Your IKEA furniture crafting skill went up 100 points!

PP and I had been shopping for a new bed and finally decided on a SULTAN sleep set from IKEA. I really wanted to try a memory foam mattress but the $5000 price tag for the Tempur-pedic was not exactly a thrifty proposition. By chance, we went to IKEA to look for some other furniture and they had this SULTAN memory foam mattress. I tried it out for around 30 minutes and it felt just as comfortable as the Tempur-pedic. The best part was the price tag was $4000 lower!

The nice part about IKEA stuff is that most of it is designed to be space-saving and this bed set was no different. The box frame/stand for the mattress also served as a storage unit for blankets and other stuff as well, thereby freeing up a lot of closet space. The only thing annoying about IKEA furniture is that most of it requires assembly. While they provide all the necessary components, most of it is not very ergonomically designed..actually I would go so far as to say most of it was designed by a band of evil geniuses to ensure the maximum amount of non-life threatening injuries while putting together the furniture.

First, the tools they give are way too small and concentrates all the pressure on a very small area of the hand. This is fine for a few odd screws on and off, but when you have to use the same old double-L shaped crank to put in 200 screws, your hands start to cramp up like crazy. I also have quite a few bruises where the L was pressing against the palm of my hand. The most masochistic part of the design was putting Velcro RIGHT next to a bunch of places where you have to use the double L tool to tighten a bunch of screws. What happens when you use a lot of force at an odd angle you ask? The tool slips off the screw! And what happens when the tool slips? My hand goes sliding across the Velcro at super speed, leading to many many scrapes and burns caused by the Velcro.

Even through all the blood and sweat, the finished product is definitely a marvel to behold because of the obvious superior craftsmanship...though elvish wood-crafters will probably not be giving me any awards.