The reason I don’t like IKEA is simply because I despise the use of dishonest materials.
Making something appear as if it were stone or solid wood, while hiding cardboard underneath, is not something I can appreciate anymore.
As I’m getting older, I find myself leaning more and more toward Dieter Ramses philosophy that design must be honest. None of the contact paper bullshit, none of the fake wood, marble, stone, brick, or concrete vinyl hiding the cheapest possible way to produce furniture.
Materials should be what they are. And once you’re actually in a space, it makes a tremendous difference, even if photos don’t.
And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with inexpensive materials. But I do think there’s something wrong with a 0.5 cm layer of wood veneer hiding an mdf board/plywood, it’s the definition of dishonest design.