stealing style: ikea.
vases (from $4.99), via ivy style33.
so, i have a bit of a love-hate relationship with ikea. on the one hand, i don’t think many of us are too fond a mass-produced items. i like found, unique, one of a kind objects. but one the other hand, ikea has some wonderfully Scandinavian and stylish designer items at prices that are hard to beat. i don’t want everything-ikea, all the time, but i do like a dash of their decor items here and there, mixed with other unique and eclectic, vintage-inspired home furnishings. here’s some great and affordable design ideas courtesy of ikea.
svinga swinging chairs, via lakbdesign/fergusandme.
the docksta dining table ($149), via sfgirlbybay.
a few of my favorite bargain finds: ostlig planter box ($14.99); bondis wall clock ($17.99); ps maskros pendant lamp ($89.99); and ostlig watering can ($9.99).
frosta stool, via uniform natural.
rens sheepskin throw ($24.99), via sfgirlbybay.
dining room table from the stockholm collection, via Derek Henderson.
a few more bargains: fillsta table lamp ($19.99); PS SÅGA dining chair ($69.99); scala serving tray ($14.99); and agne stool ($14.99).
skruvsta swivel chair ($149), updated with new diy cushion, via sfgirlbybay.
lack shelving ($29.99), via On Bradstreet {Amy}.
ikea ps cabinet ($99), via lretelle.
It’s funny. Despite the prevalence and ubiquity of IKEA, I get SO MANY questions about where things in my house come from, and most often the answer is…IKEA. Yes, I have a few high-end things and a lot of vintage stuff, but it’s the IKEA stuff that gets all the questions, and people are always surprised when I give the answer.
Um, rambling…
Anyway, I really think it comes down to how you use things in your home and what you do to make objects (ANY objects, not just IKEA stuff) your own. There’s no difference between a mass-produced chair from IKEA and a mass-produced chair from Herman Miller (most things we buy are mass-produced anyway; few people buy only handmade furniture, though I commend those who do!). I believe very strongly in the Eameses beliefs about egalitarian design and mass production, and IKEA is one of the very few manufactures today living up to those ideas all these years later.
Also, it’s important to remember that IKEA does employ “real” designers to come up with what’s for sale in their showrooms, and most of those designers have their name attached to the product. How many furnishing manufacturers can you say that about? (They also win points for social and environmental actions, too…not to put them on too high of a pedestal, but there’s a lot more going on with IKEA than your typical mass-market retailer.)
love ikea- grew up in Toronto where there are three and will still drive the distance for meatballs anyday of the week!
great collection… i have the skruvsta swivel chair in my office (all white) but i like the idea of covering the padded part with some vintage fabric. hmmm… thanks for the inspiration!
all excellent points, anna! not rambling at all – rather, filling in some very valuable notes on ikea design. :)
ren – the meatballs are good, too!
beth – i made this cushion and it was quite easy! i love a good ikea-hack!
i hear you about the ikea positives and negatives. the price can’t be beat though!
I hate to be THAT person, but the dining table is actually part of the Stockholm range, not Leksvik. Just in case anyone was interested in buying it. Unfortunately, not all Stockholm furniture is available in the U.S. but here’s the link to what’s online.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=stockholm&pageNumber=0
And no, I’m not a deranged IKEA fan who memorizes the products. I just work there :-)
I agree with the whole thing of nothing wanting something that is mass produced, but Ikea does a really great job with what they have. they have amazing designs at affordable prices and they’re easy to put together (the furniture, that is). Any honestly, when I’m on a budget I don’t really care if I get my furniture from a garage sale or from Ikea, as long as I love it!
definitely Victoria, very cute… kinda makes me want to recover the whole chair.
I hear ya. I love a lot of their items, but get frustrated putting them together.
