Ikea LILLÅSEN Desk Impressions: Bamboo?

Three drawers? Wow. After doing write-ups for desks with just two drawers, this was mind blowing. And then I saw something about bamboo and was even more intrigued. This was the Ikea LILLASEN desk.

Random infrared photo of a hand in a bowl.

Disclaimer: I had not had any firsthand experience with any LILLÅSEN desk products when I wrote this piece. Details were quoted from the Ikea United States website or Canada website in mid March 2017. Details on this page are NOT guaranteed for accuracy.

Ikea LILLÅSEN Desk First Impressions
Starting with some details from the Ikea.ca product page for the LILLASEN desk (902.782.77): there was one "color" option and dimensions were 102 cm x 49 cm x 74 cm (length x width x height). I thought the dimensions were generally okay. The width at 49 cm was a bit lower than the 60 cm I preferred, but both the height at 74 cm and length of 102 cm felt adequate to me.

Terms that got my attention under the "Product description" were "Bamboo," "Bamboo veneer," "Fiberboard," and "Steel." What I saw in the product photos was a rectangular desk with three similarly sized drawers supported by four fairly narrow legs. These legs appeared to be connected horizontally by tubes on the sides and in the rear, but the space under the table was pretty open otherwise.

Looking through the "Assembly instruction" document for the Ikea LILLASEN desk was almost jaw dropping. Well, it was when I saw how few screws were on the inventory page, but the awe was gone by the end -- I counted 13 screws and an Allen key on the page. My impression from the instructions was that most of the desk, aside from the legs, was pre-assembled. Most of the steps I noticed were for putting together the legs and attaching them to the actual desk area. As much as I enjoy putting together Ikea furniture, I would honestly pay a bit extra for much of the work to be done for me, so I'm not complaining.

Another infrared photo of a mug.

The appearance was the main selling point in my view, namely the bamboo desktop. How much of the LILLASEN was solid bamboo and how much was a bamboo veneer, I couldn't tell since I didn't actually get to mess around with one -- I got an idea from the "Product description" section. However, if the photos were accurate, I liked what I saw. The three smaller drawers appeared to be an attractive choice but one or two larger drawers would have been better for storing large items. Nothing new: the relatively open area under the table was a plus in terms of storage space and cable routing potential. Price was reasonable at CA$ 179.00 considering that the Ikea LILLASEN desk seemed to be made in part, at least, of bamboo. However, the LISABO desk that also appeared to have a wood-like surface and a fairly simple design was CA$ 139.00 at the time. Its dimensions were 118 cm x 45 cm x 74 cm (width x depth x height) according to the product page.

Final Thoughts
The IKEA LILLÅSEN desk impressed me with its attractive design, and it surprised me with its assembly process, or lack there of -- assuming the instructions were accurate. I thought the price was reasonable given the use of bamboo and the open leg area was appreciated. However, the drawers looked a bit on the smaller side.