Five IKEA New Arrivals for Small Flats (Oct. 12): a 120 cm Desk, a Matchstick Floor Lamp and Three More

New arrivals at a glance

1. TROTTEN desk, ash effect/white

• Best for: a studio or one-bedroom flat where work happens against a wall or under a window.
• Decision: Buy it if a 120 cm run of wall is free and you want the space underneath for storage you already own. Skip it if you need built-in drawers, or plan to clamp a monitor arm on: IKEA says the desk is not made for a screen stand, and it takes 110 lb evenly spread 3.
• Price and regional status: $159.99 in the United States in ash effect and white under 196.219.19 3. The same 120 × 70 cm desk in white is £85 in the United Kingdom under 596.219.17 4, ¥13,990 in Japan under 396.219.18 5 and 1,250 SEK in Sweden under 596.219.17 6. The ash-effect finish in this size was listed only in the United States, so the finish is the reason to buy here rather than there.
• Key specifications: Width 120 cm, depth 70 cm, height 75 cm, 73 cm of clearance under the top; maximum load 110 lb; melamine-foil particleboard top on a powder-coated steel frame; 10-year limited warranty 3.
• Assembly watch-out: Two flat packs arrive, one tabletop at 13.5 kg and one frame at 10.3 kg, and the manual is AA-2241565-4-2 21. At 3.9 from eight owner reviews the picture is mixed: one owner built the legs first and found the holes would not line up, twice, while another assembled the desk alone without trouble 3. Check the box before the drive home.
• Get it: View the TROTTEN desk on IKEA US.

2. STEGESUND bench, light bamboo

• Best for: the gap beside an entry door, a bathroom too small for a cabinet, or the foot of a bed that needs one more surface.
• Decision: Buy it if you want to sit down to put shoes on and store the shoes underneath. Skip it if you wanted a shelf to load: the seat is built for people, and the slatted panel below it carries what you slide under 7.
• Price and regional status: $59.99 in the United States under 606.320.19 7, £45 in the United Kingdom under the same article number 8, 599 SEK in Sweden under 606.320.19 10 and ¥9,990 in Japan under 506.322.65 9. All four listings carry the New label.
• Key specifications: Width 79 cm, depth 34 cm, height 47 cm; the seat is tested for people up to 242 lb and rated to 243 lb; bamboo with stain and clear acrylic lacquer; 7.1 kg, light enough to move one-handed when you clean; designer Su Liu 7.
• Assembly watch-out: The manual is AA-2649602-1-100, with a second advice and care sheet, AA-2134801-1-2 22. The US listing carried a single owner review, at five stars, when it was read, so the build time here comes from the manual rather than from buyers 7.
• Get it: View the STEGESUND bench on IKEA US.

3. NÅLBLECKA bread box, bamboo

• Best for: a one-person kitchen where the worktop is the only storage there is, and bread currently lives in its plastic bag.
• Decision: Buy it for the board and the tray, which is what you are paying for. Skip it if you want a bin you open one-handed while holding a loaf: the door is a framed panel with a handle, and not every owner finds it smooth 11.
• Price and regional status: $29.99 in the United States under 106.274.35 11 and ¥3,999 in Japan under 506.274.38, where it is called a bread bin 12. No British or Swedish listing for this bread box was found; those two sites carry the NÅLBLECKA countertop organisers instead.
• Key specifications: Width 38 cm, depth 25 cm, height 24 cm; 2.62 kg; bamboo with clear lacquer and a powder-coated steel bracket, a cotton door panel and an oiled bamboo cutting board; the board lifts out to be hand-washed, and IKEA suggests oiling it now and then 11.
• Assembly watch-out: The manual is AA-2676553-1-100 and the parts go together without drilling 23. Owners on the US listing rate it 3.5 from 13 reviews, and the recurring complaint is the door 11. One buyer answered the European reviews by saying theirs opens smoothly, which is worth knowing before you order. The Japanese listing had a single review at the time of writing 12.
• Get it: View the NÅLBLECKA bread box on IKEA US.

4. KVALMSÖ mirror, beige

• Best for: the wall opposite a window, or the one above a dresser, where a single round shape does more for a room than another piece of furniture.
• Decision: Buy it if you can put two screws into that wall and want the room to read deeper and better lit. Skip it if the wall is tile, plasterboard without a stud, or a rented surface you cannot drill: this mirror hangs, it does not lean 13.
• Price and regional status: $89.99 in the United States under 606.353.05 13, £45 in the United Kingdom under 906.353.04 14, 599 SEK in Sweden under 906.353.04 16 and ¥8,999 in Japan under 506.353.15 15. All four carry the New label and all four quote 90 cm.
• Key specifications: Diameter 90 cm, depth 2 cm, weight 6.4 kg; aluminium frame and mirror glass, both faced with plastic foil; a safety film holds the pieces together if the glass breaks; tested and approved for bathrooms 13.
• Assembly watch-out: The manual is AA-2678156-1-100, and the number to weigh is the weight 24. At 6.4 kg it needs two screws into a surface that will hold it, and IKEA notes that different wall materials need different fixings. The US listing had no owner reviews when it was read, so there is no owner verdict on this one yet.
• Get it: View the KVALMSÖ mirror on IKEA US.

5. STRÅLA LED floor lamp, matchstick-shaped

• Best for: a corner that needs a warm glow at knee height rather than a second ceiling light, in a flat where floor space is measured in centimetres.
• Decision: Buy it for the shape and for mood light. Skip it if you want to read or work by it: it puts out 5 lumens, which is decoration, not illumination 17. At 67 cm high it also does not fill a tall corner the way a full-height lamp does.
• Price and regional status: £17 in the United Kingdom under 306.456.07 17, ¥4,999 in Japan under 106.456.08 18, $44.99 in the United States under 506.456.11 19 and 499 SEK in Sweden under 406.456.02 20. The lamp costs more than twice as much in the United States as in Britain, the widest gap in this issue and a published price rather than an estimate.
• Key specifications: Height 67 cm, width 32 cm, cord 2.5 m, weight 1.31 kg; built-in LED rated for about 25,000 hours; 5 lm; dimmable in two steps; solid pine body with a clear lacquer, painted polycarbonate shades and a powder-coated steel bracket; designer Lukas Bazle 17.
• Assembly watch-out: The manual is AA-2692533-1-100 and the lamp arrives as one 1.31 kg pack 25. Owners rate it 4.8 from 26 reviews in Britain and 4.8 from 25 in Japan. Both sets name the same fiddly part: once the three sticks are crossed, the cord and the joining bracket are hard to hide 17. One American owner reports the lamp stopped working after about a month, and the US listing carries a California Proposition 65 warning about lead 19. Buyers also confirm the seasonality: it returns with the Christmas collection and goes when the season does.
• Get it: View the STRÅLA LED floor lamp on IKEA UK.

Choosing for your floor plan

• A desk corner with a wall behind it: the TROTTEN, because its legs leave the floor under the top free 3.
• A place to sit down in 79 cm: the STEGESUND bench, which brings its own shelf 7.
• A worktop with no room left on it: the NÅLBLECKA bread box, which stacks storage on storage 11.
• A wall that could do the decorating: the KVALMSÖ mirror, 90 cm of it 13.
• A dark corner and a small budget: the STRÅLA matchstick lamp, if you accept 5 lumens 17.

Where the table is thin