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They might start off as a status symbol because it is an accomplishment to reach a stage in life when you're buying new furniture rather than everything being second hand... but some of the products devalue so quickly or end up seeming cheap that they become very common place... also now that there are so many more IKEA stores throughout the U.S. it seems much more accessible to everyone. I prefer to buy small items from IKEA and spend my furniture money on lovely pieces from antique stores and such...

ack you decided to showcase the shite De Stijl style kitchen from this years catalog. no, ikea is NOT a status symbol for me... nor is any other line actually, but i do have some ikea pieces throughout my apartment. Mostly because they are cost effective, possibly quirky fun, or went well with the space and surrounds that i had already or had planned.

However, I can see where, for many, this is a complete departure from what is typically sold in many countries (if you can get it) and i'm sure that's part of the draw, as so many have alluded to.

No. Here in Canada, Ikea is what postsecondary students get to start out with. It's expected that you will swap out your cheap ikea furniture once you can afford to.

There are TONS of things considered status symbols in other countries that we in the states take for granted...the list doesnt stop with Ikea....

I answered no, but then I remembered that my neighbors are actually wild about Ikea, which is a recent development where I live -- Cincinnati, USA. For them, it may be a status symbol, or at least a symbol of a fashionable home.

yes, Ikea is a status symbol which tells your neighbors that your status is poor.

i originally come from india, and we don't have IKEA there, yet. IKEA designs are a huge "inspiration", as you'll see from the following articles. even though the articles are old, the situation described still prevails. in fact, my mom made our carpenter copy out the dining table chairs from an old IKEA catalog i got her from San Francisco :-D

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/12/MNG41H6PEF1.DTL&type=printable

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0112/p14s01-lihc.html

http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=indrani_sen

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now i live in zurich, and fraternize mostly with the geeky crowd not too much into interior design. while they acknowledge that ikea is common, they seem to prefer going there as they can spend the least amount of shopping time possible to get the maximum number of things they want. so, most homes i go to look more or less like from the IKEA catalog :)

oh archie...

I feel like, among my group of 20-somethings in grad school and first independent apartments and jobs, Ikea is a status symbol that says "I've moved passed the old beer-stained futon."

My expedit bookshelf makes me feel like a grownup.

Ikea is like Gap, it's good for basics, but not your whole wardrobe. In general, price does not determine whether a piece is well-designed (aesthetics or quality), which I imagine is what determines status. There are pieces from Ikea that I would keep as long as I would keep DWR or fine vintage pieces.

"poor" archie? Well...I guess that depends on your definition...I'd rather Ikea then what many other REAL 'poor' people can generally afford.

It's easy to rip Ikea's quality, but really, for a Kmart price you can get a lampshade, rug or chair that is one hundred times less offensive than would otherwise be.
To me Ikea says, "Yeah, I'm poor, but my place doesn't have to look like the Roseanne show set."

Yes for my town for two reasons.
As visualingual stated, it's a sign of a fashionable home. Also, the closest Ikea to me is four hours away, so you have to either pay the exorbitant shipping or drive there and back. That combination makes it something desirable that you have to reach for, even though the prices are pretty cheap.

teacupcake! "My expedit bookshelf makes me feel like a grownup."

i couldn't agree more...in fact i'm amazing at how many of my 25-35ish friends have this same shelf, it's the big kid product. love it.

IKEA is much more the 'everyman' place than a status place... I'm scratching my head as to why this question was even posed. How can anything so ubiquitous and mass-produced and "budget" be considered a status symbol? In other countries, as mentioned, perhaps -- but not here.

@green_planner

LOL! Roseanne show set!

Ikea and status symbol just don't belong in the same sentence. Ikea is a great store and all, but their furniture is for the twenty-somethings in a transition stage. I wouldn't decorate my entire house with Ikea. For me, it's a stop for home decor accessories and there's a limit on that. I don't want my home to be similar to everyone else's.

Anything do it yourself is standard.
Ikea has nothing to do with luxury or quality.
The price is OK and it is easy to modify. The deign is good but far from being important.

i read an article about India and how ikea furniture is desired by many of the younger emerging middle class. one woman described it as being a symbol of progress, a modern lifestyle and rejection of plantation style, British colonial furniture that their parents and grandparents owned.

