Since IVAR storage system is so good at what it does, it has faithfully served customers’ needs across the home for over 50 years. Attics, living rooms, pantries and bedrooms – they all love IVAR.
Article Number837.566.09
Product details
Untreated solid pine is a durable natural material that can be painted, oiled or stained according to preference.
Solid pine is a natural material which ages beautifully and gains its own unique character over time.
Designer
IKEA of Sweden
Measurements
- Width: 11 3/4 "
- Height: 70 1/2 "
Reviews
Takes some effort to assemble, but worth the priceBetsyI purchased a set of IVAR shelves for the first time last month that required four uprights assembled. The assembly took more force to hammer together than I expected, but using the included wooden block to get everything sitting nice and flush worked surprisingly well. The work is loud and best completed with two people to make sure all of the horizontal slats stay in alignment as you hammer everything together, but it's not complicated or difficult. It seems obvious to me that it is something one should do outside if there are people inside who would be disturbed by the noise. I think some of the holes did indeed not quite line up perfectly when I was driving in the pegs to keep each of the horizontal cross pieces in place, but it didn't matter in the end as the wood is soft and the pegs still were able to be hammered through flush on both ends. For such a low price, it was worth this one-time effort to me. I used an old blanket underneath to protect the wood while I worked.
I guess I got lucky - assembly was pretty easyJudithI found the assembly to be relatively easy. You do need a good heavy hammer, as the parts are a tight fit. I was nervous using more strength than usual to fit them together, but all the parts held up fine. Make sure you use the wood piece they give you to avoid denting the shelf. The only tricky part was lining up the cross beams for the second side post, but that would've been much easier with a second person, as they recommend. The cross beams don't fit into the slots by hand at all, so you have to line them up carefully, then hammer to get them started. For the second side post, you need to tap each one in just a little bit to get them positioned, then make a few passes hammering each one in a little more so they stay even.
I could see that the peg holes didn't quite line up, but the wood is soft, so once you get them hammered through the hole in the side post you can force them in the rest of the way with a few strong taps. The extra effort was worth the cheap cost for me.
Like many othersThembiI much prefer this system before the design change. Honestly I could get used to it but another result of the change is I can no longer find the shorter ends anymore and what was previously easily interchangeable is no longer.
I was just about to revamp my whole set up with the Ivar system but after getting this new setup, I’m rethinking the idea. I’d love to know if you ever go back.
shedBonnieworked well
These used to be amazing. Now? Putting them together may not be worth it. AnnI’ve used ivar shelves for a while and in general, I’ve always found them great and convenient. About a year or so ago, they stopped carrying the shortest end pieces, but you could still get the two longer ones pre put together to assemble the full unit. This year they made the change to stop putting together the end pieces.
Not only do the slats take a decent amount of mallet use to try to fit into the pre cut spots, but getting the holes to align for pegging them into place is almost impossible. Additionally, the pegs are on opposite sides of the shelf for each side making it impossible to “hide” them.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, they were so impossible, in trying to get the pegs in with a mallet and the tiny terrible piece of wood they say should work, I pinched myself so bad the entire area is purple/blue/red.
If these had been like this before, I would not have completed them and would have returned them. Now? I won’t purchase or recommend them unless this changes back.
Disappointed by design changeAnonymous reviewerI have been buying and using Ivar shelves since at least 2006. The various shelf design changes were unfortunate but understandable. The design change for the uprights is extremely disappointing. Assembly has gone from a shelf you can quickly throw together, to something you need to fully assemble. The holes where the parts fit together are poorly cut and not always aligned. On each upright, I had at least one dowel that would not fully seat in the hole, and one that was misaligned by ~3mm. So now I need a flush cut saw and need to sand down each joint. Another had a massive knot at the connection point. Because the parts are not mirrored, you will always see the pegs on one side. Even worse, the customer service replies to all the complaints are extremely dismissive, demonstrating that Ikea no longer cares about their reputation or product quality.
What happened to original IVAR?PatriciaThe main reason to buy IVAR in the past was its simplicity with preassembled side frames. It was a breeze. Now it's become a major headache to put together. I've never understood why companies (hear me Southwest?) take an extremely successful product and then change all the things about it that made it successful. Dumb.
Nightmare to AssembleSin-YiThis shelf used to come preassembled, which made the IVAR system easy and convenient to set up. Unfortunately, the new version is a disaster. You now have to hammer the tiny wood supports in with extreme force, making a ridiculous amount of noise — it’s stressful, frustrating, and poorly designed. The parts don’t fit easily at all. I honestly can’t believe this change passed quality control. Please bring back the old preassembled version. I’ll be warning anyone interested in IVAR to stay far away from this updated design — it’s simply not worth the time, effort, or hassle.
Horrible revampMaryI'd rather pay extra money than have to deal with ever having to assemble one of these again. I've been buying Ivar pieces for years, and have had very little issues, but this new design is a fail. Same issues here with assembly as the other reviews, so I won' t go into detail. Hopefully you take the customer reviews seriously and bring back the old preassembled design.
