flos vs. kulla floor lamp

When I can't afford a piece of furniture that I love—which is most of the time—I try to find something that is similar in design and function that isn't necessarily an exact "knock-off." The Kulla floor lamp from Ikea, for example, bears a striking resemblance to the $1300 Flos Spun Floor Lamp, without trying to fool anyone that is the real thing. The top photos are of the Flos—carefully balanced, and beautifully crafted.

Here is Ikea's Kulla lamp, costing a whopping $89.99 (or $20 if you buy it from Goodwill like we did). Though it lacks a bit of the grace exuded by the Flos, it's still a great lamp that can blend seamlessly with either modern or midcentury decor.


The only problem we've had with our lamp is finding a 3-way bulb that doesn't stick out the top of the shade. I've rigged it the best I could by adding a spacer under the ring of the shade in order to raise it's height by an inch, but we still get just the very top of the bulb peeking over. Ikea must have realized this problem, because I've noticed the ones in their store are now slightly modified.

ikea at the thrift store

If you live in a city with an Ikea, chances are that you'll run into a lot of used Ikea items at the thrift store. Nearly every time I'm in the furniture section at a thrift store I come across at least one Lack side table priced anywhere from $12–$20. For the record, Ikea lowered the previous price of the Lack table from $14.99 to $7.99 this year. That price is for a brand new table in your choice of color, without the scratches and rickety legs that accompany the ones at the thrift store.

It's helpful if you have an iPhone (or similar phone) and can look things up on the Ikea website when you are out thrift shopping, that way you know if you are getting a good deal or paying more for something used than you would if you bought it new. Also, Ikea labels all of their products with pretty unique looking bar codes, so look for them on the bottom. A few times I've thought I've come across a really expensive modern gem only to flip it over and discover it's just vintage Ikea.

One of the other things to be mindful of is the weird hardware, fuses, or light bulbs that Ikea products often need. Thrifted Ikea products may be missing parts or have broken components that can be complicated to fix. It's not impossible, and sometimes a trip to the as-is section of their warehouse can do the trick, but know what you are getting into.

All that said, I'm not at all opposed to purchasing Ikea pieces at the thrift store. I just want to know what I'm purchasing and make sure I'm not paying too much for it. Recently, we actually found a great deal on two Lack wall shelves at Goodwill—ones that we were planning to buy new. They retail for $29/each and we picked them up for $8/each. Here's a picture of how they look in our playroom:


Of course, Most of the items sitting on the shelves are thrifted, as well.