IKEA Inspiration

  

January seems to be the perfect month for an inspirational, retail day. And what better place to indulge our multi-generational girl outing than Ikea, which also hails our Swedish/American heritage.

Mom, sister, and 3 year old neice and I started our day out with a good, cheap breakfast. Free coffee to caffinate ourselves along with scrambled eggs and sausage for protein. Of course a swedish breakfast is not complete without sweets! The french toast sticks appealed to more than the toddler, and the cinnamon rolls were perfectly iced. The lingonberry juice was a special treat, and the lingonberries on the swedish pancakes harkened back to the old country, too.

  

There were plenty of other diners basking in the light, bright, clean cafeteria. A nice respite from a cold, Minnesota day.

A few years back, someone commented to me, "You like Ikea?" "I thought you only liked old stuff!"

I do love the character and time worn patina of old items...it's my business. But, I also appreciate good design, a well-put together room, and creative retail merchandising. The best dressed homes are a conglomeration of new and old. Harmony comes from the perfect balance of disparate items, telling the collected story of your life.

The upstairs of IKEA is devoted to inspire with creative room groupings. Meandering around corners into pretend rooms is an adventure...even more so with a 3 year old! Luckily, there are kid-friendly corners tucked all around to make shopping with toddlers easier. Little Girl announced, as she rounded a corner..."this is where that Big Ladybug is!"

There was quite a bit of construction going on, creating new vignettes for spring, but there was still plenty of wonderful groupings to ooh and aah over. I loved the tree decals in the picture above, and thought the use of origami spheres made the 3D effect even more creative.

Another reason I love IKEA is their re-inventing of vintage items. Obviously, the construction difference can be felt when you pick the item up, but the fresh paint colors and great style make them a great option. Here are some of my favorites:

  

  

  

As we were walking, the long lines of chairs inspired a little Wheels on the Bus game. Little Girl demanded Grandma be the driver...

  

If you've got wee ones, the children's rooms area will be quite entertaining. Each toddler bed needed to have an occupant when we were there. I was amused with the veggie stuffed animals and remembered how my kiddos were raised on Veggie Tales videos.

   

Just seeing the bright-colored displays got me dreaming of spring.

  

And the clean lines of items displayed neatly made me want to go home and organize!

  

  

  

I did go home with a few items; some organizers for bags in my pantry, some frames I want to put family photos in, and a few paper spheres for upcoming parties. I had to hold myself back from buying this rug:

Think I have a weakness for this motif...it looks a lot like my living room rug.

Thanks, IKEA, for great food, great diplays, and cheap, winter entertainment!

Comments

[Cheryl Jarl]

Love the rug, reminds me of the spoon carved design we see in a lot of old furniture. Hopefully they still have it when I visit in the spring.

[Dianne Peters]

We furnished Matthew's entire townhouse with Ikea furniture and accessories for very little money and it looks great! A lot of assembly, but well worth it.

[Lora Bloomquist]

Oh, I hadn't even thought about that-you're so right! It would look really cute in your eating area...& only $60!

[Lora Bloomquist]

Oh Dianne, what a fun project! I'd love to decorate a Bachelor pad! Hope he's enjoying his new digs!