I actually think that here (in NY) it has a bad reputation for cheap, pressboard furniture, which is what it used to be. Although they still carry those items, they have started making much better and cooler pieces, while the cheapness in PRICE has remained. I would not buy the old style Ikea stuff, but have bought several of their newer pieces which have survived MOVES in tact, and garnered lots of attention in our home.

One of the keys is being sure to put them together correctly, which is my incredibly handy husband's job.

I think in a lot of cases, Ikea provides mid-level shoppers a way to foray into certain styles without spending an arm and a leg at places like DWR, which for most is just not a possibility. I think the key is to be discerning about what you buy there - be honest with yourself about the way it looks, feels, etc. and be sure that you're not purchasing it ONLY because the price is right. That's true with anything though.

This morning, my post is actually on a fab throw I found there recently - check out the post, part of my weekly series of "tiny treasures," personal indulgences for $5 or less.

http://honeyliving.blogspot.com/search/label/tiny%20treasures

Mirandabee, two things... One, AT has a worldwide audience, so some of the responses could reflect that difference.

Two, even within the US, there are differences. When I moved to Cincinnati three years ago, there was no Ikea here, and people admired the few Ikea things we'd brought with us from the Northeast. I found it funny and provincial, but I could also understood the novelty. Now, there is a local Ikea, and it's really fresh and new to a lot of people here. Like I said before, it's not necessarily a status symbol, but the stuff is hardly ubiquitous in Cincinnati.

In some countries... like mine... Panama.... people of a certain social group consider IKEA, some sort of a status thing.. since, first...the general population doesn't know what it is... and second the "imported" sense of it....

Whenever I travel or someone does.. there is always a mandatory stop at an IKEA store to pick up whatever it is you feel like buying...

People also buy stuff and get it sent down here.... maybe you wouldn't buy a sofa through the mail... but accesories are a fantastic way to have some very reasonably priced things that look good and you don't get down here...yet...

I agree with the 20-something posts...IKEA products are a symbol of being grown up enough to finance and furnish your own place, and to have the foresight to choose items you might actually want to keep longer than one school year!

And in answer to 'how can anything to ubiquitous and mass-produced and "budget" be considered a status symbol?' just pick up a fashion magazine! Not too long ago, having the same "It bag" as everyone else was a status symbol. Now it's a status symbol to mix some low-end clothes in with designer items - apparently that signifies that you are rich AND classy enough not to flaunt it. I'm pretty sure that is the fashion equivalent of shopping IKEA.

I do not think of Ikea as a status symbol anymore than I think wearing a Gap tee shirt as one. Both for me serve a purpose both are good for the very basics like a bookcase or a basic white cotton tee shirt no more no less.

Diamond earrings are ubiquitous and mass-produced just like Ikea chairs.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a status symbol here, but there is a certain cache that goes along with having gone far away to get it (ten hour round trip to the nearest one). This also means it's not that common in my town...

For most Ikea shoppers, I think it is a kind of a status symbol--or cultural marker--just as funishing your apartment in thrift-shop style or pure MCM is. The way your funish your home reflects your values and tastes; it's a way of expressing yourself: "I appreciate the clean lines of a Mies daybed." "I found this chair on the street and refurbished it and it looks great."

We've established that in many large cities in the U.S. IKEA is not considered a status symbol...right, got it.

Let's hear more from people in other countries. carolynapplebee brought up an interesting point

Whoa...whats with all the Ikea hate? Seriously, people seem to see the name Ikea in the title of a post and they immediately have to spout off on how cheap and crappy their furniture is.

I live in Winnipeg, Canada, and there's not an Ikea here. But, Winnipeggers LOVE Ikea, cuz we're cheap. So, in my neck of the woods it's ALMOST a status symbol. Weird, right? We're supposedly getting an Ikea here in 2011, and it'll be interesting to see how people's minds change when it's so accessible. I have to admit, I do love Ikea for basics like Billy and for fun, colourful accents...

Since Seattle has had an IKEA store since the mid 90's and has grown to at least twice if not 3 times its original size in the intervening years, it's no longer a novelty for us but it is STILL a popular store for so many things.

