My First Trip to IKEA.
By Chrisjob
I’d been meaning to make a pilgrimage to IKEA to pick up their Saarinen Tulip Table copy, the DOCKSTA. Inspired by BadBadIvy’s post, and a break in the awful winter weather, we decided to head to the Canton, MI (between Detroit and Ann Arbor) store last Saturday.
For the three-hour drive, I even made a special playlist for the iPod, made of Motown classics from the Motor City, and all the Swedish bands I had in my library (the Concretes, the Cardigans, Bombshell Rocks, International Noise Conspiracy, Terra Firma, Sahara Hotnights, Alice in Videoland). Detroit and Sweden...get it?
With pit stops, the drive took a little longer than expected, and we arrived around 11:00 a.m., one hour after opening. There were THREE parking spots left, out of 1,300, in the very back corner. (Granted, five or so were filled with mounds of snow left from weeks of ploughing.) Remarkable.
Upon entering, having no idea what to expect, it was a bit of a surprise: not a “That’s all?!” surprise, but more of an “Oh, really…?” I reckoned we’d be greeted with acres of Scandinavian modern furniture; the view from the door was merely an escalator, and a long line to the women’s restroom. A man handed us a map (and a credit card application), and directed us towards the escalator, like a canary-coated St. Peter pointing out the Gates of Heaven-via Swedish exports-by way of the Detroit suburbs.
We then embarked on a 90-minute trip through the ‘showroom’; where, short of a few bins of flexible cutting mats and somewhat flexible artist figures, nothing really seemed for sale.
So, we sat in a few moderately comfortable and many uncomfortable chairs, kicked the tires of a few coffee tables, and located a dingy and hastily assembled copy of the Docksta table, which was almost dirty enough to un-motivate us to purchase one for our own.
The ‘showroom’ eventually ended with a pass by the restaurant…. THE RESTAURANT?! This store has a restaurant!? Sw-eet. Since dining had to be part of the authentic IKEA experience, we fell for it, and munched on a plate of Swedish meatballs, and washed them down with Lingonberry juice.
The arrows then, finally, allowed us downstairs to the “Marketplace”. Here, at last, we found piles of the items we’d seen upstairs, so cleverly arranged. There were kitchen wares, which looked as if they’d melt with heat applied, some unique textiles (which would be super-great if you were a 14-year-old girl), a couple interesting lights, and some wicked cheap picture frames and mirrors. We finished in the “Self-serve” furniture area, found our table, and headed towards the registers.
Total shopping time: 2 hours 31 minutes.
So, was it a disappointment? Not really. Was it everything we’d imagined? Not really. Was it fun and memorable? Absolutely! Will I do it again soon? Absolutely not.
IKEA is not a casual shopping experience; and I don’t imagine it’s intended to be- as denoted by the restaurant. You can’t really even aimlessly browse around. The store is set up so that EVERYONE goes through each showroom through the exact same route. Yes, if you’re looking for laminate/compressed fiberboard furniture, it’s far better to buy sleek, Scandanavian fiberboard furniture from IKEA than ugly French Country furniture from your neighborhood discount superstore.
So, we didn’t spend as much money as we thought we would, and spent way more time than we’d imagined.
I look forward to the thoughts from those whom have one within normal driving distance. How often do you go? Do you go for inspiration, or looking for an exact product?
It is certainly an experience that every DIY design-enthusiast should enjoy…once every few years.
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qtpuh2tme
Again, posting a century late, but, hey, what ya gonna do when you're a "newbie."
I LUV IKEA!!!
Where I live I can get to several of them. There's one right in town, and there's a couple on my way to & from driving to my mom's (2 hrs). I never, ever pass up an opportunity to stop and peruse an Ikea if I see one. Never. I get some of my very best inspirations there.
