Avoid Ikea: Why You Should NEVER Buy These 5 Premade Items!

If you actually want to maximize every inch of space you already have, then

you should NEVER buy these five Ikea items!

I 100% understand why people go with pre-made.

It seems easier. It seems faster.

And if you don’t know what to do instead (or you think the alternative is too difficult), well…

…that’s exactly what we’re here to help you with! 🙂 🧠💪

I’ll also address what to do if you don’t think you have any other options than to buy premade. 🙂

AVOID IKEA

First, Ask “Why”!

Before we get into those five things you should never buy, I have another list to share with you, and that is my list of the 5 reasons

why they should be avoided!

Never use Premade

Reason #5: Storage Limitations!

If you choose a premade drawer, cabinet or bookshelf, you are forced to use the dimensions they give you.

This is severely limiting, especially in

1. kitchens
2. bathrooms
3. closets
4. bookshelves
5. other storage areas

IN KITCHENS

I see this as the biggest problem in kitchens. Many people feel their best option is to go with the “cheaper” Ikea premade kitchen cabinets and drawers, thinking they’re saving themselves money and hassle, when in reality they’re

costing themselves

1. time,
2. energy, and even
3. extra money down the road

in dealing with the issues this “forced” kitchen storage creates.

We go into great detail about how exactly to organize your kitchen in the smartest way possible (using what you have)…

…but if you’re looking at remodeling or changing any drawers/cabinets in your kitchen, that also helps you make sure you’re selecting the perfect size everything for everything! 🙂

In Bathrooms

If maximizing your storage space and organization is a priority, bathroom vanities are one of THE WORST things to buy pre-made!

Matt and I are constantly horrified when we open brand new vanities to see how they’ve “utilized” the inside space they have.

Not only are the dimensions they use limiting you, but they’re not accommodating your unique lifestyle and needs. Everyone keeps SUCH DIFFERENT ITEMS in their vanities — how on earth can a cookie-cutter vanity fit everyone?

It can’t.

You’re not a cookie-cutter individual and you don’t live a cookie-cutter life. You need something better.

You need it unique to you and your lifestyle!

We walk you through step-by-step how to maximize every inch you already have (or even design your own vanity!) in our Genius Bathroom Vanity Guide!

In Closets

We recently moved into our new (to us) home that had three closets full of “the usual” premade closet rods, shelves, shoe shelves, etc.

Honestly, at first I thought to myself, “Well, a lot of people live like this so it can’t be that bad…”

(It’s been years since I enjoyed this walk-in closet and we’d been living abroad in rentals around the world so I’d forgotten.)

Nope.

It really was that bad. (And I don’t have a lot of clothes or shoes. My weakness is plants.)

What slowly crept its way to the top of our priorities list?

THE CLOSETS.

That’ll be another story to share with you what I did for immediate relief in each of them :), but the point is that

the typical cheapo-closet-storage stuff just does not work well! (It CAN’T!)

In our last house, we did this walk-in closet and these standard wall closets, and you can use what we used HERE!

In Bookshelves and other storage areas

I started writing about this one but it started getting so in-depth that I realized it should be its own post! 🙂

So that’s coming next and will be found HERE!

Avoid Ikea & Premade

Reason #4: Timing!

I also like avoiding having to order these pre-made retailer products because of the TIMING.

Why?

Often, you’ll have to wait awhile for things to ship to you, or (if you’re lucky and they have it in stock) you’ll have to spend your time and gas money on a trip out to the nearest big store near you.

The great thing about taking this into your own hands is that

you control the timing! 🙂

(Personally, I love that!)

No waiting. No shipping delays. No telling you its in stock only to find out you drove all that way and it’s not.

Never use Premade

Reason #3: Flimsy & Cheap-Feeling!

The poor quality will drive you nuts in everyday life!

Example: broken tracks and bowing Ikea shelves and drawers are a common problem. (We teach you how to properly do drawers HERE.)

The particleboard often used in these premade items is not the right material for everyday use.

• There’s a reason those big companies like to use it and sell to you: it’s cheap in more ways than one!
• It’s also highly susceptible to moisture damage, meaning it can warp, swell and crumble when exposed to water.
• Low structural integrity: It lacks the strength and durability of better materials!
• It doesn’t hold screws well and can easily chip or pull apart, especially near the edges.

Speaking of particleboard…

Avoid Ikea & Premade

Reason #2: Toxins!

If you’re all concerned about the toxins these “premade” materials release (such as formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide), these premade items are a huge danger.

