m sure they were factory-made in some quantity. But it’s well-made of solid wood, from a time when a furniture factory turned out a finished piece; the only assembly required is stacking and locking the sections. It’ll still be beautiful and functional for as many years as someone is around to keep it safe from the elements. There’s no reason it won’t be enjoyed 100 years from now, and I will be able to sell it for a nice profit anytime I’m ready.
Some quick online window-shopping at Ikea.ca says I can get a Hemnes cabinet for $395. Similar capacity but in a different shape, also has glass doors. It’s not bad-looking, but I question the value. Would anyone expect that item ever to appreciate in value, or to have a useful life of more than 20-30 years? How will I like it when the “printed fibreboard” back panel starts to warp in a few years, as they usually do? Will the fit of the doors be just a little bit off right away, or in a few years? By the standards of good furniture, this is a disposable item.
