Have you ever heard of flat pack furniture? If you have than you know just how enjoyable this type of furniture is to assemble. If you have not heard of flat pack furniture than let me ask you a few questions.

  • Do you just love putting things together without reading the instructions?
  • Do you seek joy in trying to make things fit that were not made to be?
  • How about hitting your head against the wall repeatedly until you can’t think no more?

If you have answered yes to all these questions than you will love the challenge of assembling your next piece of apartment size furniture. Of course I say this with a slight hint of sarcasm, but there really is some value in buying flat pack furniture for your apartment. Flat pack furniture is described as any piece of furniture that comes in a flat box.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly

First things first, the good. Flat pack furniture is inexpensive. This type of furniture is something that most families starting out in a new apartment will buy just based on price. Availability and variety  is two other major benefits of this type of furniture. Virtually any of the big box stores such as Wal-Mart, Lowes and Home-Depot will carry a wide variety of flat pack furniture. As for variety, you can buy just about any piece of furniture. I have seen dressers, desks, tables, cabinets, entertainment centers and even sofas come in a flat box.

Now that bad, it is EXTREMELY frustrating to put flat pack furniture together! I say this from years of experience. It’s a tedious and a pain staking process that will have you crying for mercy. OK, it’s not that bad, but you better love reading directions and following steps. The ease of assembly is directly tied into the manufacture of the flat pack furniture. Typically you get what you pay for when it comes to quality and this rings true with flat pack furniture.  The furniture you buy from a Wal-Mart might not have the craftsmanship of the furniture you would buy at Ikea. That being said, don’t be fooled into trying to find higher quality flat pack. You’re probably going to buy flat pack furniture because you’re looking for value not quality. Just buy what will work and deal with the assembly.

This is the part where I’m supposed to call flat pack furniture ugly, but I’m not. I have bought many pieces of flat pack in my life and although it tends not to last all that long you can truly buy some nice looking flat pack furniture.