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I finally took a road trip to IKEA in Stoughton, Mass. yesterday. It was pretty painless. Despite my husband’s plea “not to buy anything,” I came back with lots of little goodies. After all, not he surely meant furniture, not 79 cent glasses and fifteen dollar lamps. I tried out a few chairs – as uncomfortable as I remembered – but was impressed by the cute bedding. I went crazy in the Marketplace, stockpiling enough little vases to get me through next summer, even at increased rate of flower cutting. I loved the cozy sheepskins – especially the curly gray ones (must go back to buy a couple). I was most impressed by the lighting. I concentrated on table lamps. There were so many colorful, well-designed, decently made, inexpensive options, and I bought rather a lot. Here are pictures from my excursion, plus some product shots from the website.

First stop, the cafeteria for a cinnamon bun. I only ate half. Such restraint! They make great use of their KNAPPA pendant here. Head over for dinner – they serve Swedish meatballs.

Wandered from there into the kids section. Thankfully I no longer need plastic tableware, but the colors made them tempting!

The bug lights were appealing too.

I really liked the bedding patterns. Very graphic and not at all cutesy. The fabrication was a bit gauzy, but soft.

The model bedrooms were well put together.

Gotta love the Missoni-like throw.

This one used a rattan shade to add texture and make the bed wall more of a focal point.

They even give tips: Frame a straw placemat for instant art.

They were really touting these soft, woven baskets.They’re quite nice, actually.

There were some great texture-y lamps too.

And a straw ottoman.

More lamps. Love the straw weave one (i think it is plastic). The picture does not do the first one justice. It’s the Lunta from the IKEA 365+ collection. The lamp is beautiful; the metal is shiny and strong and the pleated lamp shade is a natural linen. I bought one for my bedroom. At $59.99, it was the most expensive piece I purchased, but well worth the price. I got the white sphere, the FADO, for my son’s nightstand. Its low profile really opened up the space that had been blocked by a more traditional lamp. The last one, the LAMPAN, comes in white, red, gray, and navy. It is short, all plastic, one piece, and $4.99!

One of the best things about IKEA, besides its prices, are the colors. I thought the violet Arne Jacobson knock-off chair could be fun in our playroom. Too bad it was so uncomfortable! Love the orange chair; the yellow too. I like the two tone white and natural color of the third chair. It’s all wood and very sturdy.

Great rug! Color, pattern, and fabrication all wonderful.

Speaking of color, I fell in love with the LYKTA table lamps. They look like vases (they’re glass, supposedly mouth-blown, but at $14.99 one wonders). The shades in our playroom are these exact shades of turquoise, lime, and violet. The store was out of the turquoise, but I came home with two limes, a violet, a purple. They’re lined up on the mantle. Unplugged, in the plastic wrap still. But I’ll figure something out

I went a little crazy in the vase department. But I couldn’t resist the colors, shapes, sizes, and prices. No matter how many vases I have out on the Cape, it’s never enough. The three little chartreuse PERSIKA ones will be perfect for my white blooms. They’re similar in shape and style to a larger Venini periwinkle vase I bought in Venice a million years ago. Notice the middle pair. One is an authentic Jonathan Adler, purchased a few years ago in NYC. (By the way, a Jonathan Adler boutique is opening on Newbury here is Boston. Can’t wait!) The other is a version of the FÄRM vase – Adler knock-offs. The last is another PERSIKA in white, placed in a generic florist’s vase that I had. SOrt of looks like a light bulb, but I like it.

Finally, the succulents and bamboo. Who knew IKEA had live plants? I put the bamboo, known at IKEA as DRACAENA, in the thick glass SNÄRTIG vases (79 cents! I bought five!). I popped the succulents into shiny white earthenware pots, the KARDEMUMMA, which have a vertical, almost bamboo-like design. LOVE!