Five IKEA New Arrivals for Small Flats (Oct. 26): a 110 cm Oval Table, a £179 Armchair and a Bench That Tucks Under the Table

New arrivals at a glance

1. ÖRTRÄSK coffee table

• Best for: the 110 × 68 cm between a two-seat sofa and the wall opposite, in a studio where that gap is also the walkway.
• Decision: Buy it if the room can spare 68 cm of depth and nobody needs storage inside the table. Skip it if the sofa is shorter than two seats, or if you want a table whose top lifts: this one is a plain fixed top with no drawer 2.
• Price and regional status: $199.99 in the United States under 306.358.49 2, £129 in Britain for the same 110 × 68 cm table in brown ash under 106.358.45 3, ¥25,990 in Japan under 906.358.46 4 and 1,795 SEK in Sweden 5. Britain also lists a 75 × 48 cm version at £79 for a room too small for this one 22.
• Key specifications: 110 cm long, 68 cm wide, 35 cm high; maximum load on the top 20 kg; ash veneer over fibreboard, solid ash legs; designed by Jordi López Aguiló; wipe with a damp cloth and check the fixings now and then 2.
• Assembly watch-out: One pack of 15.5 kg (34 lb 3 oz) and the manual AA-2656167-1-100 23. IKEA's own copy stresses the hidden fixings because they let the table come apart again quickly, which is the part that matters when you rent and move. The listing carried a single American review, rated 4.0, when it was read 2.
• Get it: View the ÖRTRÄSK coffee table on IKEA US.

2. EKENÄSET armchair

• Best for: the corner where a desk chair would look like equipment and a sofa would not fit.
• Decision: Buy it if you want a real armchair at 65 cm of width and can live with a fixed cover. Skip it if the cover will meet red wine or a cat: the Kilanda cover does not come off, so cleaning means a damp cloth and a vacuum 6.
• Price and regional status: £179 in Britain in oak effect and Kilanda light beige under 006.243.43 6. The United States lists EKENÄSET armchairs from $429 and a high-back version at $449–$499, in different covers from the British one 7. Japan sells the same light beige armchair at ¥24,990 8 and Sweden at 1,995 SEK 9. The matching footstool is £70 24.
• Key specifications: 65 cm wide, 74 cm deep, 75 cm high; seat 55 cm wide, 52 cm deep and 44 cm high; solid wood seat and back frame with beech armrests; high-resilience foam over zigzag springs; Kilanda cover in 71% polyester, at least 90% of it recycled, with 21% modacrylic and 8% cotton; tested to EN 12520 for domestic use 6.
• Assembly watch-out: One pack of 13.64 kg, 66 × 36 × 76 cm, and the manual AA-2620934-1-100 25. It arrives as a chair to bolt legs onto rather than a flat pack to build, so one person can do it. Owners rate it 4.3 from three British reviews, which is too few to call a consensus 6.
• Get it: View the EKENÄSET armchair on IKEA UK.

3. PINNTORP / PERJOHAN table with 2 chairs and bench

• Best for: a kitchen that has to seat guests twice a month and hold one person's laptop the rest of the time.
• Decision: Buy it if the table can keep one long side against a wall and the bench can tuck under it. Skip it if you eat sitting down for hours: the pine chairs have no arms, and IKEA's own copy points you at a chair pad 10.
• Price and regional status: $359.98 in the United States under 096.269.36 for the table, two chairs and the bench 10. Britain sells the table with four chairs for £289 under 996.480.57 11. Japan prices the chair at ¥5,000 12 and Sweden at 395 SEK 13.
• Key specifications: table 125 cm long and 75 cm high; solid pine throughout, with the top, underframe, chairs and bench in stained and lacquered pine; the bench's storage space inside is 34½ in long, 8 in deep and 5⅛ in high; seating tested to EN 12520 and EN 1022 for users up to 110 kg (242 lb) 10.
• Assembly watch-out: Five packs totalling about 35 kg — the table in 10.7 kg and 7 kg boxes, two chairs at 3.9 kg each and the bench at 9.4 kg — and three separate manuals, AA-2299467-2-2 for the table, AA-2423708-2-100 for the chairs and AA-2242615-4-2 for the bench 262728. You need a bit screwdriver, which IKEA sells separately in its TRIXIG set, and floor protectors are separate too. IKEA's care note asks you to re-tighten the screws about two weeks after assembly. The American set carried no owner reviews when it was read; the British table-and-four-chairs version has 4.8 from 15 11.
• Get it: View the PINNTORP / PERJOHAN table with 2 chairs and bench on IKEA US.