Your house looks amazing! I can’t wait to see everything you’ve done. Where did you get the fabulous bookcase where you store your china? It’s amazing.
tanya – i have cussed up a storm trying to put together pieces by myself. gotta have help!
caitlin – that’s my old house. and i got that bookcase on craigslist. it belonged to a russian record collector and he had it built for that purpose.
I’m visiting NYC from Cape Town, where we don’t have IKEA, and today was the Big Day where I set out to see what all the fuss is about. I saw some things that I could seriously make work in my home, in particular the clever space-saving furniture, the powder-coated furniture, the stylish chairs, and some of the kitchen items. Some of the stuff I did feel was a bit blah, but that’s just my taste. On the whole, it seemed to be well-made, well-considered, and just SO FRUSTRATING I think that IKEA seems to
Whoops, itchy posting finger broke me off halfway through.
As I was ranting: SO FRUSTRATING that I can only fit a couple of extra bits and bobs in my luggage. Ah well, I always feel that wanting is often more pleasurable than having, so I can live with it.
I live about 90 miles from Dallas, which has the closest IKEA to me. And visited there just last month. Impressive place. I bought some Granny apple green candles. So I could pick a few things I’d like. But I go more the unique as well.
Brenda
I also have a love/hate relationship with IKEA – there are so many great pieces that are classics for a reason, but I hate how many bookshelves, for instance, are particle board. I love their sales, like the midnight madness ones. . .got my 2 Norrebo units for 50% off, plus I had my staff discount! It was bad working there as I bought too much stuff from as-is.
I agree that one of a kind items are better than mass produced, but for things like bookshelves, and tables I love IKEA’s quality.
I love my Expedit bookcase that I just discovered is $60 less than I paid for it last year – Ouch!
comp;ete;y agree, hard to go by for cheap and funky. great for ‘i feel like a change’ days!
I love Ikea – especially here in US – because before Ikea it was really hard to find affordable yet stylish European design furniture store here. ( I’m not talking about the high end, extremely expensive Italian design :))
I like fusion style so my ideal home is a mixture of mass produced with handmade, industrial look with rustic, new with old etc – so Ikea blends beautifully into my interiors:)
for a first-apt-post-college girl, ikea is a god send. of course it’s not amazing resorting to mass & cheaply produced stuff, but it works, and if you work it right, you really can make it your own! i swear by it–and mixed with some good thrift finds i have lots of compliments on our on a budget decor!
their sheer panels are great and so affordable. ikea is definitely doable in moderation ;)
i love that idea of presenting vintage cameras on ‘lack’ shelving!
and wait – i’ve got both, just not together yet…
I agree with you – it all depends how you integrate your IKEA pieces. Love the chairs you have with the dining room table – it makes it.
nice post. I love your dining room.
Just fall in love with this great cupboard behind the docksta table and had to re-blog it.
I can’t hate IKEA, every new catalogue is awaited in this house. That’s tradition :)
thanks, derek – your dining room is nice, too.
this is actually my old dining room. i’ve since mixed things up a bit! :)
Your house looks amazing!
I do love Ikea, for it’s affordability, good style, clean lines and organizational sense. That shelf I used is actually an entire wall piece, with shelves and hooks called “Vanna” (I like the Lack shelves, too)–I think it’s been discontinued. It works perfectly in my daughter’s bedroom (see here http://onbradstreet.blogspot.com/2010/02/weekend-warriors.html ) We have an old house and use a lot of thrifted and found furniture, but Ikea offers us a bit of modern aesthetic that fits our budget. Nice collection!
My goodness! I need to get to Ikea, and fast.
I love everything..is that even possible?!
The planter boxes exspecially!
Just the other day I was inspired to go to Ikea by a comment on one of your flickr pictures. Your grouping of plants prompted someone to recommend the Hyllis galvanized steel shelves, and they are exactly what I had been looking for. I bought four of them, and they’re perfect for pottery-in-progress. :) I agree that a smattering of Ikea can work well, and you can’t beat some of the prices.