A couple of weeks ago, I wrote here about the new IKEA catalog and what a joy it was to receive...well, the Southern Man and I travelled south recently and visited the nearest IKEA store to get my yearly fix of this sweet Scandinavian shop...
The sign is like a beacon from the interstate...leading you in...its huge and very tall...you can't miss it!
As you enter the store, there's a number of quotes on large scale walls...it gets you into the vibe of the setting...
and then I saw the best kitchen layout I've ever seen...and it made total sense that size has nothing to do with great design...I was so enthralled, that I neglected to take a few photos...but here's a slightly tweaked version from their website...the layout is a little different than the one in the store but the space planning was well thought out...it just felt right to us...all within 81 square feet!
Throughout the store, I noticed that the most common of items made a design statement when grouped together....
white display shelves...
storage canisters...
even wine corkscrews...
A few things really caught my eye...strong graphic fabric designs...
clear glass lamps...the bottom of the lamp base is open...think of all the great things you could display in the base and change out according to your whim...
this substantial woven wicker chair...I'm thinking two of them with our round dining room table...perfect place to lounge, eat, relax, enjoy...the price here includes the seat cushion...I can make better looking cushions...so the chair itself is only $79...its on the list of possibilities...
and of course, no trip to IKEA is complete with a stop at...
So what did we come home with...6 white cotton kitchen towels, 5 yards of the numbers fabric shown above, and a couple of HEMMA light cords...its a light assembly cord from which you can hang your own pendent light...I find these indispensable in designing hanging lights...such as the one seen here that I just finished...
I had some old garden fencing that I thought would be perfect for a light fixture...a few twists & turns and a HEMMA cord - its done!
and just wait and see where the numbers fabric shows up...