4. IKEA 365+ saucepan with lid, 1 litre

• Best for: porridge, a single soup, rice for one, or a sauce that a 24 cm frying pan would burn.
• Decision: Buy it if you cook portions for one or two and want cookware that is oven-safe and induction-ready. Skip it if you regularly cook for four: 1 litre is one bowl of soup, not a batch 14.
• Price and regional status: £9 in Britain under 006.253.28 14, $14.99 in the United States for the 1.1-quart size under 206.253.27 15 and 99 SEK in Sweden, where it is also flagged as a new lower price 16. Japan lists the 2-litre pan at ¥1,499 and did not show this size 17.
• Key specifications: 14 cm across, 8 cm high, 11 cm with the lid, 31 cm handle to handle, 0.53 kg; stainless steel with a layer of aluminium in the base; works on gas, induction, ceramic and cast-iron hobs; oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; steam vent in the lid; 15-year guarantee; designed by David Wahl 14.
• Assembly watch-out: None — it arrives ready to use. The owner record is the part to read, though. It rates 4.4 from 697 reviews, and the complaints repeat: one British reviewer reports the steel corroding at the inside base after a year of dishwasher washing, another says a handle worked loose, and a third that the metal is thinner than the same pan bought 15 years ago 14. The praise repeats too, and it is about size: reviewers call it "perfect size when cooking for one or two people" 14. IKEA's care sheet covers the use of the pan; the guarantee is the thing to keep the receipt for.
• Get it: View the IKEA 365+ saucepan with lid, 1 l on IKEA UK.

5. SANDÖDLA hanging planter

• Best for: the wall beside a window in a studio where nothing else can be planted.
• Decision: Buy it if you have a hook, a rail or a ceiling fixing and a plant in a pot no wider than 9 cm. Skip it if the pot is bigger, or if the only place you could hang it is above a bed or a sofa you would rather not water 18.
• Price and regional status: £5 in Britain under 906.360.73 for the hanging planter 18. The same material comes as a 15 cm standing pot at £7 19 or 99 SEK in Sweden 20. The United States listed a 19 cm pot at $19.99 and no hanging version when it was checked 21.
• Key specifications: 13 cm outside diameter, 12 cm high, 0.21 kg, takes a pot up to 9 cm across; water hyacinth and sedge with a clear acrylic lacquer, jute rope, inner pot in PET plastic of at least 50% recycled content; an inner saucer catches the excess water; designed by Akanksha Deo; each basket varies in colour and shape because it is handwoven 18.
• Assembly watch-out: None in the box, but the hook is on you, and the fixing has to take a watered plant rather than a dry one. Wipe it with a dry cloth and keep it indoors; the basket is not meant for a balcony 18. The listing had a single British review, rated 5.0, when it was read.
• Get it: View the SANDÖDLA hanging planter on IKEA UK.

Choosing for your floor plan

• A sofa with nowhere to put a cup: the ÖRTRÄSK table, 68 cm deep and oval so the corners stay walkable 2.
• One seat, and it has to look like furniture: the EKENÄSET armchair at 65 cm wide 6.
• Guests who have to eat somewhere: the PINNTORP / PERJOHAN set, whose bench slides under the table 10.
• One pan, one portion: the 1-litre IKEA 365+ saucepan at £9 14.
• Plants and no floor left: the SANDÖDLA hanging planter at £5 18.

Where the table is thin