IKEA orgy!
OMG I freaking love IKEA!!! I went there today just to do some recon and get ideas for furnishing my new tiny apartment, and holy crap they have everything! And it’s all so cheap! And did I mention that they have *everything*??? If anyone was in IKEA today and saw a crazy girl flipping out and talking to herself and measuring things and squealing with glee, that was me. OMG. I died and went to heaven. I think my trip to IKEA today was probably better than about half the sex I’ve had in my life. It was just *that* good. YUM YUM IKEA!!!
Hands down, the best part about the trip was that they had these mock apartments set up in the showroom, including some *tiny* city apartments just like the one I’ll have in Cambridge. There was even a 275-sq-ft mock-up, which was perfect for me because my new place is 300-sq-ft. Holy crap do these Swedish people know how to pack stuff into a tiny space and make it look fabulous. I was blown away. I took a ton of photos and wrote down the product numbers and dimensions of all the pieces I liked, and then I came home and started an Excel mock-up of my new place (based on measurements I took when I rented it), and tomorrow I’m going to start placing pieces in my Excel-ified apartment to see how it’ll all go together. I am so freaking excited, you have no idea.
Oh IKEA, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… : )
DD, there are a bunch of websites out there that you can use to create a floor plan (much better than Excel!
) Here are a few of them:
http://jordans.icovia.com/icovia.aspx
http://www.homestyler.com/designer (This one does 3D!)
http://www.myvirtualhome.com.au/au
http://www.floorplanner.com/products/personal
http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/floorplans.asp
Furniture buying is so exciting! I’ve been doing a lot of that myself lately.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:21 pmWe’ve been to that same store, I think my wife is the same way as you when she’s in there!
June 29th, 2010 at 8:36 amI moved two months ago and went through almost the same thing as you, except that I’m 6’6″, didn’t sqeal, and spent WAY TOO much at Pottery Barn (and I’m not done yet).
However, I mocked up my new place in Visio but that wasn’t good enough, so I had a friend do it in AutoCAD. I’m still not done yet, but it does look great!
Enjoy shopping for new furnishings, it can be so much fun, but also a little stressful making sure everything fits, etc.
June 29th, 2010 at 10:05 amI have some IKEA furniture that is going strong after 15 years. Its nice natural pine and I resurface it every five or six years and it hold up great.
June 29th, 2010 at 11:51 amIKEA stuff is fine, though it does not hold up well to moving a bunches — though I must say, I have made whoopy on top of IKEA tables and desks, so it holds up well enough! Suggestion: use the IKEA small living designs for ideas, and then find some of the same things for cheaper, free, or barter on Craigslist.
June 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pmIt’s easy to get excited at IKEA (though the experience of being in the store BLOWS, waaay too crowded and one-way) but make sure you don’t buy a bunch of crap you don’t need – in a tiny apartment that would be a disaster!
June 29th, 2010 at 12:52 pmHoney´s last blog ..How Far Do We Go To Change Our Partners
Wow, thanks for all the good IKEA advice and room planning websites! I am having so much fun with all the planning… maybe I should take an interior design class in grad school (assuming they offer it). Although I have to say, I have an IKEA table already, and I don’t think I would attempt to ever have sex on it because it is just NOT that sturdy!
June 29th, 2010 at 10:06 pmThe Dateable Dork´s last blog ..Apparently grad school is a man-magnet
By the way, this just blew my mind:
http://www.ikea.com.hk/living/my_first_home.html
!!!!!!!
June 29th, 2010 at 10:36 pmThe Dateable Dork´s last blog ..Apparently grad school is a man-magnet