True, not all of it is worthy of a long term purchase but I'd suspect that that with a little care, a lot can last a good long time and be perfectly at home with whatever you chose to mix with it.

Take a look at Sauder and other low end flat packed furniture and so much of it lacks style and panache, let alone quality but IKEA has style and panache for similar price range, if they don't cost a tad bit more for some pieces.

What IKEA to me does well is provide good basics such as bookcases, lamps, many of their larger furniture pieces and much of their accessories and kitchen/bath stuff at very good prices, some of it rivals the quality of more expensive stuff found elsewhere but some of the super cheap items ($20 chairs and tables, with the exception of the LACK series to me are often best avoided unless you need a short term purchase to fill a gap while you find something better).

re the diamond earrings:
ubiquitous - check
mass-produced - check
budget - not so much
It was the COMBO of the three qualities that I was referencing.
Hey, I'm an IKEA fan. Just don't see them as being "status" in my area. I thought we were each supposed to talk about our own area.

And another thing, I don't consider IKEA safe like so much of what is found at Target etc since it's not all beige microfiber, contemporary, but yet semi traditional style that seems so in vogue right now and IKEA has always had a modern bent to it's products and if you are looking for a more traditional Scandanavian fare, they have that too and often with COLOR and is bright and cheerful.

I am a 60 years old interior design junkie and I love IKEA for its vervy design and affordability.

That said, where I live, in Central Texas outside Austin, no one in my demographic would be caught dead with IKEA in their homes (they probably have never heard of it). Yet, a big spanking new IKEA opened up just miles from where I live, probably to capture the hearts and wallets of the younger set, the ones with families or just starting out.

The only status symbol in these parts is a Lexus (any model) or maybe a Ford King Ranch stretch pick-up.

Are IKEA products relatively more expensive to those who consider them status symbols? I look at IKEA when I need something simple and cost effective.

My one quasi-gripe is that I've noticed a wide range of quality in the products. Some items hold up well, while others warp and sag rather quickly.

Its no the furniture but what you do with it is more important.

I see Ikea as a gateway to how good design can improve lives. Many years ago, when I first moved to a town that had an Ikea, I remember going to the store and marveling at all the little apartment set-ups. How to live well in 400 sq ft, etc. Seems to me they've been instrumental in swaying an entire generation toward organization, and a nice, clean look. And now that furniture with curves is coming back in style? Well, lookey here. Ikea introduced the Edland line.

Say what you will about quality - some of it's terrible, some of it's pretty decent. It's just an inexpensive way for people to bring some good design elements into their homes. Not everyone has the time, desire, or skill to scour craigslist, flea markets, and second hand stores to outfit their homes. Would I furnish an entire home in Ikea? Absolutely not. Do I have Ikea pieces in my home? Absolutely.

If it weren't for Ikea then all of the people that buy only vintage would have a lot more competition for their purchases, driving prices up and possibly putting those pieces out of most people's financial reach. It's nice to have options. Ikea is a lot better than most.

Very few people I know have Ikea products in their homes in my town because we are four hours away from the nearest Ikea store. Not sure if having pieces from Ikea is a status symbol but it's funny that Ikea items are considered 'different' here, because they're not commonly found. I grew up within an hours' drive of four Ikeas, but many people, strange but true! have never set foot in one and probably never will.

I just stayed in a vacation rental that looked like it was featured in Dwell. I would read every morning on the deck snuggled under a beautiful mohair throw. Imagine my surprise to find out it was $10 from Ikea. Even the others (who shop at Ligne, Roche and go to other cities to buy artisan furniture) were also in love with the throw.

honey living: thanks for the blanket info! Looks like Ikea is 2 for 2 in the blanket/throw arena.

IKEA is just fun.
A couple years ago when IKEA first came to our area (little over an hour away) my then teenage daughter planned her whole room from the catalogue, & I was able to afford her selections. So she had the only room in the whole apartment that was 'designed' & finished. It was worth it, & I also made her help me put the stuff together.
I have a lot of plain dishes from IKEA for entertaining, & 48 champagne flutes that I think I paid 25c apiece for!
I have kicked around the idea of going 1/2 with my landlords on redoing the kitchen - & it was an IKEA kitchen I had in mind. (then I got laid off, so that's out of the question for now)
Anyway, it's fun & you can't beat the bookcases & dressers for the price.