Many people with health issues have found that removing toxins from their home has dramatically changed their lives! (I’m one of them, but that’s another story! 🙂 )

Let’s just say that if you’re struggling with things like

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Respiratory problems (allergies, asthma, etc)
• Skin issues or irritations like eczema
• Hormone imbalances
• Immune system issues
• Chronic illness like autoimmune diseases
• Brain fog
• Sleep problems

…it’s worth taking a look into decreasing your chemical exposure and VOCs through these pieces of furniture that constant off-gas into the air you breathe!

(I’m not a doctor although I felt a little like one typing up the above list I’ve read in the research countless times 🤣, but I’m 100% a witness from experience that simply avoiding these materials can change your life dramatically for the better!)

OK, no more Dr. Jess — let’s get into the #1 reason above all reasons that I avoid premade items (and make them easily instead).

Avoid ikea

Reason #1: Perfect Layout + Measurements!

You know I luuuv good organization and storage, so this is my #1 even above toxins.🤣

Pre-created items sold at places like Ikea and Target are never going to maximize

your precisely-needed dimensions!

They are NEVER going to have THE BEST SOLUTION in what you need in all of the below:

1. The exact width.
2. The exact depth.
3. The exact height.
4. The exact placement of all of the above.
5. The exact function for every piece needed.
6. (and more I won’t list here so you’re overwhelmed, can save that for another post!)

For those of you who truly want to understand all the deep ramification of this, I’m writing “3 Genius Reasons You Should NEVER Use Ikea’s Billy Bookcase” to show you in detail why this is the case.

IMPORTANT: This also includes the fact that most of these premade bookcases and shelving

do not include lower drawers!🙅🏻‍♀️

And you will need those lower areas to be drawers. If you don’t understand why that is key, you’ll want to read my post on The 5 Reasons Drawers Are Smartest!

This ties into #3 (Storage Limitations) as well.

And now for the part you’ve all been waiting for…

Avoid Ikea

The 5 Items to Avoid Buying!

So now, what are the ACTUAL items from places like Ikea and Target you should avoid?

That’s what we’re sharing next!

Never use Premade

#5: Beds

The main reason we’d never buy an Ikea, Target or other cheap beds are the toxins. (See above if you missed the reasons why!)

If you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, you’re spending 1/3 of your life breathing in those toxins up close.

Especially if it’s a child’s bed, those toxins are super concerning to those precious, little growing bodies!

I once actually tried ordering a premade headboard from Target instead of making it ourselves (even though it’s SO EASY to wrap your own headboard, I was just worn out at the time and in the moment it felt easier to just order from an online retailer)…

…however, the chemical smell it had was so strong that we returned it ASAP and never looked back!

The second reason is especially in regards to storage under the beds, which is often poor and not used or built well, which we’ll talk about further below under #1.

Avoid Ikea

#4: Drawer Dividers

To see why we NEVER buy premade drawer dividers, check out our post on DIY drawer dividers HERE!

Never use Premade

#3: Bookshelves

Bookshelves are one of the easiest things to build yourself! (Or to have a handyman/carpenter build for you — I’ll get into this further down!)

So there is just no good reason you should ever buy a bookshelf premade. The only circumstance I would see this making sense is if it’s a decorative bookcase (like these).

But if it’s a basic bookshelf or floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, those are pretty straightforward.

(We’ve got a new guide HERE teaching you not only how to build bookshelves in the smartest way but how to design them correctly for your room and lifestyle)!

Easy-breezy does it every time!

Avoid Ikea & Premade

#2: Cabinets (Shelves)

A cabinet is basically a shelf or shelves with a door on it. That’s it.

Therefore there is no reason you should

1. pay more for…
2. …a unwisely-sized cabinet or shelf…
3. …that also includes the other negatives discussed above in this post.

We teach you how to create closet cabinets and shelves the best way HERE, and we’re also working on a DIY kitchen cabinet one as we speak! 🙂

Never Use Premade

#1: Drawers

How much time do you have for me to explain why you should

never, ever, under any circumstances BUY a premade drawer!🫣

No really, how much time do you have?😂🤦🏻‍♀️ Because there are SO MANY REASONS.

This includes kitchen drawers, vanities with drawers, even slide-out shelves for shoes…all of them.

I’ll just mention here just one of the many reasons I hate Ikea drawers.

(Were you told to never use the word “hate”? I always wondered why, because it’s a valid emotion. To be reserved for only the most passionate of loathings, of course. 🙂 Thus, perfectly appropriate for accurately telling you how I feel about Ikea and other pre-made drawers. 😉 )

Now, keep in mind I once nearly filled our Art Room with Ikea drawers. So I KNOW. I have tried it myself.