Used to be greatAlexThey killed a perfect simple product. The assembly process is horrible but I’m glad they were able to save on shipping costs
Loved the preassembled; hate the revampLonsI have IVAR in all of my closets. The first 3 were the old, preassembled version and they were so convenient and easy. The last 1 was the revamp where you assemble it yourself. Like everyone else on here, I hate the revamp. You need 5x the space, it takes 5x as long, and it is deafening to assemble. I'm not buying IKEA products because I want to hammer away, but you have to now with IVAR.
Also: the concept that the little piece of soft wood provided would effectively hammer in the snug dowel is laughable. What actually happens is that the scrap wood is annihilated by the hammer on one side and the dowel on the other.
Horrible Assembly ProcessAbnerI never leave a review but this was so bad and made my new neighbor hate me. I had to go outside and assemble it in the parking lot, and then one of the dowels went flying and was lost. Whoever designed this thing should be punished by having to assemble 20 of them with their bare hands.
Well built but now tricky to assemble. RyanGot nervous seeing other reviews since Ikea started selling them in pieces rather than pre-built. It actually fits together with a good, tight mortise and tenon joint. If you have experience in woodworking it's a strong joint but it's not what most Ikea buyers expect or are ready for. Ideally you'd use 3-5 good clamps to put even pressure on all the connections to tighten them all down at the same time. If you use brute force, like a hammer as instructed, it's very easy to break one or two or have them go in angled or uneven. It's like going to the store for Lego and coming out with a Revell model kit. I got mine together just fine and they came out great but I'm sure a lot of people who expect the typical, easy screwdriver assembly from Ikea will struggle with this. It should have a warning that special skills or tools are strongly recommended for these now...or just go back to selling them pre-built.
Drill holes in incorrect location ChrisIvar sides holes on the wrong sides, I’ve flipped them over around upside down downside up and the result was the same, can’t lineup because the holes are on the opposite side of the opposing Ivar side.
Terrible new designAnonymousMine went together with minimal fuss, but I'm still not a fan of the new design. I ordered two uprights; one came with six of the small attachment pieces and the other only had two. What's up with your QC, Ikea? Also most of them were barely sanded on the edges. The block of wood provided for hammering needs to be larger; it left indentations in the uprights. The uprights are also poor quality; in my old set they're one long piece of lumber whereas the new ones have joins that make me worry about their stability. I'm just going to use them until I can find a pre-owned quality set on Craigslist. I don't think these will hold up like the old ones.
Change to IVAR side unitsPeterI've been buying IVAR for years. A simple, utilitarian system. That's now ruined. These new side units are practically impossible to assemble. What was a relatively pain-free set-up is now a half hour per unit, and you better have a rubber mallet because the side bars have to be smashed into the slots. You'll see if you try -- the side bar doesn't even look like it fits, but it will if you use brute force. Worst of all, they didn't even bother to design a left and right upright. This means no matter what you do, one of the uprights will show the dowels in front! Total Fail! Go back to the previous design and figure out how to ship it, even if you have to charge extra for "bulky".
Terrible cost cuttingTommyI've never had trouble assembling IKEA furniture until now. The IVAR side units don't come pre-assembled anymore and they're a nightmare to put together by yourself. If you live in an apartment your neighbors will hate you because you have to hammer on each side unit for about an hour to get it together. Don't know who approved this cost cutting measure but they have clearly never tried to put these together. I'd gladly pay $25 per side unit if they were pre-assembled, but I'm sitting here thinking about returning the whole thing after mostly assembling one single side unit. Unless you're a carpenter, do yourself a favor and skip the IVAR until IKEA fixes this.
Starting to dislike IKEA AdrianHave to assemble IVAR sides yourself now. It's a pain and they didn't even include the dowel pieces. Private equity owns Ikea now. The founder still owns the restaurant portion
uses to be great Witthe side units now come in pieces and you have to assemble that part which takes forever and very difficult to out together. Ivar was one of my favorite ikea item, such a shame the quality has gone down so much - Also my order arrived damaged.
Skip this product until it is correctedBeth1. I am a professional carpenter. 2. I have built numerous Ivar shelf systems. 3. I will never build another until the sides are again sold preassembled. Ivar went from a delightful fast, sturdy, practical product to cost cutting garbage. It took triple the time to solely build the side units it used to take to build a full 3 section unit. While needing extra tools (nail set, saws, drill/bits) to compensate for AWFUL QC. And you still end up with a cosmetically and structurally inferior product due to crappy non mirrored design. Warping in transit, because small sticks of pine, and again bad quality control of hole depth & width. I actively regret recommending this to my friend who brought it. Fix. It. Ikea. Dust of the rail assembly jig and give us back your best shelf system.
Customer reviews
3.1Average rating
361Reviews
Material
What is solid wood?
Solid wood is one of our favorite materials and is part of our Scandinavian heritage. It is also a timeless material with many uses. Regardless of the tree species, it is durable, beautiful and renewable. We strive to use this raw material as smartly and efficiently as possible to avoid waste – and we also invest in facilities and logistics so that we can increase the use of recycled wood.