I forgot to say I buy the Elderflower syrup at Ikea to make a very status symbol Elderflower Gimlet.

My family is Costa Rican and Ikea furniture there is quite expensive! All European and American things have to be imported and therefore they are much pricier. For example, a Camry or a Lexus costs more in Costa Rica (in USD) than it does in the US. People also have a generally different attitude about housing there. Homes are smaller (there are no suburban McMansions) and shared between generations, and furniture is not terribly important. Since it is temperate, windows are left open most of the time and people do not flinch when bugs are seen inside.

It is only in high-end neighborhoods like Escazú where you will find homes decorated in an American or European style. This is probably because the area has a lot of Americans and Europeans living there, and their wealthy local neighbors have adopted similar tastes.

My mom recently bought a new house in CR and I am helping her decorate it. We are using a mix of local wood furniture and some Ikea pieces. It will be considered an extremely nice, high-end home when it is finished.

Ikea is a symbol, but hardly one of status.
Although I don't agree with some that Ikea is for the
"poor"....there are many different reasons people buy from Ikea.
For me, it is largely disposable furniture. It can suit a purpose for as long as the purpose or the style exists, and
is then easily replaceable.
Nothing for nothing, but I have bought more "expensive"
furniture that was not much better.
It's temporary style and glamour.....on the cheap.

Here in L.A., I have 3 Ikea stores within a 30 minute drive. Everyone has some Ikea stuff. And I think that is the key... It's not just buying cheap or having everything Ikea, it's about will this item work well here, or I simply must have that piece. I have some nice pieces from elsewhere and, yes, beside it, a poang chair that is loved by all. And it's still the most comfortable chair going, I think.

Being in the middle of the prairies definitely makes it harder to get your hands on anything from Ikea without paying obscene amounts for shipping... You'd have to drive 8 hours just to reach a store, and because of this you wouldn't be able to get some of the larger pieces. I wonder if this maybe increases Ikea's symbolic capital here or not. For me, I feel like it is cheap enough for a young student, or graduate, like me to afford and it looks much better than most of the crap you'd find in my town. But knowing the broader picture, that it is cheaply produced, is ubiquitous in larger cities, and may not have the best longevity, lowers its worth in my perspective.

When I lived in Prague, I'd see apartment ads advertising "Luxury Ikea furnished". Compared to Soviet leftovers, Ikea was an improvement. It's a shame it's seen as status in India. I was able to have furniture made to order for a pittance in India for a fraction of Ikea's cost, but it did have a sort of Indian look to it. Rattan furniture was especially fun to order. And the textiles there are so lovely, that having several sets of slipcovers was like having a wardrobe for my furniture. Now, I'd kill for the kind of ethno-rustic furniture I was able to get there, if only to mix in with the more modern pieces I have. I recently bought a clothes hamper and was shocked to see that banana leaf and rattan hampers were close to $100 when they'd cost $10 at the most in the developing world.

I agree with stylehound 100%. I can see where an Ikea item might be a "novelty" or "status" item in another country, much as a piece of clothing from TopShop or a pitcher from Muji might be considered really amazing in, oh, say South Dakota (where I'm originally from). In San Francisco, where I live now, almost everyone has some Ikea in their apartment, especially Billy bookshelves which are relatively affordable and can look very nice. As a longtime reader of this blog, I really am tired of all of the "I hate Ikea" comments. There are some serious snobs on these boards lately. But, whatever...

I find it interesting that people are comparing Ikea to Gap... I remember in middle school how a Gap sweatshirt was one of the ultimate status symbols for a while.

Most people who show surprise here are obviously from middle-class North America. Don't forget that IKEA is international. The middle-class in a developing country only earn less than 1/4 what we do here, but IKEA is priced the same. So in a country like China, IKEA is very much considered young, hip, and a status symbol. High-quality local furniture are cheaper than IKEA there.

