Taking over the world one room at a time
February 27, 2007
I think that is the motto of Sweden.
Sunday I went to IKEA and bought a room full of furniture, which was packed in boxes so flat it only took up approximately a 2ft square area in my trunk.
Yesterday I used the teeny tiny allen wrench to assemble all of it until my hand began to blister. Three bookcases, a tv stand cabinet, and baskets that needed to be assembled. Yes, baskets that were flat packed. Who would have thought that was possible.
Also, I have had to stop what I am doing numerous times over the past two days and have “tea” from the tea set I bought for my daughter at IKEA. So I am thoroughly hydrated. Albeit, one ounce of water at a time.
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Someday they will get an IKEA closer to us. Then I’ll be in trouble. So much to buy that I don’t need, but would really like to get!!! God bless the allen wrench, because delivery of an already assemble something is horrible these days.
Enjoy your “tea”!!
February 27th, 2007 at 9:39 amPictures! Pictures! We demand pictures!!
February 27th, 2007 at 9:55 amI think we might have the same little tea set. It’s adorable and don’t you feel refined drinking ‘tea’ from such a tiny cup…
February 27th, 2007 at 10:27 amOh don’t tell me things like that. My husband wants us to drive down to Ikea and go shopping for “office” furniture. I’m scared….
The tea sounds wonderful though!
February 27th, 2007 at 10:30 amWhat one really needs is an electrical screwdriver thingie with a bit that fits into those Ikea screws - no more blisters.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:33 amIKEA is taking the world over. People half a world a way have the exact same furniture in their homes and drink off of the same tiny tea set.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:34 amThis probably comes too late, but maybe for future reference…I saw on one of those home improvement shows they had taken the top part of the allen wrench and fit it to their drill.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:34 amCan’t wait for the IKEA to be built close to us (it’s supposedly opening this spring). I’d love to wander the maze like store and find bargains! Good for you!
February 27th, 2007 at 10:41 ampictures would be fun. my fiancee and i were at ikea last week looking for a tv stand/media unit, but didn’t see much in the store. online they have stuff, but then they say it’s not available to order online. ugh. come on, sweden!
February 27th, 2007 at 10:45 amAhhh…the IKEA blister. I’ve had that before, right in the palm of my hand.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:54 amI’ll have to try Tina’s drill trick the next time - if I can find the darn thing!
You can buy whole sets of allen wrenches for drills or electric screwdrivers — there is usually one in there somewhere that will fit nearly any piece of prefab furniture you’re building. My husband’s set has saved us several times when we’ve gone to move furniture OUT of a room we build it in and realized it won’t go through the door!!! (crib/toddler bed 2 days ago)
February 27th, 2007 at 10:57 amLook at you, all handy and stuff.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:10 amLOVE IKEA.. love it love it love it and it’s three miles from my house.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:42 amI love IKEA. My husband and son hate it. When we go I always make him eat lunch there. Then we have to get some of those yummy cookies. Roo has several of their toys.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:56 amI LOVE Ikea. The nearest one is in Atlanta…about three and a half hours away…but I will gladly drive it if I see something in the catalog I like. We went there after Christmas to pick up three bookshelves…I am so in love with them. I wish they’d build one closer to me…in Nashville maybe…a girl can dream, eh?
February 27th, 2007 at 1:00 pmIkea? I’ve never heard of it…but apparently I am missing out! I’m looking them up right now…
February 27th, 2007 at 1:05 pmAnn-marie - Only some of what they have is on display. If there is a specific unit you found online you want, go to the warehouse section. You can have one of the staff look it up and they’ll give you a locator number so you can find the boxes in the warehouse.
Saddly this should illustrate just how much of my furniture comes in flat boxes.
February 27th, 2007 at 1:05 pmSadly, I am just about to venture upstairs to put together the Ikea futon we bought last weekend. Maybe I’ll bring some gloves.
I ventured into Ikea when we lived in England, and visited one in France…and they’re all the same. Apparently there’s one model for these stores, and they stick to it, originality be damned.
February 27th, 2007 at 1:50 pmWe have had IKEA in Atlanta for a year or so. I love it, and John pretends to hate it-but he actually makes most of the purchases!
February 27th, 2007 at 2:09 pmI have a love/hate relationship with IKEA. I can’t stand to be in a store that big with no windows or clocks and yet the prices are so good and my husband is so adept at putting together the furniture that I can’t resist. Which is explains why most of the furniture I own is from there. The rest I inherited.
