Ikea

[softgrey]

one of the forerunners of fast fashion...
http://www.ikea.com/

IKEA is a privately-owned, international, low-cost home products retailer that sells modern, utilitarian design furniture, much of which is assembled by the consumer. IKEA was founded in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad and it is owned by a Dutch-registered foundation controlled by the Kamprad family. IKEA is an acronym comprising the initials of the founder's name, Ingvar Kamprad, and home village, Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd.

As pointed out by circuit lecturer Will Novosedlik, IKEA embodies the principles of design reform begun by William Morris and John Ruskin, insofar as the company seeks to elevate public taste by providing quality goods at affordable prices.
IKEA is sometimes compared to the late design school of Bauhaus in Germany, in which art, aesthetics, and function was introduced into everyday objects in mass quantities.

excerpts from wikipedia.com

burken jar with lid- from ikea
$3.99

 

[softgrey]

almost everyone i know has something from ikea in their house...
even furniture designers...

what do you think of ikea?...
what do you have or what do you want...?
please share your thoughts and cool finds here...

personally- i love ikea for inexpensive lighting options...
and for kitchen things...
and the cheapest tealight candles around...

 

[softgrey]

i have this timer...
ikea.com

 

[softgrey]

i also have this long narrow tray...
i LOVE serving trays...i think i like having people over just so i can used them......

 

[softgrey]

these teeny tiny little glass bowls come as a set of four...
they are only about an inch across...
they are so adorable i couldn't resist...
though i am not sure what to do with them......

...
ikea.com

 

[alix*]

I ADORE ikea.
I want to buy loads and loads of useless things from there.. but I control myself

 

[kissmesweet]

I LOVE IKEA! The store's amazing and the prices are great.
I love the little vases they have and the little mass-market 'artwork'.

 

[pavement]

I was going to say that IKEA bores me, but I really love the jar and bowls that you posted. I love things that are simple and incredibly beautiful. Nothing pains me more than simple and ugly things.

 

[keroppi]

Ikea definitely gets 2 thumbs up from me My house is laden with Ikea stuff. We have the first jar posted

 

[laika]

Great topic, soft!
I have these vases/pots that Hella Jongerius did for Ikea--one of the only high-low designer collaborations that I thought really worked!

{vestaldesign.com}

 

[laika]

And this lamp, which gives lovely light and is just fun to have around....

{ikea.com}

 

[softgrey]

oh laika....that lamp is really great!......

i get so frustrated that you can'd order a lot of these smaller items over the internet...
i don't get that......
i would have ordered SO much stuff if i could!...

 

[cosmogrl5]

I had an IKEA near me when I lived in CT, and I am really excited because now I live in NC, and one is opening here in September! I think they can be pretty dull sometimes, but you can also get very cute things like softgrey posted above. I have some tea lights, a lamp, a watering can, and some garbage cans from there. In my old place, I actually had a beautiful shower curtain from there too. I like IKEA when I want to pick up some basics and mix them with more unique pieces that are more expensive (I do the same with clothes- mix high end and low end). For artwork, I like to purchase more distinct things though. I am trying to support local artists and build a collection.

 

[laika]

soft, i know, that is very frustrating...especially since it is a royal pain in the a*s to get there from the city... I get hives just thinking about it.

I really think the IKEA has mastered the design-for-all aethetic...no one in fashion retail has really come close to democratizing *good* design the way they have.

 

[softgrey]

i couldn't agree more!...

i ALWAYS find something at Ikea...

i wish i could find a couch there!...
i am so jealous of people who have a couch from ikea...

if only they had one that worked in my space...

 

[cosmogrl5]

i couldn't agree more!...

i ALWAYS find something at Ikea...

i wish i could find a couch there!...
i am so jealous of people who have a couch from ikea...

if only they had one that worked in my space...

I know a few people who have some really mod looking ones from there and even a leather couch (though I don't know if the leather is real?). Anyway, one thing I forgot was their area rugs! Area rugs are so expensive in stores, but I have gotten ones from IKEA that are very reasonable priced...and aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well! You absolutely cannot beat that! The only complaint I have about something I have purchased from there is a tv stand I had in CT. It totally buckled. However, the tv I had was also abnormally heavy, so...it might not have been the fault of IKEA that it did that. Also you have to assemble the furniture yourselves, and my best friend and I dropped the box many times trying to carry it up the stairs and kept arguing while reading and trying to follow the directions and then got sidetracked by watching "What Not To Wear", so we might not have done the best job at putting it together.

 

[spierce]

I LOVE Ikea but boy is it a pain to shop there. It's always so full, especially Saturdays. My aunt had to wait two hours to pay her stuff
I really like the simplicity of most of the furniture and the price is (nearly) unbeatable but it's impossible to take them apart again after they've been set up - that's a big disadvantage of their stuff.

 

[Blodeuwedd]

I love Ikea. I have flower and plat pots, candles, candle holders, vases, potpourri, decorative stones, shelves, my computer desk, my floor lamp, carpet, sheets.. yea. I go crazy every time I go there, it's pretty bad. They're a few blocks away from my house so it's hard not wanting to go there, even if to indulge in the swedish treats and crackers.

and my favorite piece, on my wall :

ikea.com

 

[ChrissyM]

ikea is definitely a bit of a phenomenon...
they've got so much stuff for great prices and decent quality..

i would agree that there is literally something for everyone..

 

[luckyme]

I don't have an Ikea near me but online they have a easy to navigate website.
I found these I liked.

pet toys from ikea.com