‘Second guessing my abilities’: Couple buys kitchen appliances and cabinets from IKEA. Then 210 packages arrive
Building IKEA furniture has a way of testing a relationship’s limits. Rummaging through different parts and instructions together, you get to see just how well, or how poorly, you communicate.
One couple on TikTok, however, may have a bigger test ahead than they anticipated.
In a viral video that got over 14.4 million views, TikTok creator Brendan (@brennipooo) showed one of the most intricate IKEA projects viewers had ever seen.
“So, our IKEA kitchen has been delivered, and we’re having to deal with 210 packages,” he says, flipping the camera to show the packages, sitting in their garage. “And we have to put it all together ourselves.”
The packages aren’t only plentiful, but also small and intricate. “We’re so doomed,” Brendan says. “Oh no. Oh no. This is gonna be so fun.”
The couple turned the assembly into a series and has posted five episodes. So far, they’ve built the base, island, pantry, wall, and fridge cabinets.
Commenters Are Horrified
In the comments section, viewers found the task both extremely daunting and humorous.
“Putting together an IKEA kitchen is easy,” one user joked. “You just line up the flørben, tighten the skärfyx with the little børk-børk wrench, and then attach the gnütfald to the snørpik.”
Popular influencer Jen Hamilton also commented, writing, “Alright you take care now. I’m gonna scroll.”
A third user offered practical advice: “Former IKEA Kitchen designer… Do you have your kitchen plan printed out? Every cabinet on the plan will be numbered and then at the end, it will list the item numbers for each cabinet set. All you need to do is find the numbers on the box and put those pieces in a pile and then put a post it note on top with the cabinet number. It’s also helpful to do for inventory to make sure you have everything and can report if anything is missing. You can also get a quote for installation and have them do all that for you.”
How to Best Handle a Daunting IKEA Project?
According to an expert who spoke to the publication Quartz, there are some tools and techniques you can use to make the job easier and more efficient.
Instead of using the IKEA-supplied Allen wrench, she recommends using a drill or electric screwdriver. While there are some pieces where you’ll still be forced to use the Allen wrench, using electric tools where you can saves you considerable effort.
To make the electric tools work for more parts, the expert recommends getting a drill bit extender and hex bits in different sizes.
Before you even start assembling, IKEA suggests preparing enough space to unpack and lay out all the parts, while also making sure you have every piece you’ll need. For a project as big as Brendan’s, it’s a good idea to separate it into smaller chunks and avoid unpacking everything at once.
You can also keep a better track of each part by grouping pieces based on their function.
An important part of the process is, of course, reading the instructions carefully as you go. If something doesn’t feel right, stop and take another look. Getting one component wrong can set you back for hours, which no one wants to deal with.
@brennipooo Seeing our IKEA kitchen delivery for the first time has me second guessing my abilities ??? Contact [email protected] to license #ikeakitchen #DIY #fyp #prayforme #ikea @IKEA @IKEA Deutschland @IKEA Switzerland @IKEA Australia @IKEA France @IKEA Norge @IKEA Egypt @IKEA Austria @IKEA Singapore ♬ original sound – Brendan | TTS
The Mary Sue has reached out to Brendan and IKEA via email for comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
