Junesix

IKEA is hardly the first place I think of when considering quality furniture. But every once in a while, I’ll see an item that catches me pleasantly surprised. On yesterday’s trip, I came across the IKEA STOCKHOLM TV unit.

In the photo it doesn’t look like much but once I handled it in the store, I could definitely see the thought that went into it. The doors slide up and down smoothly and when open, recede into the cabinet. The two center drawers have a damper that catch and pull in the drawer slowly and silently. They have the same feel as the doors on luxury cars. There’s some bits of real oak and unlike most IKEA items, the veneer covers every surface, even in the cabinet inserts and rear of the unit so you won’t be embarrassed to show any part of it. The handles are smoothly milled and there’s a elegant trim that goes all the way around on the top and at the base.

In the golden-brown color, the unit has a nice mid-century look. I have been shopping around for a good piece of vintage furniture on Craigslist to replace the slapdash holding up the TV and entertainment bits. After measuring up th dimensions against my living room, I’m going to go with this IKEA unit.

$299

NOTE: I did a little research and it turns out that IKEA STOCKHOLM is IKEA’s premium line. The quality and finish are more in line with what you might see at a designer furniture store like West Elm or EQ3. There’s a special page for the collection but you’ll find more pieces using “IKEA STOCKHOLM” keyword search.