Poor cousins. We just recieved two tips to take a second look at Ikea's new storage solutions. Both are very similar in look and feel to the high end Vitsoe shelving from Moss.
Stolmen like Vitsoe, relies on floor to ceiling braces and interchangeable shelving and drawer units to create a system that is visually light and very strong.
The other, the Dirigent, combines Vitsoe with a more stylish play on The Container Store's Elfa System. It, too, looks clean and flexible. We haven't seen these in person, but at Ikea prices, they are definitely worth considering. (Thanks, Seth & Philip!) MGR
I've seen the Stolmen system - it's pretty good as ikea stuff goes (at least there's no bare pine anywhere). If you put it in a well laid out room I think it might even pass as expensive.
We've got three sets of the Stolmen shelves in our living room. Loaded up with books, the white-laminate shelves are barely noticeable. We also spray-painted the poles, and have been very happy with the results...
I use Stolmen to hold my stereo, television, and a bunch of old manual typewriters. It was about a tenth the price of the other pole systems I considered, and I think it's only about a third less beautiful.
Has anyone used or seen the Stoleman kit used for displaying a panel TV (LCD or Plasma) and accessories?
I've not used or seen either Ikea system, so I can't pass judgement. But! in my quest for a cheaper alternative to Vitsoe I came across: http://www.issdesigns.com. Don't know if anyone has experience with their products (perhaps they've been mentioned previously 'round these parts?) but they're prices are reasonable and the people I've spoken with at ISS have been super-helpful.
Added bonus: they do custom.
I have their boxier wardrobe system in my closet. The shells are cheap-ish standard mdf stuff, but the interior drawers are solid wood with heavy-smooth gliders and are quite nice. I'm thinking that if I ever take them apart, I should keep the drawers and build something around them.
I have a theory about IKEA furniture -- if a piece of furniture is broken in the showroom or under $20, avoid it, but if it's something that's still solid after all that abuse, it's probably going to last a while and work just fine for what I need...
Can I throw another one into the mix? For those of us with ceilings too high or walls to flimsy for the above shelving systems, what about Journalist, a free-standing storage system also from Ikea. http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&categoryId=10416&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10173*10416&cattype=sub.
Does anyone have good/bad experiences with it?
I put up the Stolmen shelving in my living room as my wall unit and it looks great. Almost as good as Vitsoe, but I only spent $400! However, I wasn't clear on the responses to Foggy Bottom's question. On Ikea's website, it says the max load for a shelf is 55 lbs. A flatscreen is typically 60+ lbs. Has anyone put this much weight on their Stolmen?
A flatscreen is typically 60+ lbs.? Really? I have a 17" flatscreen, it's like, maybe 10 lbs.
I am looking for something I could use in my kitchen as storage that would be a pantry to hold canned goods and package goods. I am also looking for something I could use in my utility room to hold alot of misc. things some as big as tools and large comforters of tents et.
Anybody tried out the Broder system from Ikea? (I'm looking for a cheaper version of ISS and this looks sorta close...?) I want pole compression so I don't have to drill into my plaster walls but this does "screw" into the ceiling. Does that sound sturdy? Not too damaging??
Anyone have experience manipulating the height of the Stolmen storage system posts? I understand they work on a spring system and the min height is around 83". I've got 77" to work with and was wondering if it's possible to take the two poles of one post apart and cut a chunk off to achieve a shorter height?
All information and experience of this storage system is welcome!
The ISS stuff looks very nice and also quite reasonably priced, but it appears that it must be installed against a wall in order for the shelves to have support. The poles can be mounted simply floor-to-ceiling without any hardware, but the shelves have to attach to the wall. Ikea's Stolmen system's shelves are only supported by the poles, so there is no need for it to be installed up against a wall. I think I'm going to Ikea tonight to try this Stolmen system out.
Hi! does ikea still carry stolmen? i haven't found it online and i'm really sorry if it's gone. We used it as book/media shelves in our living room in our last apartment and although we did have some sliding the first week, we tightened the grips and the system worked beautifully for two years thereafter. Now we've moved and i'd like to try this again, in the dark brown color this time, but I fear ikea has done away with the stolmen line completely!
Ikea does still sell Stolmen: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?topcategoryId=15597&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&categoryId=15867&cattype=&parentCats=15597*15852*15855*15867
I'm setting up a Stolmen system in a room that's 132 inches tall -- 2 inches taller than the system claims to handle (129 and 7/8 inches) (I blame the metric system!). The pole telescopes to at least that length and seems to tighten up without a problem. Has anyone else tried this? I know there are also wall mounts, but one of the walls sounds pretty solid (being an exterior wall). I don't know much about construction....
One other comment -- I'm afraid to screw this thing into the ceiling until I know I've got the poles exactly right. I read someone else used Stolmen for years without using the screws. Does it seem safe to set the system up before committing to holes in the ceiling? I'm not even sure what kinds of fasteners to use in my old building.
I checked the IKEA site and they do not sell STOLMEN online and its not in stock in the two stores near me.
Anyone want to part with theirs?
It's amazing how beautiful a shelf system can be!
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