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Lava Lamp Freak · May 31, 2007, 09:13 AM

I'm shopping for a new desk and am interested in the GALANT series from IKEA. I've seen it show up in a few Mac picture threads. Any opinion on IKEA furniture?

I've never been to an IKEA store, since I'm about 4 hours away from the closest one. Their website lists different configurations of the GALANT desk in two different colors, but if you go into the "All options" tab, there is a third color available, and it is listed as in stock at the store closest to me. Will they be able to piece the same combination together with the color I want at the store even though it doesn't list it in the color I want on the website?

shifuimam · May 31, 2007, 10:26 AM

You can piece together what you want. Have you been to IKEA before? You go look in the showroom area and find the desk you want. All the components you want - legs, shelves, trays, etc - will be tagged with aisle and bin numbers. Write em down and go find the parts.

IKEA furniture is a decent deal. It looks nice for the money, but don't expect it to be like a solid wood desk or something. It's not built for that.

I have two IKEA desks - the Jerker (discontinued) and its successor, the Fredrik. Both are really very nice. I would recommend the Fredrik - it comes with actual shelves and is easy to customize or adjust to your needs. The Galant line is kind of a ripoff - but the trendier or prettier an IKEA item is, the more it costs. You're basically buying a table made of particle board for a minimum of $130.

I like my IKEA furniture. A whole ton of crap in my apartment is IKEA, including tables, TV stand, desk, chairs, stools, lighting, dressers, and a bunch of random stuff. If I were you, I'd go to IKEA and really look at all the options they have. You might find that when you see something in person, it's a little different than what you saw on the internet or in photos of others' setups.

analogue SPRINKLES · May 31, 2007, 10:37 AM

I had them at work and they were pretty good. Ikea stuff is good for the money, even if it just lasts a few years it is worth it for the cost you pay.

SpaceMonkey · May 31, 2007, 10:42 AM

You can find some good deals on IKEA stuff on Craigslist -- it's like an IKEA graveyard. But maybe not in Nashville.

TETENAL · May 31, 2007, 10:45 AM

Why don't you give that store a call and ask them?

IceEnclosure · May 31, 2007, 11:18 AM

New Ikea opening up in about a month a few miles away. I'm pretty excited.

Lava Lamp Freak · May 31, 2007, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the responses. I'm excited about going this weekend, since I've never been before. The GALANT desk is very simple and exactly what I've been looking for. Shopping in office supply stores has been very depressing. Everything is expensive and/or of cheap quality, but most importantly, there is nothing that I like the looks of. Why is it so hard to get a simple and cheap modular corner desk?

analogue SPRINKLES · May 31, 2007, 11:33 AM

Have you guys ever seen their warehouse? It is something like a mile long at 20 stories tall. It is also run by 8 robots running 24/7 retrieving all the flat pack furniture.

iREZ · May 31, 2007, 11:47 AM

ive had my jerker desk for a good 5 years now and its still looks great and hasnt let down a bit. these things are built like tanks in my opinion, FARRRR better than anything you'd find at office depot or best buy.

DrMischievious · May 31, 2007, 12:31 PM

Be sure to check out the 'used area' in Ikea. You can score decent shelving and wood for about 10-50 cents. It's insane.

hart · May 31, 2007, 06:22 PM

My galant desk is doing great after 2 or 3 years. I put together a custom configuration and have added on a few bits and pieces since. The only real wear-and-tear is along the front edge where I rotate my chair against it all the time. Even the part with the kids' computer is in pretty good shape. The cabinet line (which is called something else) can create shelves and stuff which match. I have my printer and scanner in a one level unit from that group.