(Ah, Jess in her 20s and 30s…so much I wish I could go back and tell her. 🙂 )

Here’s one example of the awfulness:

Look at the open sides! What can you keep in there?

Only things that stack and will stay in place regardless of jolting.

You can’t keep stacks of jars, small bowls or sets of glass containers in there because they will at some point fall over and out the sides of this alleged drawer.

You are forced to keep your items low in this drawer, which defeats the whole purpose!

Of course, Ikea will love it if your answer is to spend more money on trying to get perfectly-fitting tubs and/or organizers to insert in this awful drawer, but guess what?

IT’S A TRAP: You’re now spending more money on one drawer with its accessories than you would have if you’d just built it right from the start yourself!😅

With those drawers, you’re losing multiple feet of cubic storage. (That’s HUGE!)

You might as well chop your kitchen in half, because that’s the amount of functionality you’re getting…

…compared to what you could be getting.

We teach you not just how to properly build but how to THINK THROUGH + DESIGN in our 3-in-1 Drawer Guide!

Avoid Ikea & Premade

So what’s the answer?

So what’s the answer?

The effort you’re going to expend on the premade is actually equal to the effort you could be putting into just building your own.

1. If it’s drawers you need (I wrote THIS on the 5 reasons drawers are better than cabinets!), we’ve got you covered in our 3-in-1 Drawer Guide!
2. If it’s a closet you’re needing, we also show you how to create the perfect closet for you!
3. If it’s kitchen cabinets you’re after, we’re working on a big DIY Kitchen Guide as well! (But for now you can use our Closet Guide because it shows how we build our drawers, cabinets and other storage!)

3 more smart-n-easy storage items we’ve built for ourself that you can use:

1. Bathroom Vanity
2. Drawer Dividers
3. Vertical Spice Drawer (better than horizontal spice drawers!)

And don’t forget our famous laundry room design!

“What If I Can’t/Don’t Have/Etc.?”

One or two people out of the millions who read this will inevitably ask us a question such as the following (and we’ll share brief answers to each):

Q: “What if I don’t have the tools for cutting wood?”

A: Many wood suppliers, such as Home Depot, will make the cuts for you! All you have to do is give them your dimensions and you can take the cut pieces back home to assemble.

Q: “What if I don’t have the space for cutting and assembling my project?”

If you do not have room to assemble the pieces at home, then you will not have the room to assemble pieces from Ikea, Target, or other suppliers shipping you anything “in the flat.”

Your next-best option is then buying pieces off the retailer floor or buying used items that have already been assembled for you.

However, these projects should not take up much room and many people who believe they have room for a new bookcase/kitchen/bed/etc. find that they do have enough space to assemble the new furnishing(s).

Q: “What if I don’t know how to DIY?”

A: If you are able to follow printed directions and assemble pre-cut pieces from retailers such as Ikea or Target, you will be able to follow the printed directions in our guides. If the cuts are already done for you (as mentioned above), you will often only need tools you already have at home, such as a screwdriver or a simple handheld drill.

Q: “What if I don’t think I have the budget for a handyman or carpenter to help me?”

If you are unable to DIY with the solutions above, hiring help is your next best solution. If you have money to buy new furniture, you will have the same amount of money (if not more!) to buy raw materials + hire help. Get multiple quotes and when you use our plans, all the thought-work and design planning is taken care of for them and therefore takes down their time, effort and cost.

Q: “What if I am physically unable to DIY furniture?”

If you cannot lift or assemble furniture, you will not be able to use pre-made furniture from Ikea or other retailers either. You will need to ask for help from neighbors, family or friends, or hire labor help by the hour. We have done this when moving homes and gotten physical help moving boxes, for example. So with similar, simple tasks such as assembling a bookshelf or bed and putting it against your wall, the labor cost can range from only $20-30 per hour in our experience.

The other option is buying used furniture that is already assembled, but you will also need to hire help to move that furniture from the seller’s home to your home. Physical limitation will affect you no matter which option you choose, so that is why we still encourage either DIYing or hiring a carpenter who can do the physical work for you.

Often those options are less expensive than buying new premade furniture, not more. 🙂

Next…

You can get our Starter Design Guide FREE today right here!

1. How to avoid the 5 Storage Mistakes Everyone Makes With Storage!
2. Uplevel your laundry room with this Laundry Cabinet!
3. Need closet storage help? We have The Genius Way to Convert Your Basic Space for Max Storage!
4. The Complete Bookcase Design & Build Guide!

PS: Our complete list of every single home project is viewable HERE!