I am in my mid-20's and a transition piece like those from IKEA in our younger set crowd IS a status symbol! To be able to buy transitional pieces is an awesome accomplishment and it shows that accomplishment as a status symbol. Actually it is not about luxury or quality at my age, it's about buying our first dining table, first kitchen table, first sofa, first TV stand and first bed.... the list goes on. It is about doing it on our own and Ikea cheapness shows that we DID do it on our own. The economy is in shambles, and unemployment is on the rise and the younger set have to live everyday forward in this mindset... we are encouraged by the older set to not buy into the luxury dining table/kitchen table/sofa... even tho it has quality that is a compromise my pocket book is worth taking at my age.

In my mid 20's I forged to buy my first house, no one at my age thinks I'm considered "house poor"... b/c I think the economy is changing these thoughts. I do not own anything but a new TV, new Bed, and recently a new Couch. Status is changing in the u.s., Ikea is a status symbol.

Not as a status symbol... IKEA has expanded too much in the US to be rare or unique anymore. Perhaps at one time its relative scarcity would have given it a status factor.

IKEA to me is just useful, cheap furniture and decorative pieces to supplement my other furniture. A bookcase here, a laptop table there...

It's not necessarily cheaper than good furniture though. I have a gorgeous solid wood china cabinet and side table from the 1930s that I bought as a set for $300 at an antique flea market. You can't buy quality like that from IKEA for that much.

I can see how Ikea can be a status symbol in some countries, like pair of Levi's.

I'm from Bulgaria, where is no Ikea store and in the other furniture stores there are a lot of "italian" furniture or local, that cost arm and leg. Many people are taking trips to Ikea in Romania, Greece and Turkey. If you look through the greek catalog the prices are much higher than one we have here. For example stockholm sofa cost $1399 here and 1285 euros over there.

Ikea is the cheapest way to get a modern stylish furniture.

I agree with zoee that not always expensive mean good quality .For example is my son' crib, I pay alsmot $700 and the quality is not better than the Ikea cribs for $100.

I, like calamityayne was a Winnipeger. Ikea was almost a status symbol, but I doubt for long as Winnipeg will soon be getting one. I furnished my first home almost exclusively with Ikea prompting oohs and aahs from friends, and at the time "Your house looks like the Ikea showroom!" was a compliment to me! I don't think that Winnipeggers liked Ikea solely for price point (although they do LOVE a bargain) I think was modern design at affordable prices that was the attraction. (and the flat shipping rates)

I moved to Toronto recently, and while I have many pieces from Ikea, it just doesn't seem that special any more. I am slowly weeding them out, or hacking them into different configurations and mixing them with vintage 60s and 70s pieces.

My point I guess is that it all depends on where you live and how accessible Ikea is. I really love the idea of the Indian knock offs! I bet their Ikea furniture will be around much longer that the genuine items! I wish I had gotten a carpenter to knock off some of my ikea stuff, as a lot of it has bowed under the weight of books and storage containers.

When my parents lived in Vienna, IKEA was definitely the big place to go to. I remember my mom once telling me that "anyone who's anyone has an IKEA card". And I don't mean a credit card ... they actually have valued-customer cards in other countries.

I wouldn't say it's a status symbol here, though. Although i think a lot of people look at IKEA as a status to pass. As in I-finally-have-a-grown-up-place-now-that-I-don't-have-any-more-IKEA-furniture.

To each their own. In my house, Ikea furniture = family harmony.

I have a sofa, chair and rug from Ikea in the living room. I also have a teenage son. At least a couple of times a week there are 8-10 kids in my tiny living room, squished on the sofa, draped on chairs, lounging all over the rug with multiple pizza boxes on the coffee table. Frankly, I love my Ikea furniture for allowing me to see this as a good thing :-) I consider myself lucky that they're all hanging out in my living room as opposed to someplace else.

When he's out on his own he can take whatever is left of the Ikea furniture with him, and I'll get the much-lusted-after CB sofa and chair. But until then I love my Ikea furniture!

I totally agree with visuallingual. Before we got an IKEA in the Austin area, the closest one was Houston--a substantial drive. But people made the trek. "Status" may not be the right word for why they drove all that way--but there was some sort of value placed on the IKEA name. Showing that you knew that IKEA existed showed that you were sort of hip to the world outside of the local bubble. (This sounds so bumkiny--but it's true: knowing about IKEA, to some extent, meant you were a global citizen.) And it showed that you valued a modern, urban aesthetic--a departure from the ubiquitous oversized, overstuffed sofas and chunky wooden endtable sets that litter suburbia in these parts.

