IKEA isn't just for dorm rooms and first apartments anymore. It's now common to see an inexpensive IKEA piece holding its own in a room with higher-end furniture. Their new Stockholm line was recently released and I went to check it out with a friend this week. I just love the IKEA experience - the maze-like layout, the room vignettes, the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce. Here are some pics from my trip earlier this week.
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| Greens were a very popular, lots of emerald green items in furniture and fabrics (no surprise there since it's Pantone's Colour of the Year for 2013), and lots of sea glass green accessories. This new sofa from the Stockholm collection (left) was really comfortable. The chair wasn't so comfortable, but I think it would have been if I were about 6" shorter. The headrest is sewn in, and in order for it to fit comfortably behind my head/neck, I had to slouch down to the point where it was uncomfortable for my back. My advice - only buy this chair if you are around 5'2"! |
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| More green. This product is marketed as a bed canopy for a kid's room, but how amazing would it be if used outdoors on a patio?! It is just too cute! |
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| These new chairs from the Stockholm collection (left) were stunning and stylish, but were shockingly uncomfortable. This acrylic chair (or as I like to call it, IKEA's affordable re-imagining of the ghost chair) was surprisingly comfortable, except that it lacks the sophistication of a ghost chair. |
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| I love how IKEA doesn't just have a chair on display for the customer to sit in it and try it out before purchasing it - IKEA puts an entire apartment on display so that you can sit in the chair while seeing it as part of the bigger picture. |
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| In the bedroom. I love the rich colour in the new walnut veneer pieces - this 3-door dresser with full-length mirror was especially nice. That's my friend waving in the mirror! IKEA's new bedding is so soft and silky, especially this lilac set. I love those little chandeliers! Seeing them paired with these purple items is giving me an idea for my purple room that I'm turning into my home office... |
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| Many of today's designers are using IKEA kitchens in their clients' homes, but where they save on cabinetry, they are able to splurge in other areas (like marble countertops, for example). When done right, mixing high and low can result in a beautiful reno that doesn't break the bank. I love the way this bathroom vanity floats above the floor - it gives the illusion of more space in a smaller bathroom. And drawers are so much better than cupboards - you keep your most frequently used items in the top drawer so that you're bending down less when accessing them. |
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| Don't let this picture fool you - it's a rug, not a tablecloth! It's just draped over a table. If anyone knows where I can get an 5x8' cowhide rug made up of squares sewn together in light grey, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IKEA's are really nice and affordable, but they only come in caramel colour and this really dark brown/black one pictured here. |
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| I can't end this post without talking about IKEA food. Their staple is my favourite dish - Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes with gravy and lingonberry sauce. Would you believe that this entire dinner cost LESS than the cost of my lunch earlier that day? And it's not as if I had a beer at lunch! |
I was really hoping to get a look at and sit in the Stockholm swivel easy chair but I must have overlooked it and by the time I remembered it my friend and I were already at the checkout and the store was closing. Oh well, it's a good excuse for us to go back again soon!
