apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i may be dense, but i've 2 ikea's within a 40min drive of my house, so the ikea thing was easy. but, are these available in the US?

edit: ikeas (or ikei?), not possessive (ikea's)...

Some of this furniture looks expensive and cheap at the same time.

Wow. The happy swing looks just like something from ikea.

I love those chairs! Great post. BTW, I found a stateside seller:
http://www.hightoweraccess.com/pricelist/swedese.html

i have 2 of the #10 design, by yngve eckstrom. they are FABULOUS! upholstered in black leather. unfortunately i am going to have to sell them. i can tell you... they are nothing like ikea furniture. they are classic!!!

I have the IKEA version of the Happy swing and just love them. The IKEA version is called "Karlstad", atleast here in Sweden.
We have the Swedense at work and they are nice too. They are indeed very similar. The Karlstad has a little bit higher armrests and the neckpillow which I like. The Happy Swing are available in alot more different fabrics, colors and patterns though.
All in all the IKEA version is a great buy in my opinion.

One cannot compare Swedese and Ikea furniture as similar. Swedese is high-quality, very well-made furniture. You would see that, if you saw one up close (though I think you can even see that from photos). My parents have owned a pair of Lamini chairs (by Yngve Ekstrom) since the early 80s, and they have held up in a way one cannot imagine Ikea furniture could. Lamini chairs are classics in Scandinavia (not just Sweden, but also in Denmark).

It's really worthwhile to really look at each product, manufacturer, and also the history of the design. I like Ikea as much as anyone, but the furniture is mostly not built to last.

Sure you can compare them. Ju just have to look at the pictures.
They are of similar size.
They are of similar shape.
See how easy that was?
And just because it is an IKEA product does not mean that it is bad quality.

one can also compare a dior haute couture dress
to one from H&M..
they both may be blue
they both may have sleeves
they both are made of fabric....
but.., one will end up in a museum exhibit decades from now
the other will be on a one way trip to the charity shop in about six months time....
swedese is what it is
ikea is what it is

Swedese, as well as other leading Scandinavian design oriented manufacturers are represented exclusively in North America by Hightower Group. There flagship showroom is in the New York Design Center (200 Lexington Avenue).

Here is the website:

http://www.hightoweraccess.com/pricelist/swedese.html

Pricing is at LIST, discounts to the trade.

Reply to winterwold's comment: "And just because it is an IKEA product does not mean that it is bad quality." -- see my original comment: "the furniture is mostly not built to last."

We're not in disagreement there. Some Ikea stuff lasts. Some, but mostly not all.