Ikea Lack Coffee Table In White

We have a mammoth Ikea store a few miles away and I have to admit that I find it fascinating to visit. The other half steers well clear of the busy furniture store, he finds the crowds difficult to tolerate. No matter what time of day you go there seems to be throngs of shoppers admiring the stylish goods on display, the staff at the store certainly know how to market the goods to their best. Some of the furniture is a little too state of the art for my tastes but there are certain pieces that I find very appealing. The Ikea lighting department is glorious, the home ware is good and I love the soft furnishings.

We don't have a lot of room in our `snug`, there is just enough room for a television, a small sofa, an armchair and a coffee table. The room is functional rather than beautiful and it is a place where we can go and kick our slippers off, lay on the couch and watch the telly. Hot coffee cups have a nasty habit of leaving white heat marks on wooden coffee tables and that is why we bought an everyday Ikea lack coffee table. There are various tables in the Lack range, ours is a low white table with a useful under shelf. Coffee tables can be expensive to buy but this version from Ikea cost us less than £20, which is good going by anyone's standards.

Everything in the Ikea store is flat-packed and that is why the other half prefers to buy elsewhere. But flat pack furniture is far better than it used to be. Recently we bought two oak ( Formica) units from Argos, we thought that they would be a nightmare to assemble when in reality they were fairly easy to put together. The rectangular table is not huge, so the flat pack would fit in the majority of cars. After removing the table from the cardboard box you instantly note that it is not going to be rocket science to assemble it. Some cheap furniture can be devilishly difficult to assemble but in general Ikea's goods are not too bad. Assembling the coffee table is straightforward, the legs screw into place and the under shelf rest on four brackets that screw in. To complete the job you need a hammer and a screwdriver.

Some cut price furnishings look tacky but the Lack coffee table looks quite decent. The surface is hard wearing ( matt laminate) and it can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. There is nothing elaborate about the table, the style is simple and it is suitable for family use. We love to enjoy tea and biscuits in front of the telly and there is plenty of room on the top of the table for papers, magazines, mugs and cups and packets of biscuits. The `boxy` table has a definite Scandinavian ring to it, the chunky frame is sturdy but lightweight.

At the end of the day the papers and magazines can be transferred to the shelf underneath for safe keeping. The shelf feels sturdy but I for one would not want to overload it just in case. I have to admit that the grandchildren have on occasions turned the table upside down , slid their legs in between the shelves and used it as an imaginary car or boat and it has withstood the test! The under shelf comes in useful for storage purposes but I would imagine that you could leave it off it wanted..

The Ikea Lack coffee table is a good everyday piece of furniture. The hard wearing surface can be wiped clean and it is perfect for everyday use.