I luv the whole experience. The lights, the colors, the textures, the people, the shiny, shiny I-luv-to-rub-my-face-against-it stainless steel cabinets & tables. I feel everything I walk by as though I were still 6 years old, all the while the ghost of my mother's correcting whisper chastising my wandering fingers. But I don't care. I'm a grown up, a "big people" now and I can touch if I want to. ~:p
I spend hours just looking.... and re-thinking just about everything I see. I'm scoping for the secret thing that lies within that odd looking wall hanging key kiosk. The thing that I can re-purpose, re-make, re-design or hack. I adore using things for something other than they were intended, and Ikea proves to be the quintessential source for just that love of mine. (BTW - that key kiosk - such a silly idea anyway - became a FAB hack-of-a-wall-light fixture for my desk.)
All hail Ikea!
~:0)
jacquilives
Ah! As can be the case with some IKEA virgins, the first time isn't always the best.
I've lived both far from an IKEA and now, deliciously close. In all honesty, there is a science to shopping at IKEA in order to ensure your sanity and maximize your IKEA shopping pleasure:
: )
incubus_of_habit
"How often do you go?"
About once a quarter. The 'marathon' trips where you spend a saturday kind of become unecessary post-college. These days we stock our kitchen with items, the occasional piece of furniture (the only place we could find a nice looking, somewhat modern, NOT poofy sectional sofa that would fit down our basement stairs) and whenever we need to pick up b-day presents for kids b-day parties.
knitrat
Any self-respecting Ikea shopper / DIYer needs to know about ikeahacker.
awesome inspiration :)
as a treehugger trying not to consume mindlessly, I feel a certain amount of eco-guilt buying new furniture, but sometimes you don't have a choice. Ikea is the best option for many reasons. The company is very progressive surrounding household toxins and polutants, for example they don't use ScotchGuard (linked to hormonal cancers) or harmful chemicals in their particleboard. Also, because everything is flatpacked the carbon footprint of shipping is less than other companies. And most importantly, because you put it together yourself, it is easily hacked :)
coffeequeen
lilybee
jasimar
Walking through Ikea makes me wish I'd gone there first when I was a teenager and let it help me through college years and my first apt. It's -really- great quality/price for starter situations, imho. Now, I go for sport.
I'm one of the lucky ones to live 20 min from 2 seperate Ikea locations and there's even another one an hour away. Going on a weekday is the only way my DH will come with. Wish I could have warned you, it's SO not worth it on the weekends.
I'm a true Ikea junkie though. I go at least once a week. I eat frogurt and marvel at the showroom. Then I make it to the check out line with a cheap set of glasses or a new duvet cover. For me, it is best as a casual shopping experience.
Oh and you don't -have- to go the route. There are shortcuts everywhere if you know where you're going. Follow the arrows.
abmatic
DIY Maven
Oh, Chris, Chris, Chris...you NEVER EVER go to IKEA on the weekends. NEVER! If and when you do go again, go mid-morning during the week and it'll feel like a different store. Seriously. You'll find a good parking space; there won't be any long lines to the bathrooms or the checkouts. AND there might even be an associate around if you need some help! BTW, if I remember correctly, we went to IKEA last Easter Sunday...now THAT was a great day to shop!
Sydney
Mikael
I live in Sweden and have only been to IKEA once. I don't remember it as being quite as routed (did I just make up a word?) as you describe it. I was probably in and out in under 30 minutes with a new chair (if I remember correctly) under my arm.
It's probably not the nices store I've shopped in but it wasn't a bad experience. I think it's time for me to check IKEA out again. Thanks for the tip!
badbadivy
bruno
Huh, interesting observations. My first trip to IKEA was pretty overwhelming, as the store had only opened the week before.
I don't go unless I know exactly what I'm looking for, and I don't usually buy big-ticket items there (couches, beds, etc.). For me, IKEA's a great place to get shelves, linens, utensils, chairs, wall-decorations, and floor coverings. If I'm going to spend big on the main piece for a room, it's probably not going to be from the big blue box.
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