Now that we have one nearby, it's not nearly the same. And it is largely the college and immediately post-college audience's go-to place for furniture.

I think it all depends on whether you spent $200 on a pair of poang chairs, or $5,000 on a beautifully designed interior. "Status" comes less from a cheap or expensive piece, but more from a cohesive, artfully arranged home. A friend of mine clearly spent $20K on higher-end furnishings, but everything feels cold and a looks like a spare showroom. There's not a personal touch anywhere. Other friends spent a lot less and their furniture is a blend of highs and lows -- and for me, their home is more coveted than the former.

It's not just the brand and the quality. It's what you do with it that counts.

Wow.

I suppose I shouldn't be astounded by all the hatred for IKEA expressed here, or the blanket statements about 'Poverty', considering that this blog is probably only ready by people with access to enough money to furnish their houses according to wim or season.

If you can afford Ikea, you aren't poor. Yeah, it's not super expensive, compared to.. Pottery Barn. Where I can't afford anything. At all. Many people don't have jobs right now, or are actually watching what they spend (not a bad trend, in my opinion).

So yeah, to someone rich, Ikea is cheap and crappy.
But to people just starting to furnish their house, or with kids, or who don't have a lot of expendable income, it's great.

And I still find a lot of their stuff outside of my own price range.

Status, in this discussion, has only touched on price as it relates to income. I think, especially in this crowd, there are other measures of status--less quantifiable, but nonetheless there. Those relate to taste, savvy, ecology and connaisseurship's cult of originality--some kind of style street creds. For example, the Eames Eifel tower rocker I have here probably gives me some style creds, even though a friend pulled it out of a Dumpster for me long before they popped up everywhere. The whole Dumpster bit gives me probably even more creds (if only I had done the Dumpster diving and not my pink-haired punk-rock friend, then I'd be so cool). The thrifted and CraigListed things show--maybe--that I am ecologically minded or display a certain savvy or thrifty-as-the-new-luxury or something. And so on... I'll argue that there are pieces of Ikea that are, by any measure, excellent design.

I find it funny the way that stylists, when visiting a home to photograph for a magazine spread, will purge anything from the room made by those talented Swedes (do you really think all those people whose homes are featured in Dwell never, ever go to the Big Blue Box?). I have some design magazines here from Spain, and the Ikea things were not purged. They snuggle up next to the antiques and the Ligne Roset and the rest of it just fine.

If dandelions weren't considered weeds, they'd be prized for their beauty and yummy leaves.

Wow. I just spent the 60 seconds it took to register on this site solely so I could comment on this topic. I love Apartment Therapy, and I've seen lots of interesting discussions on the various blogs, but this is horridly offensive to me.

I'm shocked that only one or two other people have felt this way. Is Ikea a status symbol? Why don't you just ask: What socio-economic class are you from? Anything is a status symbol when your group can't afford it. And guess what? Most of the people who live on this planet cannot afford to buy Ikea. I will repeat.

Most of the people who live on this planet cannot afford to buy Ikea.

So, if you are like most of those people, then I suppose, to you, Ikea is a status symbol.

When I was growing up, in my lower-middle class midwestern upbringing, it was a status symbol for certain groups to eat somewhere like Bennigan's or The Macaroni Grill. This is because many families could not afford to eat there.

So whether or not Ikea is a status symbol is 99% related to how much money you and your family/friends have. And to me, this is so painfully obvious that this discussion makes me feel a little sick.

i completely agree with you puella

:D

"If dandelions weren't considered weeds, they'd be prized for their beauty and yummy leaves."

Marry me.

Thanks for that, puella

Beautiful first post, puella.

I love Ikea. I'm thankful for it, in fact.

But status symbol?

Status is insidious. Especially in these times.

Like others have said, we're just a little too affected in this country.

Ikea has made good design affordable, and what is wrong with that?

The whole concept of trying to achieve status sickens me beyond words.

My parents live in a tiny town in the mountains of Colorado. The nearest Ikea to them is in Salt Lake City, about eight hours away by car. When my mom brings home Ikea stuff from the Burbank store (when she visits me), her friends tend to be envious. For the price, the stuff can be really stylish.

