Shopping Trip: IKEA

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.

cafeteria

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

utensils

The bug lights were appealing too.

bugs

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

beds

The model bedrooms were well put together.
bed

Gotta love the Missoni-like throw.

zig

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

straw bed

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

placemat art

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

baskets

There were some great texture-y lamps too.

lamps-tall

And a straw ottoman.

straw ott

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!

more-lamps

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.

chairs

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

pink rug

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

colorful-lamps

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.

vases

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!

plants