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Friday, August 13, 2010

To Ikea, Or Not To Ikea?

Hope everyone has had a wonderful week! This week, in Brisbane, we had a public holiday for Ekka. We decided it was a good idea to go to Ikea .... (ahh)! Not a good day to do this as half of Brisbane had the same idea!
Anyway, I very rarely get my husband to shop at all (let alone at Ikea) so I eagerly took this opportunity, popped no. 1 daughter into the kiddies play land, strapped no. 2 daughter into the pram - constantly watching the clock as I know it normally takes me around 3 to 4 hours to get around that place - not a chance with husband in tow! We had 1 hour before daughter no. 1 had to be picked up so the race was on! Breezing past the isles I would normally linger at .... then, my husband said - what about an Ikea vanity for our ensuite renovation? What? Shock, Horror .... then I took the time to look ..... they actually don't look that bad, and an entire double vanity with taps for $1600!!
So, I was wondering ..... To Ikea, Or Not To Ikea .... has anyone else dabbled in an Ikea bathroom before? If you have, what did you think? Was it durable? Can I make it look expensive? Anyway, my head is full of questions. Of course I went straight to Google and here is some inspiration ...

Love the image above - in this bathroom they have painted an Ikea island bench and used it as a vanity .... who would have thought??


Ikea with marble ..... may just be the right balance?


The image above shows a similar vanity to the one we were looking at - it comes in other colours and finishes.


The vanity above shows an Ikea carcass and a concrete top - possibility?


Lastly .... is this really Ikea? It looks a little bit minimalist for us, but still can't believe it's Ikea!


Think I need to do a little more research but potentially we may be able to create style on a budget! What do you think?

Hope all you Brissy followers had a fantastic People's Day, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Michelle

p.s. I left without my usual "I've been to Ikea for 3 hours" headache so maybe there is something to be said for having my husband in tow!!

13 comments:

  1. I wish I could help you but I know nothing about Ikea bathrooms. But I'm definitely interested to read the feedback you receive.

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  2. I think Ikea can be great. I tend to look at what its made of, how sturdy it is then the price. The few things I have bought I love, but too cheap and the furniture can be a bit collapsible or wobbly. I love the vanities pictured, my favorite is the first one. Have a great weekend.
    Rebecca x
    p.s. I have put some of my purchases from you on my latest post

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  3. I recently discussed the Ikea kitchen with my sister. She said they're great, if you're young and full of energy to install yourself. She said, as she bought a house with an Ikea kitchen, it's a nightmare if you want to expand it ... a lot of effort involved for little saving. But I guess a bathroom is a one-off thing, and I wouldn't expect it'd need further renovation ... depends how much work you want to do?!

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  4. O.K, Husbands and children are coming next time but then where is all the fun. From what I saw last time I/we were there, I thought the bathroom stuff looked great. Whatever you decide I know you will be make it look amazing.

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  5. Hi Michelle, I really can't speak highly enough about IKEA. I think they have really improved on the quality compared to a few years ago. I was quoted around $7K just for an island bench for our kitchen from kitchen companies or they didn't respond at all, so in the end we used the carcass of IKEA draws and cupboards and built a frame around this for our island bench. We then got a caesar stone bench top from a local business. The draws and cupboards have the non slam attachments and I think the quality is fabulous. If you want to have a look click on kitchen in the labels section on my blog. I think in the end it cost us about $2K finished. I say go for it!

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  6. i love ikea but i can't help you with the delima at hand, but i can tell you that all the pictures look beautiful and i wish you oodles and oodles of luck!! :) happy friday ((the 13th)) xo

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  7. I love Ikea. These bathrooms are so stylish! I didn't know Ikea could look so classy!

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  8. IKEA.........and look at the photos you came across how good does it look, we just bought zekky's bed from there, will post photos soon, hope you have a fab weekend and my vote is......go ikea hehehehe lisa xox

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  9. haven't done an ikea bathroom before, but i so want that first image in my house! i think they're serviceable, and the price is a winner.

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  10. I'm always nervous because the furniture we see that people want to resell to us dosn't seem to last looking good for long.

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  11. Have never had or used an Ikea bathroom but they look pretty great. I did feel for you, though, on your visit as we did the same one weekend a while back and never again! I don't think we were speaking to each other by the end of it as it was so stressfull!! Good luck with the bathroom. The girl in the brick house:)

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  12. From everything I've heard, Ikea is a great choice for style on a budget. We were going to do the same for our bathroom reno, but nothing was quite right for the space. Good luck with it, and don't forget all the pics! K xx

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  13. Thanks for all your comments about Ikea. It seems most of you are for it. I'll let you know what we decide. Michelle

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