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05 November 2005
Ikea Dreams
We took an unexpected trip to Ikea today; it wasn't in the day plan. We were just already in Buckhead and it was dinner time, so we went for dinner, with the rest of the place thrown in. As always, we had Swedish meatballs, but since it's approaching the holidays they also have a roast turkey dinner.

They're already decorated for Christmas, as all the stores are, even down to dressing their room displays with the odd Christmas tree dressed in different Swedish-style ornaments. Some of these are vivid spheres, but the most charming trees are those decorated in the old Swedish tradition with red-painted wooden hearts, straw ornaments that look like snowflakes, little hearts of scrap fabric, straw snowflake garlands, etc. You can also get a Julbok, the traditional Swedish Christmas goat, in natural color "straw" or red.

We don't need much new furniture besides some extra bookcases. Ikea has bookcases, as I've mentioned before, are eight inches taller than the standard discount store/office supply store bookcase, plus they come with an extension shelf to make them taller. The model is called "Billy": here's the basic unit. You can get them with glass doors and even buy extra shelves. You can even get them with a shelf insert to put CDs in.

We'd like to invest in a couple of these Benno CD towers. They're also 80 inches tall and at Ikea they have displays where they are alternated with the Billy bookcases to make a varied media wall.

We seem to have fallen in love most with a style called Leksvik, which is done in a brown "antique stain." What we want most is a new bed and here is the Leksvik version. Love the nice clean lines. The headboard is hollow and has two "pockets" in it for books, bedtime stuff, etc., with a lid that goes over it. (It's hard to describe unless you see it.) If we want storage underneath someday, they have matching underbed storage boxes. It also comes with a matching "bedside cabinet," but I already have a nighttable.

I am madly in love with their china cabinet, but there's no photo of it alone on the website. Here's a picture of it sold in combination with a small dresser. Need somewhere to display Mom's china; it's too pretty to be kept in boxes anymore. It's been packed away for 58 years now.

We saw this wall-mounted hat and coat rack today and would like to have it for the hallway downstairs.

We'd also like one of these Expedit bookcases for a room divider. Only question: the 4x4 or the 5x5? The 5x5 seems rather large to me, but the room does have a partially vaulted ceiling. It might not be too much overkill. We need to divide the dining room off from the living room so Willow will stay back there and not try to sleep on the furniture. The baby gate will only reach so far! :-)

The master bathroom in the house was going to have one of those unattractive "slabs'o'glass" over the vanity. We told them not to put them in. We liked the Andennes mirror better. They also have other, beveled mirrors if the Andennes doesn't work out.

Meanwhile James is interested in this Nyled rack system for the kitchen, and this plain old bit of Gorm shelving looks perfect to hold bug spray and other things in the garage.

Oh, and we thought this Skrissel product might come in handy in the bathroom. :-)