Best alternative to Ikea?

[Chiropteran]

I'm moving in 4 days, and I don't really have any furniture except a desk and computer chair.

I need to buy a bed & mattress, sofa, table, and probably a shelf of some kind.

Normally, I would just go to Ikea by default- I love the stuff they have, and the prices are fine, and I don't mind putting together something. But given the fact that I'm going to already be tired from moving, combined with the fact that I need like 4-5 different things, I don't like the idea of being forced to put everything together.

So, my question is simple: what is a good alternative furniture store that is just like Ikea except you don't have to put everything together yourself? A big plus for places that offer shipping and installation, my car is too small to really carry anything and I don't want to rent a truck unless I have no choice. I'm in the Northern Virginia area, Arlington.

Actually, if Ikea had some services where they come out to your house and put everything together for you for an additional fee that would be perfect, but I didn't see anything of the sort on their website.

Anyone have some great suggestions?

 

[Ns1]

craigslist and search for nice furniture.

There is no such thing. Cheap = self assembly. Prebuilt/quality = expensive.

 

[FleshLight]

Craigslist.

Any handyman should assemble the furniture for you for a price cheaper than the store.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: FleshLight
Craigslist.

I still ended up with an Ikea bed + mattress, but saved like $500 over buying them new in the store.

 

[K1052]

Not to be an ass but if you're not moving any furniture besides a desk and a chair how tired are you going to be?

 

[Descartes]

I would hit some of the local furniture suppliers. Most cities have a decent variety of warehouses with decent options, furniture outlets, etc. I find the prices to be comparable to Ikea, but quality is generally higher and they don't look like something you'd have in a dorm room. I'd try that first. They usually have delivery options.

Do some Googling around to see who is decent in your area. Atlanta has Kudzu.com, but surely Arlington has something similar.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1

Originally posted by: FleshLight
Craigslist.

I still ended up with an Ikea bed + mattress, but saved like $500 over buying them new in the store.

What does this tell you?

That craigslist is an unauthorized reseller of IKEA

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1

Originally posted by: FleshLight
Craigslist.

I still ended up with an Ikea bed + mattress, but saved like $500 over buying them new in the store.

What does this tell you?

That craigslist is an unauthorized reseller of IKEA

I listed my $100 bed for $20 and honestly it's in great condition and I got 10 emails in 5 minutes at 1am. Ridiculous. I got like 10 calls when I woke up, and when I forgot to pull the ad off, I was still getting 2 - 3 calls an hour.

 

[idiotekniQues]

for a sofa jennifer convertibles has some good deals. just watch out they try to add the lifetime warranty to your bill without even telling you, though im not sure how nobody would not notice a total over $300 more than you would expect.

 

[ViviTheMage]

HOM furniture is awesome for sofas and such...not sure if they are where you are.

 

[Funyuns101]

OP, did you even try?

delivery
Same day, next day or same week deliveries may be available for products purchased in store. We deliver your new products and you can relax while we carry them in for you.

assembly and installation
Most IKEA products are designed to be assembled by the customer, but if you prefer, we can recommend an independent in-home assembly service. For a small fee, they'll put it all together. Contact your local store.

Assembly Service is not available through IKEA Direct Home Shopping

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: K1052
Not to be an ass but if you're not moving any furniture besides a desk and a chair how tired are you going to be?

I am still going to be moving several boxes of CDs, clothes, computer gear, books, a cat, bearded dragon, etc.

 

[MegaVovaN]

DIY

...but you don't have skills (and resources) for it probably

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: Funyuns101
OP, did you even try?

[/quote]

Uh... I plead the 5th.

But then it says...
"Assembly Service is not available through IKEA Direct Home Shopping"

So, that doesn't help me, unless it's just very badly worded.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran

Originally posted by: Funyuns101
OP, did you even try?

Uh... I plead the 5th.

But then it says...
"Assembly Service is not available through IKEA Direct Home Shopping"

So, that doesn't help me, unless it's just very badly worded.

IKEA won't assemble the furniture. They will provide you a list of local people/companies that can do it for you.

 

[Chiropteran]

Craigslist looks like it would be worse than Ikea. I don't care about saving money, I care about ease of setup and shipping. I see some great things for sale on craigslist, but they all require that I pickup the stuff which I can't do with my car, and renting a truck etc would be a lot of extra effort. I could buy the stuff from Ikea and have it shipped to the apartment, but I would have to put it together myself. Buying stuff on craigslist and having to handle shipping myself would be more work than just putting together Ikea stuff, so it's not a net gain.

 

[Injury]

How about a place like Value City Furniture. Probably not the same styles, but I believe they do deliver.

 

[nanette1985]

I have lots of Ikea stuff, but lately we've been shopping at Bob's. They carry the stuff up our 2 flights of stairs and make sure it works right - new double recliner loveseat, for example.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR IKEA!!!!

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: Ns1
craigslist and search for nice furniture.

There is no such thing. Cheap = self assembly. Prebuilt/quality = expensive.

Every thing rooms to go sells is "prebuilt" and it's the cheapest furniture on the planet.

 

[Throckmorton]

How are you going to get assembled furniture home? Just spend the hour to assemble everything, jeez.

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
How are you going to get assembled furniture home? Just spend the hour to assemble everything, jeez.

Ikea delivers un-assembled furniture. Other places sell assembled furniture. I figured there must be a few places that will deliver assembled furniture.

 

[alkemyst]

Karges Furniture Co.

If you are looking for truly the best alternative, this is one of them.

 

[d3n]

I like Value city Furniture. You have to look at the finish and do the fingernail scratch test but most of it is good quality. I would get hardwood stuff up front and save yourself some money. After one move usually the particle board stuff is doomed. We've got a Tempurpedic mattress paired up with ours.

 

[Bignate603]

Just pile all the boxes in a corner, sleep on the mattress on the floor for the night, and the next day when you're rested you can put al the junk together. You don't need to be moved in in one day.