My answer would be NO in Los Angeles, but a big old YES on the Colorado Western Slope. :)

Dear everythingistaken,

Well said.

hmr

I live in the Canadian prairies and I have to drive at least six hours to get to an Ikea. Is it a status symbol around here? Sort of. Depends who you're talking to. As its been said, if you can't afford Ikea, (or the trip to a city that has a store) of course its a status symbol.

I've spent a lot more money on much nicer (well-made) furniture in my home than I have on Ikea, but without Ikea my home would be lacking some pretty essential items (like a kitchen sink). Having a well designed home is definitely a status symbol, and Ikea has allowed me to have that.

Nowhere in town (or in this province) could I purchase a stainless steel island for my kitchen. NOWHERE. Thankyou Ikea for making my kitchen function.

Good design at a great price, nothing more say!!!!!!

The good thing about living in rural West Texas is that our Ikea furniture is a novelty not seen in other homes!

IKEA is a *huge* deal here in South Korea ~ in a great part because there isn't an official store here. If you have IKEA you've bought it through they grey market . . . importers buy pieces in Japan and China, and mostly retail them through the internet and a limited number of stores located in the suburbs of Seoul. Markups range from half again to 4 times the original price of the piece.
Local design styles tend towards inexpensive, with wood-grained contact paper (yup, not even veneer) the most common finish, other than nasty grey plastic. Real wood furniture costs an arm and a leg, and is often designed to death (SK is where all your cheap pastel baroque furniture came to die) Local tastes in furniture are becoming more sophisticated at a stunning pace, but decent quality, well designed pieces are either prohibitively expensive or . . . well . . . yeah. Prohibitively expensive. Even at the markup, IKEA is the low end of the high end market here, and the clean lines fit well with current trends in decoration. Having a bit of IKEA in your place show's you're hip and interested in good design, and says zilch about being cheap.

IKEA is the antithesis of parochialism. It says urban, international, and modern. These are all high status indicators in any community that feels it's not in the centre of things. So IKEA is low status in NYC, for example, and relatively high status in small rural towns.

The whole point of Ikea is that it is anti-status. It is all about the democratization of design. Affordable for all.

The only place where I imagine Ikea would be seen as something special is someplace that doesn't have an Ikea nearby. The things you can't have (or that are difficult to come by) are almost always perceived to be more special than the things you have ready access to.

I don't really think of Ikea as a status symbol. I like it because most of their stuff is practical, affordable, and easy to customize. I think the whole status symbol idea comes into play because some of the items at Ikea look expensive, even though they aren't.

In my area (NJ/NY Metro), where everyone seems to either have or aspire to designer kitchens, our humble IKEA kitchen is still going strong 13 years after moving into this house; I have no idea when they were installed, but they certainly were not new when we arrived. I admit I wish I didn't have melamine kitchen cabinetry, but it has just not been a priority. Also have Billy bookcases, which are workhorses and have probably been in just about every room in this house at one time or another.

I live in South Africa. We have NO Ikea, NO Starbucks, NO Sephora, NO standalone GAP... of course we have some similar stores, but not the amazing variety like you do in the US and UK. The funny thing is, imported GAP and Banana Republic items cost an absolute fortune here - they are seem as luxury items!

most new yorkers would definitely not consider ikea luxury furniture. of course to live in new york many of us need those ikea prices. fortunately, as previous posters have said, ikea has recently come out with more stylish pieces than in the past (when i was an "ikea hater") as well as maintained timeless pieces such as the billy bookcases and poang chair.

would i love eames shells at my dining room table? sure. but this new yorker will happily settle for tobias :)

Ikea has not and never will be a status symbol.

However, it has been a inexpensive introduction for some Americans to a more modern and clean line look. For that, I think it has served admirably

I went Ikea crazy right after college and soon outgrew the look and didnt like the mass production and over exposure of its furniture. BUT, it did introduce me a style completely different from my folks and their community. For that I was grateful as i may never have come to know and love Saarinen, Eames, Bertoia, Knoll, Herman Miller, etc

@ Shirlb:

That's true for most things imported; here (in the Netherlands) american brands like Gap and Starbucks are considered premium brands. In America you will find those in every mall and they are really common. In the states other brands (like Heineken) are premium brands.

