On my birthday, my sister and I took a swing by Ikea after our fun day out. It was her first visit there. I think she is hooked now, since she found several things to bring home. Ikea is such a fascinating place to walk through, pure enjoyment and so many cool things to see.
So, let’s go browsing at Ikea, shall we?
Lots of great linens. When I get back in a house again, you can bet I’ll be hitting up Ikea for some inexpensive items. Their linens feel great too and I would not hesitate to buy some of these. You can’t beat the prices!
Love how they set up rooms so you can see their products in a real live room setting.
Lots of great ideas with storage and bookcases.
We all know about the famous Billy bookcase, right? This one has been used successfully across blogland for a long time. Using these as built-ins by trimming them out top and bottom is a great way to have a wall of bookcases without a lot of money. My friend, Kate did this in her guest house, which was brilliant.
I’m not positive that the pricetag you see goes with this rug, but their rugs are really well priced too. I love the simplicity of this gray/white check one.
Not all of Ikea’s furniture is modern, this pretty little curved side table would fit in most any room.
More colorful rugs.
A whole craft room of organizational possibilities. By the way, my sister is creating a craft room in their basement, which I’ll be blogging about this year.
A complete kitchen setup so you can see their cabinets and countertops in action.
More dining and kitchen ideas.
Did you know Ikea has farmhouse sinks? Yeah, me neither! I know that lots of people have used Ikea for cabinets and I wouldn’t hesitate to do that either if I need to renovate a kitchen.
Map wall art.
More kitchen and dining possibilities.
Awww, a cute little person’s room.
These pretty lanterns cannot be beat. Small and large, great prices.
Their pendant lighting is pretty snazzy too.
Loved the industrial feel of this one.
Lots of pretties hanging there to check out.
Another full room put together so you can see how their products work together. Brilliant marketing!
A living room with TV and wall unit.
Office and storage ideas.
They have some great organizational items to choose from, so if you need to get organized (and who of us do not?), check out all the organizing tools, like these magazine. These cardboard ones are perfect for my little decoupage project I did a couple years ago.
More parson’s chairs than you will likely see in one spot.
Lots of pillow covers and pillow forms, great prices on these too. My sister picked up a couple for her master bedroom chairs.
One thing I love about Ikea is their choice of real live plants. They have different ones that you don’t see everywhere else and they are very inexpensive too. You know how much I love real plants!
Daybeds and open shelves.
Modern breakfast table and chairs.
Cowhide rugs.
Here are more of those organizing boxes I was talking about. Great way to color coordinate your storage needs.
And the Ektorp sofa is still going strong, with more slipcovers to choose from every year.
My sister, Renee, found a few things she couldn’t live without, including pillows, plants and a few other goodies.
Not to mention, cinnamon rolls on the way out the door. Yum!
Hi Rhoda ~ I love Ikea too! We purchased the daybed that you showed for our daughter about a year ago. I love it and she does too! Thanks for the tour!!
Thanks for the little tour around your Ikea! Ours here is a 1.5 hour ferry ride and a 2 hour drive away… when we go I like to have a good idea first as to what I’d want to get (thank goodness for their catalogs too). Oh and yes on the farmhouse sink – I got one in my kitchen and love, love, love it!
My daughter/blog partner just bought that white day bed yesterday at an IKEA in New York. They are going to put it in their sun room.
Gotta love Ikea!!
Hey Rhoda! Did you see any nice nursery displays? I’ve been looking at their stuff online since I live 2 hours from an Ikea but can’t really tell about the quality of the baby furniture. Any thoughts?
Jamie, nurseries aren’t exactly on my radar these days, so no didn’t check any of that out in depth. It takes hours to walk through and even notice everything!
IKEA is 4 miles from my home. I find myself going there about 3 times a week just to check out what’s new in the “as is” section. Great buys, a fraction of the price, and the furniture is already assembled. Some imperfections are bigger and more noticeable than others, but mostly the “as-is” items have small imperfections or were just the floor model. As an organization freak, IKEA is truly my store!
On my list to do this week! Happy New Year, Rhoda!
Well darn, now you got me wondering where the closest Ikea is to me. I will have to search it. Ikea is one of those places I usually get totally overwhelmed in but seeing your post, breaking down different rooms has helped me. Thanks!
I might to have to make a trip over there today for the bedspread you showed – I love it!!
I love Ikea! I always manage to find something useful!
The cinnamon rolls get me every time too! I think I may need to make an Ikea trip soon!
Made my first IKEA trip this past Friday. I was on a mission to get the Malm bed for my son’s room remodel, but couldn’t help getting “trapped” in their various vignettes! It’s overwhelming.
The most amazing part (besides their great prices): For $59 they delivered the bed same day! I had to rush home to make sure I was here before the delivery guys arrived!
I love IKEA… it’s my kind of Disneyland! I could spend all day there…wait.. I have!
Oh, I love IKEA, too! But, it’s a good thing that it’s an hour away from my house because my boys and I went last week and let’s just say I spent way more than I had planned because there were just too many awesome things that my 14yoa son ‘needed’ to re- decorate his room! And, actually we almost didn’t make it home with all of it because it nearly didn’t fit in the car- AHHH!LOL!
Well I may have to check IKEA online. I have been looking for bedding without success!
Hello…So glad to meet you in our virtual world! I’m a new follower and blogger too.
Blessings to You and Yours,
Arlene
Thanks Rhoda for sharing the IKEA experience. I never go there and should! I also clicked into your ModPodge post of the cardboard magazine holders. What a great idea. So cute. I have a bunch of brown wicker ones that I hate. Do you think I could spray paint them and if yes, any particular kind of spray paint I should use?
Thanks, Renee
Hi, Renee, oh yes, you can definitely spray paint wicker. Any spray paint will do, so choose a Satin or Gloss finish in the color of your choice. Great way to spruce up, I love spray paint!
Rhoda – Thanks for getting back to me on the spray paint question. I’ll let you know how the magazine box holders turn out.
Renee
Oooh, Rhoda girl, I have been CRAVING a trip to Ikea lately. You are definitely making me want to seriously consider a trip sometime soon. I love everything they have!! Happy 2012 : )
What a fun day! I was in IKEA last week with a friend and our kids, and it’s cool to see that the showrooms in our IKEA are a lot different than yours. So you can find some different inspiration, no matter where you go! I fell head over heels with their new gray pieces!
So happy you and your sister had a good time. Like someone else said, ‘it’s like going to Disneyland’ only much cheaper. We live 1 1/2 hour away from an IKEA, so I only get to go once in a while. Miss it. Praying you get your own home again, and soon. Paula