Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A Date with Ikea

The New Haven Ikea looms large on the highway whenever I drive back home from New York. Yesterday I impulsively stopped in on my way home. I needed throw pillows, since I'm planning on making my own pillowcases soon, and I wanted a few small planters to put some paperwhite bulbs in (my dad sent me home with a bag of my own to plant). The last time I went to Ikea alone (Jesse HATES Ikea and refuses to go with me. His words: "It's a demented Candyland and I'm always losing"), I ended up stuffing the back of my sedan with wicker chairs, pillows, glass bottles, melamine trays, and a host of other "necessities". I knew I had to be careful this time or I'd end up with another carful of the Swedish stuff.
I parked in the massive lot and headed inside. It was at about this point that I realized I was still wearing the L.L. Bean slippers I had put on for the drive home...



Here's some Ikea stuff I think is pretty great...


For some reason, all of the daybeds I passed looked pretty disheveled (I guess by Sunday night Ikea is in a need of some cleanup) and the daybed above was the neatest one I found. I LOVE daybeds and want to find a place for one in our house soon. I think I might need this one for my office.


We have the mudroom in our new house but in Brooklyn we had very limited space for coats, bags, and accessories when you came in the front door. I think this coat rack would have been a great solution for an apartment and despite the not-so-great photograph, it doesn't look too Ikea-y.


There were Christmas trees in just about every room setup. I thought it was delightful. Jesse would think it's gimmicky.


How about these cable knit throw blankets?? These happen to be in the same colors as my two favorite cable knit sweaters. Somehow I managed to resist.


Though I've been dying for a quilt lately, I also passed on the Ikea quilt. Just barely. I was able to do this since I plan on teaching myself to quilt during the long, dark New England winter days.


Towels in all sizes and colors...


...and jars screaming to be chalkboard-labeled!

After an hour or so of looping through the aisles (it sort of feels like a casino in there with no clock, no natural light, and minimal cell signal), I finally found my way to the exit. While checking out, I heard a little boy singing a song he seemed to have made up on the spot: "this is the worst day ever" (I guess he shares Jesse's sentiments on Ikea).

So you've seen what I didn't take home...here's what I did grab:


Clockwise from left: set of 2 Christmas-y dishtowels (they reminded me of gingerbread), footed metal bowl (for holding fruit or ornaments or other seasonal goodies), down throw pillows, wooden tray (for collaging down the road) and a few small planters. I love the planters...



So, all in all a successful trip. I didn't cry (that's happened to me before at Ikea but that's another story for another time), I didn't lose my car in the parking lot (a common occurrence), and I got out for less than $75. Not too shabby. Stay homey!

1 comment:

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!