DO NOT BUY !JenniferDO NOT BUY the HEMNES bookcase! Especially if you live in a DRY CLIMATE! The wood will warp. The board on the right side of mine is so warped that it took forever to assemble because pieces didn’t line up. When I contacted IKEA I was told I would need to bring it back to the store to return it, but that meant borrowing a truck and getting someone to help me like I had to do to buy it, so I tried to just make it work. 14 months later it has continued to warp and two of the drawers will no longer open and one of the shelves just fell down onto another one and broke a bunch of my items! I just called again re: a warranty and was told there is NO WARRANTY on HEMNES bookcases and that they wouldn’t do anything to help me. This is a known problem! My 4 other HEMNES pieces bought in 2019 don’t have this issue. Read all the reviews complaining about how difficult this bookcase is to assemble. It’s because the wood isn’t dried and stored properly to be sold in dry climates and it’s warped!1
Slim hutchPattiLove the style and color! Fit perfectly in a small area but has significant storage!5
Wow. Really nice cabinet!PaulaEasy to put together, for the most part. I'm 120 lb middle age lady: no problem, easy to handle.
The instructions were perfect, except for the door stop at the top. Figure was wrong, but common sense prevailed.
Do this in parts, the drawers in one go. Take a break. Build the frame. Take a break
Note: I did the top wood and it fit perfect. The frame was nice and square. That was nice.
Putting the knobs on required me to use a pair of pliers to keep from spinning. Pliers kept slipping off, and I ended up putting some dents in it, though it's not too visible.
The drawer went in like a breeze. I put heavy items in it. Work nice.
Those hinges were a pain for me. I had to find a YouTube video to help me understand how to do it. I had to use a small hammer to bang the hing into the clasp. Video showed a big strong guy just pop it in.
I really, really like this cabinet.5
Don't do itTracyI admit I took a risk purchasing this item after reading some of the other reviews here, and unfortunately I should have listened. The cabinet was delivered to me without a key part. Customer service first said they would send me the part. Nearly two weeks later, I was emailed and told to get in touch with IKEA customer service. It turns out the part was never mailed to me and the only solution offered was for me to disassemble the mostly-assembled cabinet so they could replace it with a new, unassembled one. I guess if you are lucky enough to get all the parts you need in your order, this might work out OK for you, but there are enough similar reviews to make me think there are quality control issues specific to this item. If IKEA's customer service was more helpful and solution-oriented and willing to send the specific part(s) needed, this could have gone differently. As it is, the cabinet is not high-quality enough for me to want to go through this process again.1
No support for drawersKristiThe drawers are not usable because there is not support for them. The bottoms fall out when you put stuff in the drawers. There is a hole on the back of the drawer front underneath, like there is supposed to be a support bar that goes there, but there is not one. I would not buy this or another Hemnes product, they clearly don't care about the customer being able to use the product, just that they save money on it.1
So classyAnonymous reviewerLove love the look, I bought 2 and the go so well in my den. Great storage and beautiful display of my collections, also keeps them Dust Free5
Absolutely garbageJudithI bought this same cabinet years ago, and everything went together seamlessly and aligned perfectly. This one, however was horrible. One of tje screw holes was too big, so it wouldn't go together properly, we had to fill with wood glue and sawdust and redrill. Still it wouldn't line up properly. So I have drawers that dont close all the way. Take your manufacturing back out of China, its not even near same quality! And its not my lack of ability to assemble your products, I've assembled dozens of products and everything always came out perfectly, until now. Very disappointed for what I paid, Ive got garbage! 1
Wonderful glass door cabinetKathyI actually bought four and grouped them on a wall. They hold all my craft stuff. I love them!!5
Not Worth the Current $379StephenI honestly think this is a sub-$150 piece of furniture. The wood is flimsy, the drawers do not open smoothly and keep getting caught, and it requires far too much assembly for the price. For a few extra cubic feet it could have been shipped fully assembled. The screws for the drawer sliders are too long and crack the opposite side of the wood on the drawer. Ours came with small holes on a panel that looked like they’ve been puttied over. Terrible quality overall. 1
Poor qualityKatie JeanThis is of very poor quality. The sides and the back are totally flimsy. The drawers don't open smoothy and the whole thing feels like it will fall over at any minute. I have other Hemnes items that are of much higher quality. Very disappointed with this cabinet. 1
