Ikea,
Can we be friends?
I have to confess, for years I’ve not been too fond of you….
Maybe I spent too many childhood years putting together lego, but all those pieces required to assemble your furniture just turned me off. I can’t say I enjoy spending 2 hours screwing in a million screws with those tiny tools in order to make a sidetable.
I guess I always figured, if I could buy something unique, vintage, and good quality for the same price, it was a no brainer.
But I have to say, you’ve slowly been winning me over. You DO have some good qualities, after all….
Your bookshelves are pretty useful, and I do like the pricetag {saving on storage so there is money left over for pretty pillows is a good thing in my opinion}.
And when I visit your store, I’m all over your cheap candles and fun patterned paper napkins….they make summer outdoor entertaining that much better.
You know what is also genius? I’m a sucker for the snacks at the end {which I must mention also work well for coercing toddlers to behave on shopping excursions}. Hot dogs, ice cream, and fresh cinnamon buns for $1 and a plethora of interesting Swedish food have roped me in. Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware take note: Feed them and they will come.
And can we talk about your rugs? I think your rugs are the best. I’ve been smitten with the Madeline Weinrib-esque “Stockholm Rand ” one for awhile, even before Nate showed how great the pattern could look:
Ikea “Stockholm Rand” Rug ~ $399 {for 11.5′ x 8′}
Here are some of my other favourites:
Ikea “Jorun” Rug ~ $199.99 {just bought this for Jeff’s “man room” and it looks amazing, love the charcoal and gray!}
Ikea “Hessum” Mat ~ $13.99
Ikea “Sveje” Rug -$9.99 {black, navy, red, green, orange}
But when I stop to ponder it, I think the moment I came to the realization that we needed to be friends was when I discovered your feather pillows. Seriously, I need to take a moment and mention the pillows. Feather pillow inserts for $6-8! C’mon, this is a ridiculous price, and it fills me with joy knowing no one has an excuse not to have lovely downy pillows on each and every chair and sofa. Kudos Ikea.
Now, since this is the beginning of a new relationship, I want to be honest with you. In the past I have been a little unkind, and I need to apologize….
I’m sorry for referring to some of your products as “Ikea crap” {this most frequently happened when I was trying to put something together and decipher your instructions….I was just frustrated because I’m not very handy, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you}.
I’m sorry for laughing about Swedish accents when I’ve watched your commercials {I’m from Canada~ feel free to joke about me saying “eh” and “aboot”, I deserve it }.
And I’m sorry for griping about how people selling Ikea furniture has cluttered up Craigslist and made it difficult to find other things like the perfect faux bamboo table or a vintage bankers chair. It’s not your fault.
So Ikea, here’s to a fresh start. I truly mean it when I say “let’s be friends”. I mean, don’t take that the wrong way, I’m not saying I want to be BFF’s or anything….we’re not going to start calling each other every night or hanging out several times a week. I just mean that we are on good terms, and I might pay you a visit once in awhile {cinnamon bun afterwards of course}.
Your bud,
PS have you entered the giveaway yet? You could win a gorgeous pair of Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis pillows! Click HERE to enter.
Such a cute post Karla! I love it, I too have been guilty of saying things like.. “I can’t wait till I don’t have a single piece of Ikea furniture in my house!!” Ha ha. But I do love the rugs, esp. that herringbone one in grey! And the feather inserts, you can’t beat those prices.
Your entry way is so lovely, I think you have things in reverse…you need to come help me finish mine! Lol, but seriously, you’re one of the only designers I know I could honestly hand my house keys over to without any reserves, I love your taste!
Nancy
Karla… if I promise to feed you, can WE be friends?!
Such a terrific post; enjoyed every word!!
Victoria
Karla….you had me at IKEA! I have been waiting for IKEA to restock that black and white stripe rug like a 6 year old waiting for Christmas! Yesterday, I was near and thought I would just pop by and check [it has been out of stock for months!] and OMG…there was just ONE!!! Looked like a return cause it was out of the package. I started dancing right there and I know some people thought I had not taken my meds in a while! Scooped it up and my guest room is now the proud owner. Life is good! Oh yea…the 9.99 26″ down pillows…what is not to like! I agree with you about assembling the furniture….you need “people” for that. “Complicated order”…..
Sherry
http://designindulgence.blogspot.com/.
Too funny. . I’ve had many of the same thoughts. My post would go something like this:
Favorite part: Cinnamon buns
Least favorite part: Those stupid cards that won’t turn on the floor and make my back hurt by the time I’m done. (The very reason I feel like I deserve one of those cinnamon buns for my trouble.)
Such a cute letter and I understand totally! Ikea has been my friend for the reasons you listed. The few items I’ve purchased from Ikea are still serving me well!
Oh, you forgot about the tealight candles. You can get 100 of them for $3.99 USD
They have other goodies you might want to watch for. For example, a glass and stainless steel coffee table for $79, Black Crossback kitchen chairs $89 each, glass cake plates, Black and cream Ribba frames, $5-20. Their furniture (although a pain to build) does last a long time for the price.
Hahaha…great post. All so very true..
I was just at Ikea today buying a boxspring and of course, stopping to eat some meatballs!
I find Ikea awesome for some storage ideas for almost everywhere in the home…some more expensive than others…and as mentioned the carpets are great too!
~Louise
Great post Karla!! Can’t beat the feather pillow inserts and the Ribba frames:)
I still smile when I think of the commercial “start the car! start the car!”
I want to be friends with Ikea’s PAX Complement closet units…
cheers
Susan
Love this post! My favourite finds: pillow inserts, plant pots and picture frames!
Hate the carts but enjoy an indulgence of a hot dog at the end. Since I married a Swede, I bring home Swedish goodies and then he doesn’t balk at the bill!
Maybe I need to be apologizing too…was it me or Dad who used the term “ikea crap”???? O well. I agree with Susan I laugh at that ad EVERY time. ……And those graphic rugs are great….I will be planning a visit once the floors are slate instead of yucky wall to wall.
Too funny. By the way those rugs are not at the IKEA’s in Vancouver–not that I’ve seen.
The Stockholm rug does come in periodicaly, but for some crazy reason they only ever bring a few in at a time. The others {Jorun and the Hessum} I’ve seen several times. Your right, the striped one never seems to be in stock….which is very aggrevating I’v been wanting a few navy and white ones for a project.
[...] you may have read that Ikea is starting to grow on me. Well, UPDATE: we hung out yesterday. And it was [...]