Thursday, July 8, 2010

I have a question...

Why are IKEA beds not standard Australian sizes?
Did you know that if you buy a double bed from the Swedish furniture giant, your standard double bed mattress won't fit it?

That's because the standard double bed mattress is 138cm wide and an IKEA double bed is only 135cm

The reason, and I'm speculating here, is so you'll be encouraged to buy an IKEA mattress, which will fit. I'm guessing they also want you to buy IKEA sheets, doona covers and pillow slips as well.

I only found this out today, when a (very angry and disappointed) friend purchased a new IKEA bed for their daughters birthday and discovered the new mattress they bought from another store didn't fit.

It wouldn't be so bad, except IKEA doesn't advertise or notify customers their beds are a different size, they just expect you to know what the measurements are.

Also, if you do buy a bed from IKEA, make sure you pick up the timber slats (at extra cost) as well, because they aren't included in the cost of the bed either.

I love IKEA. I have quite a few pieces of furniture from there and love wandering around the store when I have a spare hour or so to see what ideas they can give me. Love it! But I won't be buying a bed from them anytime soon

7 comments:

  1. Our standard double mattress fits our ikea bed... it's a snug fit but it fits fine.

    My advice - don't get the sprung slats though - they push the bed frame apart and end up falling through along with the mattress. Standard slats are best (but yes, standard double bed slats from another bed won't work - they are an inch too big!).

    I wouldn't be recommending buying a bed from there though... they aren't that cheap really and ours is not holding up well. :(

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  2. Wow that is amazing. We would all just assume it was a standard size. I wonder if it is the same with their bedding, doonas and covers!!
    Thanks for letting us know
    Alison

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  3. I actually did know that about ikea beds, I saw something about it in there the other day, as I thought it was strange. I actually don't like how low all their beds are. That would annoy me after a while.

    We actually made our own slats for our bed, as some got broken in our move from room to room in our house. The furniture store wanted to charge me $10 per slat...I brought enough timber to make 5 slats for less than $10!

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  4. Yikes. I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

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  5. It only takes one bad experience to scar you forever (and all your friends and anyone who reads this blog).I hope that she put a complaint in. If they get enough then they may start labelling things a bit clearer. I've had good and bad experiences at IKEA. My funniest was when my hubby bought rubber mats. OMG they STUNK. We thought that cleaning them & airing them would be all they needed but regardless of what we did, they smelt revolting. Yes, they went in the bin and good riddance. lol! I still enjoy my visits but I'm wary.

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  6. Melissa, thanks for the info about the sprung slats. I'll let my friends know.

    April, I hadn't notcied anything about the bed sizes last time I was there, but, I must admit I wasn't really looking for them as I don't spend a lot of time in the bedroom department.

    Alison, I think it is the same with the pillowslips and sheets etc...disappointing really seeing I quite like some of their doona covers.

    Elecat, I really like IKEA and have to say personally, I haven't had any bad experiences with any of their products. I've bought shelving and mats and rugs as well as drawers for the bedroom. All are fine. I was just amazed that their beds are sized differently.

    JW, hope you're feeling better. Take care of yourself.

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  7. I've had issues with Ikea 'sizing' lately too as I wanted to get a doona of theirs I liked only to find the size of an Ikea doona is 10cm less than standard queen quilts - frustrating! I ended up buying a king size one and taking it in with my sewing machine which is fine but was extra hassle.

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