Won't go togetherAlyssaI have never had an IKEA product so difficult to put together. One piece was just not right, which caused multiple others to be off and ultimately ended up making it so I can't proceed any further putting it together. This is the first Ikea product I have ever failed to put together, and now I have to figure out how to get this thing half put together back to the store without damaging it too much!? So frustrated. 1
Parts don't fit, no help from customer serviceElizabethI was excited to purchase this cabinet because I thought it would help with storage. I drove out to Portland (6 hours) to buy it. It's large and heavy. When I got to step 29 (halfway assembled), two of the four levelers provided did not fit (1/4 inch too long). I contacted customer service hoping they could send me two shorter levelers, but nope! They said I would have to load the whole thing up and drive back to Portland to return it. This isn't something I can reasonably do, so I am headed to Home Depot to see if I can jury rig this. Thanks for nothing, customer service! 1
doors do not matchHuzefabuilt the whole thing together and was disappointed to see that the doors dont align1
Fabulous Anonymous reviewerIt’s the first thing you see upon entering my house…. I put lots of my treasures and a family photo inside. I love it and everyone else does too, Gracias!5
I like it, just wish it was deep enough to hold vinyls uprightPamelaI like the Hemnes cabinet. I just wish it was deep enough to hold full sized vinyls upright. I am a petite woman and it took me probably 3-4 hours spread out over a couple days to assemble it. I put magazines, books, and some dvds in it. I have some clothes in lower drawers but it doesn't hold much because it is not very deep. I wish it was as deep as the Hemnes 6-drawer chest that I also got from Ikea. I bought frosted plastic vinyl stuff to cover the clear glass doors so it looks nicer and less messy. I chose the dark black Hemnes cabinet with glass cabinets on the top, 3 drawers on the bottom, and the light wood piece on top. The light tan wood piece on top looks nice and lightens up the whole piece and makes it look less daunting and dark. 4
Can't recommendStephanieAfter completing assembly...I can't recommend this product. I must admit it looks great and feels sturdy...but it was a 5+ hour nightmare putting this bookshelf together (not including breaks to destress). Holes didn't always align, screws were very difficult much of the time, and one of the adjustable feet at the bottom of the bookcase would not screw completely in no matter how hard we tried (so we just took the other ones off). Worst of all was attaching the hinge pieces on the door to the other segment on the actual shelf...it took us well over an hour. If you buy this it will look great but budget lots of time and take lots of breaks!1
Very attractive, but looks aren't everythingTimothyWe got this as part of the Hemnes entertainment center. Btw I wish that was available in more colors, and that they were all in stock--we ended up settling for a different color combination than what we wanted. The cabinet looks nice and can be used for a variety of purposes. However, it is not very sturdy. One of the drawers does not fit on its runner correctly and needs to be jiggled to open and close. For some reason Ikea decided to go with clip-like hinges on the cabinet doors that have a spring in them. One of these occasionally pops loose and has to be re-seated, so I have to be very careful whenever I open the door. What is wrong with just using normal, old-fashioned hinges and perhaps a little lock or a clasp to keep the doors closed? 3
Love these! AlisonAlways a fan of ikea items. The Hemnes collection is made of solid wood, assembles easily, and has classic lines that work with most decor. Love this green/gray color. It’s like a sage green in person. Gorgeous in my farmhouse. 5
Bad Quality and DesignCharisHoles were not aligned, and one drawer could not be put together. Customer service refused to replace it. They wanted us to take the whole thing apart to return and purchase again, and have to put it all back together instead of just sending parts for one drawer.1
NightmareStacyNightmare to put together even though experienced; material is flimsy; drawers are crooked and don’t line up despite adjusting; & lots of imperfections in the material that were just painted over–dings, extra holes, the faux wood backer board came folded in half, and one side is noticeably whiter than other which looks funny when assembled. The cabinet door hinges were ridiculous to line up and get on with the included instructions (found a YT video that helped). Once on, adjustments are not easy, so I have not been able to get them even. The drawer faces are noticeably wonky after assembly. The largest bottom drawer came with a gray paint streak on the front. CS was great about sending out a replacement. However, once assembled, the right side of the drawer won’t even close fully (sticks out almost a half inch!). Just…UGH. Had it delivered since I live an hour away. I would return it in a heartbeat if they would come pick it up.
RUN AWAY from this item–not at all worth it! 1