2/100 - Kallax
Adequate
This morning I assembled a recently purchased 77x147cm 2x4 cube shelf unit in about 45 minutes. It costs £45 or $69 and can be used either horizontally or vertically. It can be used with a variety of inserts including drawers or cabinet door inserts, but bear in mind that kitting out a Kallax with these accessories will cost more than the Kallax itself.
The quality of construction is the definition of adequate. While assembling, I almost broke one of the shelves because they seem to be made of something like veneered cardboard, but once assembled, it is surprisingly sturdy. It looks great.
In a video from a year ago, Youtuber and self described “so called professional joiner” Gosforth Handyman makes detailed calculations of how much it would have to charge to make one from scratch, while assembling one of the Ikea units in a video. He decides that a realistic estimate would be £830.
“I’m also constantly asked by customers who, maybe they will pop out to IKEA to buy a unit and the unit’s a tiny bit too wide or too narrow.
And they will come to me and say ‘I’ve seen this unit in IKEA for 50 quid and I need one a little wider, can you make it for me?’
...often people will even expect it to be cheaper for some reason”
Value
IKEA sells a remarkable array of decorative art prints. Huge framed photographs for £37-65 and other prints on canvas from £15.
In terms of value for money, we cannot compete with this type of pricing. We have to offer something different. What exactly do I have that IKEA can’t provide?