IKEA in the House!

We stumbled upon our first IKEA when we were visiting Germany, many years ago. We had never heard of the store and didn't know what to expect. We fell in love. Ben and I have always been drawn to more contemporary styled furniture, but, especially back then, it was hard to find and it. was. expensive. When we waltzed into IKEA on that fateful day, little did we know an obsession was about to be be born. Since then, we've been to IKEA a dozen times, in 6 different cities (2 in TX, 2 in Chicago, 1 in MN, 1 in Germany). We often joke that our dream is try to plan each vacation around an IKEA. We've been to the Houston IKEA several times and the Chicago IKEAS several times, as well. Now that the boys are older it may be time to branch out. :)

But to the point; we have loved just about everything we've purchased at IKEA so I thought I'd share some of what we've picked up over the years.

On our last trip we acquired two of these beauties, the HEMNES shelves.



They are large and fit perfectly in our schoolroom. I have one one each side of the window and they look like they were made for those very spots. These are large, tall shelves, and made of real wood, NOT pressboard, which makes them an excellent value. Add to that, the fact that one the middle shelf is fixed and the rest are movable, and they are a real winner! Love the color, too! I have my eye on the HEMNES wardrobe for our bedroom. I need to decide if we can swing buying that on our upcoming trip or not.

This is the bedspread we currently have in the master bedroom:



You can't beat a bedspread and pillow shams for $40! This fabric has a nice weight and sheen so, while it's simple, it's not dumpy or dowdy or cheap. It's held up pretty well to washing and cat hair doesn't cling to it!

 

We have two of these POANG Chairs:

 



 

They are nice and sturdy and not as small as they look. We currently have one in the boy's room and one in the schoolroom. They are comfortable and make for great extra seating.

 

Years ago I bought a set of these SKUBB boxes:



These are lightweight boxes that come flat and can fully break down. They are awesome for organizing! I have several in my dresser to keep small things, like socks, corralled where they need to be. I have several in my kitchen cabinets, too. They have clear pockets so that you can insert labels, which I think is a nice touch. You can't store anything super heavy in them, but they are perfect for holding our various vitamins and pills. I separated the vitamins/meds into categories, labeled each bin, and then put them all in one cabinet. Now, instead of shuffling through a bunch of bottles, I just grab the right bin. The cabinet looks much neater, too. And they are so cheap!!

 

Since we are talking about organization, here is another IKEA purchase that's served me well: PINGLA boxes.



I know they don't look like much, but they are a good size and very durable. I have 4 of them on the top shelf of my closet. I keep out-of-season clothes in them. I have two more stashed under our dresser. Yes, they are visible, but they are discreet and certainly better looking than just a pile of junk!

 

Okay, just one more organization steal, the VESSLA storage bin...on wheels:



The boys have six of these in their bedroom. We have hardwood floors throughout the entire house so these work really well. They all fit under their bed and are so convenient for sliding out and in, down the hall and back, wherever. These bins are also stackable. They are sturdy and have held up well for several years now. I'm thinking about buying more for when the basement is finished.

We have a lot more IKEA schtuff in our house and my hubby's offices is all IKEA furniture, as well, so I'll be sure to post more on this topic in the future!

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