First, let's go over what the DOMBAS was. The DOMBAS was a rather large wardrobe with two distinct sections accessible through different sets of doors. One side was primarily for hanging clothes and the other was for folded clothes or other items. In other words, one side had shelves and the other had a hanger. According to the website, this entire wardrobe weighed about 200 lb, measured in at 140cm x 51cm x 181cm, and it was made mostly of particleboard with a fiberboard back.
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| Ikea DOMBAS Wardrobe |
Ikea DOMBAS Wardrobe: US$ 129.00
Video
Still haven't been able to make a video overview of the DOMBAS yet, but here's an ANEBODA?
Ikea ANEBODA Wardrobe Close-up
Update: Did it. Quick overview of a DOMBÅS wardrobe that had been used for a while:
Ikea DOMBAS Wardrobe Quick Look
Ikea DOMBAS Wardrobe Review
Assembly
This was one of the most complicated, difficult, and annoying pieces of furniture that I had ever had to assemble. Most of the blame could probably have been attributed to the fact that it was assembled in a room that was too small. This also happened to be the room where it was going, so not much could have been done about that. And yes, the size of the wardrobe contributed to the problem. It was definitely a two person, at least, job.
We started from on the floor, assembled most of the frame or side panels, then put on the back. Because we had so little space, I found myself working "inside" the wardrobe as it lay flat. However, once the back panel went on, it became a nightmare because I knew the panel couldn't support my weight. The result was a lot of squeezing and contorting my body. After I hammered on a few dozen nails for the back panel -- and missed a few times -- the wardrobe was put upright.
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| Woops |
And to add insult to injury, due to the width of the wardrobe and uneven floor, the doors didn't sit completely straight. A few cardboard "shims" helped, but still not perfect. Luckily (?), it wasn't mine, so I gave up on messing with the adjustment mechanisms on the door mounts after a while.
Stability
The instructions required that an anti-topple device be installed. I won't comment on what we did or didn't do, but the DOMBAS wardrobe did not appear to be on the verge of toppling or falling apart with the slightest touch.
Expandability/ Customizability
Huh? More white furniture would probably look good beside it.
Everyday Use
I didn't use it, but this DOMBAS wardrobe was filled to the brim by the person who did. It was in that person's possession for over a year before I wrote this review and no signs of damage, aside from the ones I put in during assembly, were noticed when I last checked. The wardrobe was mainly for long-term storage so it didn't get as much use as a "daily driver" though. This was still pretty good considering the relatively low cost of the item and it sat near a window that was occasionally left open in the summer.
From what I saw, the DOMBAS looked like a very large wardrobe that was capable of fitting a lot of stuff. The long hanger area should have allowed for longer items to be hung without folding and wrinkling near the bottom. Add on the spacious room on top of the entire wardrobe and it appeared to make for a great storage item. Doors opened and closed smoothly, and the shelves were nicely spaced. Overall, I liked it a lot from a purely functional perspective.
However, it was a basic white particleboard/fiberboard wardrobe with large squared panels. I can't say that I thought the DOMBAS was a very good looking piece of furniture -- it wasn't hideous either. This was a lot of storage space for $130, but my preference would have been for something smaller and maybe easier to assemble. The idea of moving or even disposing of it worries me...
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