We posted about Wal-Mart's Olivia crib, a new offspring in the BabyMod line of nursery furniture, but hadn't seen it in person.
If Olivia is anything like its sibling ParkLane, the news looks good for anyone considering making a purchase. Here is what reader Sara had to say about her ParkLane crib and dresser:
It's unfortunate that Wal-Mart doesn't stock any of this line in the stores, because we were definitely skeptical when I first discovered it and would have liked to check it out in person. We ordered it knowing that if the quality was poor, we could just return everything, suck it up, and order the Oeuf instead. All of the pieces arrived in perfect condition and were very easy to assemble. The crib is all solid wood construction, as is most of the dresser (I think some is wood veneer, but no particleboard or anything like that), and both feel extremely sturdy. We didn't notice any off-gassing, but made sure to set everything up in time for it air out anyway.
My one complaint is that the pine is a bit soft, and when I accidently banged the toddler bed conversion rail against the crib it created a small ding. I can't imagine a scenario in the future when it would get hit that hard with something that heavy again, so hopefully that won't be much of a problem. As far as the dresser goes, we loved that the changing table part was detachable, making it a piece that could grow with the baby.
Thanks again, Sara! Check out her awesome Modern Nursery on a Budget here.
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How come you don't have a photo of the Park Lane dresser to go with your review?
Also, as someone who recently set up the Park Lane furniture, I can say that the only truly "flimsy" bit was the backing to the dresser, which was relatively thin board. That being said, at least it was color-matched to the rest of the piece, unlike most cheap backings of its sort. (Photo here http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcreation/1731079993/in/set-72157602673787181/)
view eloquacious's profile
I'm so glad I saw this today. After hearing about bad smells from the Target Dwell baby line I am glad to come across a well reviewed affordable modern furniture line. Thanks!
view MonaH's profile
I have both the crib and the dresser. The crib was a snap to put together. The dresser on the other hand... Well, let's just say the thing arrived in 222 pieces. I don't exaggerate; I actually counted them all up after it took me FOUR hours to put it together. Under "tools needed" the instructions said a Phillips screwdriver but neglected to say anything about needing a master's degree in patience and the ability to decide what to do when the pictures say one thing and the words say the opposite.
In the end, I was able to figure it out and it's a pretty substantial piece of furniture but I would disagree that it's 100% hardwood. There were some pieces that seemed like cardboard/pressboard to me.
Also, the drawers are much more shallow than you'd imagine. I thought they'd be very deep but they really aren't.
All in all though, it's nice. I'd buy it again if I had to do it all over. I'd just probably make my husband put it together and save myself the stress!
view meamom's profile
We bought one and found it pretty low quality. It took about 3 hours to put together. Although it was inexpensive, I felt that our time could have been better spent with something else. I regretted not paying more for something sturdier and longer lasting like the Room and Board moda line.
view SandraG's profile
Eloquacious- I love your nursery- great job!
view a to the toy's profile
My husband and I bought the crib and we love it! We are debating whether or not to buy one of the chest of drawers now...anyone have experience with either?
Also--not sure if this has already been mentioned--it doesn't actually have any drawers under the crib like it mentions on the website.
view southernroyalty's profile
Which crib are you referring to, southernroyalty? The Park Lane aboslutely has a drawer, subdivided into two compartments. I'm not certain, but I believe the Olivia doesn't.
view eloquacious's profile
Oh, sorry, it is the Olivia!
view southernroyalty's profile
We've had the full Olivia furniture set in use for 7 months now and we've been impressed. I was nervous buying from Walmart after spending months looking at high end baby furniture. In the end I had to acknowledge that spending a ton of our baby budget on expensive furniture just wasn't realistic. These pieces grow with your kids into toddler beds and storage pieces. We've found them sturdy and easy to clean.
We liked the line so much we've recommended it to friends and decided to buy the Park Lane set for our newest addition.
view littletimebomb's profile