As a matter of fact, I do swear by the Ikea Ektorp sofa! It looks just like a (much, much) more expensive Pottery Barn version, and it really is pretty comfy. Plus, Ikea has a good range of slipcovers for this model -- including a plain white one that costs around $10. Hard to beat that.

I just wanted to check it out... I'm still a Pottery Barn girl.

My mom loves the fabrics, like towels, bedding and carpets. I also like the appliances, like kitchenware.

I love all the decor stuff.

The shoe organizer is awesome!

i always get napkins there and duvet covers. even if i go and get nothing else, I can't leave without napkins.

Duvet covers can't be beat for the low price. Also I always buy rugs there -- not the wool ones, the cheapie synthetic ones, they hold up amazingly (between a messy kid, dog, and husband) for the price and are a stylish way to change up my decor. I also love the kitchen gadgets, as well as shelving. Before I found my mid-century dream sofa we had the Klippan loveseat. It was remarkably comfy, quite a good size for a loveseat, and would have held up if I didn't have children that loved to jump on it! (It was firm so I suppose it made a nice trampoline! OY kids...) Oh and lighting! I've been very happy with their lighting choices! I'm even thinking about doing an Ikea kitchen, as you can hack some of the pieces to make it look like a much more expensive custom kitchen.

The kitchen stuff is great because it's so cheap and I know I'm just going to mess it up anyway and replace it in a few years. I might as well spend less.

My husband and I are saving up for a trip to Illinois so we can furnish our entire house for like $8000. We live in Nebraska so that's the closest store. We're planning on just renting a Uhaul for all of our stuff.

My husband and I love Ikea. We bought our Malm bed, mattress and mattress pad there. Our bar stools in our kitchen are from there, picture frames and they have the best tea light candles. Love Ikea!

I love the Billy Bookcases. I think we have like 6 of them altogether. If you're not completely filling them leave the backing piece off and let your wall color show through as the back piece can look VERY cheap. I have some downstairs that we bought glass doors for. I'm going to line the glass doors so you can't see the contents. Often we buy Ikea pieces and then later replace them with more expensive and better made versions.

Most of the major furniture in my apartment are from Ikea. My bed, mattress, linens for bed, dresser, chairs in the living room, desk, coffee table and set of dishes are all Ikea.

No Ikea near me, so I only have two small lamps.

I have the Hemnes bed and dressers- they're fantastic. I was nervous that they would be rickety (I had some fall-apart Ikea furniture in college), but they are actually great quality for the price.

And I love checking this website periodically about how to personalize the stuff-
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

i love the budget-friendly style ikea provides. but yes, the quality does vary.

I never leave without light bulbs. Their CFLs and halogens are great, and cheap!

I also love the cheap duvets, as my cat does a number on them with his claws. This way, I don't get all peeved at the cat. For $50, I can get a new one.

Love the architectural EXPEDIT bookcases. They are solid and look much more expensive in person. High quality!

Our entire place it pretty much Ikea:

Lillberg sofa
Lack side and coffee table
TV stand
Billy bookcase
Muddus dining table with Jeff chairs
Dave laptop table
Malm dressers and nightstands
Malm guest bed

When my husband and I first got an apartment a couple of years ago, we furnished our entire living/dining area for about $400.

I love Lack shelves, they do wonders for small space living.

Billy bookshelves. We have a lot of books and they are simple, dont take up a lot of space and come in lots of different shapes and sizes, allthough we stick to plain white ones most of the time.

I have an old ikea desk and bookshelf in my apartment that I got when I was 12! (I am going to be 25 next month) I also have the malm dresser, a side table for my bed, a floor lamp, kitchen table and chairs, and end tables for my couch, I find it really easy to mix and match ikea things with more original pieces to get an clean modern look

The magnetic knife rack (how did I live without one?) and the dog toys.

I have almost rid myself of all Ikea furniture(not quite done replacing but slowly). The one items i will hold onto for awhile our the Malm dressers and bedside table. Solid quality and look great (although they might get a paint job at somepoint). I wont ever stop buying the little stuff - colorful stash boxes to organize my closets, napkins etc.

I LOVE the Malm dressers. I can see myself getting those in the future as well. This one in particular is my favorite: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90106506
It has a lift-up mirror with a shallow felted area for jewelry, my glasses, watches, etc. It's been fantastic.

their drawer organizers (my lingerie drawer looks like Victoria's Secret! kinda...)

and their lavender scented candles. They're cheap, a nice shade of...lavender...and the scent is spot-on. It's hard to find a lavender scent that doesn't smell like soap or hairspray.

meatballs and lingonberry sauce.