Ikea is imported in almost every country but in almost every 'rich' country it's considered cheap and not a premium brand. That's weird.

As a sixty-something female Swede living in the US, I say status-kaschmatus! It's much more fun to have things in your home with clean lines and good design and fabulous patterns that you don't feel obligated to keep for the rest of your life. Change is good.

@ fledgling and puella: YES. Yes.

I'm surprised how many posters equate status and price. I think IKEA speaks to those who don't need a Nelson Lamp and an Eames chair to show they have style. An IKEA lamp and a thrift store find set them apart. In fact, IKEA says "I don't need status." Perhaps quality and permanence are themselves as dated as country club memberships and Cadillacs. And those who live by it, as passe. Is IKEA the new Facebook of lifestyle?

Where I live it's more of a symbol of intergenerational change.

For years, the suburbs of Miami have been assimilated into the autumnal hell known as Mediterranean Revival. Entire neighborhoods have succumbed; everything is gold, burnt sienna, or pumpkin. It's like the 70's version of Taco Bell.

Now, younger people are moving in and stripping away the hideous barrel tile to reveal Mid-Century Modern ranch houses, which they furnish with stuff from Ikea because the clean lines compliment their homes. Parents hate Ikea, they find the bright colors overwhelming and the "put it together yourself" ethos somehow not legit.

I'd like to echo the sentiment that the mere fact we are talking about status is nauseating. The "Ikea means you're poor" commenters I hope felt a twinge of embarrassment at their snobby attitude when they hit the "submit comment" button.

Also, I'm not extremely knowledgeable about design history but if I'm not mistaken, many mid-century designers like Eames' original aim was to create great design for all, as in the masses, as in "poor people" (by previously mentioned commenters' definition). Now of course these pieces are way out of the price range for the "average joe." Isn't Ikea now filling that purpose? They have tons of well designed pieces at affordable prices -- I would much rather buy some pieces from Ikea than Ashley furniture or some other retailer catering to the middle class. Sure, it's "mass produced" and "over-represented." But it is still good looking stuff.

Quiltmaster, I like your comment that Ikea says "I don't need status." And so you know, I work at one of those country clubs where everyone owns a Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover, Mercedes, Aston Martin, whatever. And their gargantuan houses are HIDEOUS inside (and outside for that matter). That makes me chuckle a little on the inside.

In Belgium we have several ikea stores. It is not considered that to you are poor if you have several ikea things in your house. It has a basic status. It 's handy if you are a student or if your budget is limited. A few of my friends have a ikea kitchen, and they see it as a step in between.
I realy love beautifull design and good quality, but it is not always affordable...
My appartment is combination of vintage, lots of personal things bought on journeys, bright colors an some new stuff (habitat, ikea ...) One thing i don't like it is " the throw away culture"

I'm seconding puella.

Can we stop talking status? Heck, can we stop talking about judging the worth of Ikea?

It's very hard to play nice on the internet and not call nasty names when we end up talking about money.

And in the end, that's what this just boils down to. And it's offensive.

It's posts like these that make me read AT less and less.

What is your point EliJack? Why is posting an article that deals with money offensive?
An individual may have an opinion about money which another individual considers offensive, but why is money itself a taboo?
And most importantly, all the original article did was discuss a potential social phenomenon -- not discussing money or status but discussing the *perception* of status.

What a materialistic spoiled bunch of arses.

THe most common comment here is that Ikea is a temporary waystation on the way to having more money and pumping that money into more expensive things. IF you've made a home relying on lots o' Ikea and it is comfortable for you and your guests, pleasing to the eye, and serves your practical and emotional/expressive needs, why consume more? Don't get me wrong, my bed is top-of-the-line and I'm not saying folks shouldn't spend when necessary. But the rush to replace things when you can afford something that reflects higher status is stupidity.

In the Americas (read north)...anythign and everything is a victim of over exposure and mass production/ stocking...including Walmart. I come frm india and dont like the way things are moving there....I guess it is filled with a growing population of "ape" the developed nations. And except for this crowd who dont have a clue about sustainability and cant differentiate particle board to real wood...thinks that anything "imported" is better. I liek a few things from Ikea but wouldnt trade my grannyz stuff for Ikea things .....no way!