February 27th, 2007 at 2:14 pmWe have IKEA bookshelves, desks, a dining room set (with 8 chairs), night stands, kitchen dishes… I could go on longer but I don’t want to scare anyone.
February 27th, 2007 at 2:18 pmI heard the other day that they are putting an Ikea in very close to me, and I just about peed my pants, I was so happy.
February 27th, 2007 at 2:29 pmThey are the absolute best! I could spend SO MUCH money there. In fact, my husband and I have spent the past few weekends assembling things we’ve purchased from there. Love it!
February 27th, 2007 at 3:03 pmSeriously, IKEA needs to start paying you. You said that once about shoes, I think? Also, I agree with Tammy, above, PICTURES!!!!!!
February 27th, 2007 at 3:04 pmI wish we had an IKEA close to us. Shopping online isn’t the same…
February 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pmI’m amazed you got out of there with nothing more than a room full of furniture and a tea set. That place is DANGEROUS.
February 27th, 2007 at 4:17 pmI was at IKEA sunday, too! And Saturday. I’m a bit obsessive…
we have fancy new duvet covers. $14 for mine, and $9 each for the kids. And we had 50 cent hotdogs. I love that place.
February 27th, 2007 at 4:49 pmIKEA is scary. All those arrows - there’s no escape, you just have to keep following them till the bitter end. So what shelves did you get? Our livingroom is filled with Billys.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:34 pmHa! We spent Sunday at IKEA, too. I am in love with thr MARKOR shelves.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:42 pmI’ve never been to IKEA! But now that I have a daughter, I absolutely have to get a tea set, so there’s a good reason to go right there!
February 27th, 2007 at 5:46 pmGet thee a power drill lady! You can get bits for it that fit IKEA furniture…. it’ll make it so much easier!
February 27th, 2007 at 6:11 pmLiving in Ontario, we’ve loved Ikea when it wasn’t cool!!! It is slowing inching its way into every room of my house… although the white sink (in our kitchen) - not sure how it is going to hold up…. looks pretty though - guess I can’t do any dishes in order to keep it looking good
and the toilet seat, not so comfy (maybe it is just my family’s bums)
February 27th, 2007 at 9:47 pmslowly (I really need to stop and read before I post!)
February 27th, 2007 at 9:48 pmCan’t wait to see the finished product!
February 27th, 2007 at 11:13 pmI. Love. Ikea. Someday I will go there to shop and never leave and live forever amongst ten dollar bookshelves and 99 dollar sofas and have breakfast for 1 dollar every day and I will begin to speak swenglish and maybe even try the fish sauce in the deli behind the checkout. Because I love it there. I will spend $80 in gas just to save $50 on a piece of furniture. Which I think makes me a naughty person, ecologically speaking… but I have heard their siren song and can’t resist! Congrats on your new purchases!
February 27th, 2007 at 11:15 pmMy IKEA catalogue? It’s marked by colour-coded Post-it flags. My husband is very scared of that catalogue.
February 28th, 2007 at 6:58 amPictures! Please!
February 28th, 2007 at 12:37 pmI love me some Ikea.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:36 pmFlat boxes, huge warehouse shopping, the glorious “AS IS” section, a tasty cafe (I love the lingonberry soda drink),AND they watch your kids for you while you shop. Seriously, why would you shop for household furniture, decor, rugs, fabrics, and kitchenware anywhere else?
February 28th, 2007 at 11:01 pmI…kea! It’s just about the theme song to my life. One just opened in Michigan this past summer and it’s cut an hour off my usual 3 hr trip to Chicago. So. Very. Happy.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:30 pmikea new haven-snacks at the restaurant-flat boxes-enough said-I love that place!!!
March 2nd, 2007 at 10:12 amWhen it is too hot to go outside and other kids are at play centres, mine are happy to go to Ikea. Great entertainment, good food and far too many storage options for just one house.
March 3rd, 2007 at 5:30 amFlat, yes, but did they weight a ton? I bought a bookcase a few months ago from IKEA, and I nearly got a hernia bringing it into the apartment.
And I know! I bought containers that I had to assemble when I got them home. Containers!
March 6th, 2007 at 9:01 amapartment locator…
Hi. Thanks for the good read….
June 29th, 2007 at 1:22 pm