Window Shopping: Another Trip To Ikea: a house log

As mentioned in our crazy-weekend-teaser post last Thursday, we slipped through two distinct Ikeas in two distinct states two days in a row (one simply to poke around and the second to decorate Carrie’s excellent new high-rise apartment). Well, here are a few photos we snapped during our simply-browsing trip. What is not to enjoy about these fabulous finds? Oh Ikea, you are the banana to our peanut butter sandwich.

First we have this excellent red glass hutch. We have been oggling this thing since last year so it had to make our Ikea go-tos round up:

And would not it look excellent in a living room with these punchy curtains…

… and these sleek little red side table lamps?

If the rest of the room was neutral, those few pops of color would truly go a long way- all on an Ikea budget!

And speaking of implementing a few Ikea ideas en masse, we enjoy these hanging basket pendant lamps with the punchy table runners and the slate blue color on the back wall (Try Benjamin Moore’s Bella Blue for something similar). It is practically a room to go!

If you are looking for something a bit softer, these new tone on tone botanical curtains totally had us at hello:

We also enjoyed how these two curtains came together to form a vivid layered look. The top panel is a sheer with some white swirls and we simply placed it in front of a leafy green curtain for ooh la la elegance. We enjoy the nearly-lattice effect that it evokes:

And sticking with the patterned golden-green accessories, we enjoy this geometric duvet cover that adds modern jute-like movement to any space- all for simply $19.

And for slightly more than $19, this remarkable kitchen concept had us drooling. We especially enjoyed the oversized dark pendants and cabinets paired with the especially light countertops and mosaic backsplash. Dramatic but still totally liveable and classic.

Here are two oversized pendants again, this time in white above a vivid oversized parson’s dining table. A piece like this wooden beauty will virtually never go out of style, and we enjoy the curvy chairs they paired with such a boxy table.

Look there is John, being reflected in one of the best Ikea deals ever. This floor mirror is giant. It’ll practically double your room’s perceived size. And it is $99 (as opposed to this dead ringer from CB2 which is $300 more!). Heck at that price you can get two to flank your media cabinet or even splurge for a sconce for either side like they did below.

There were also tons of lively finds in the marketplace, like these intricate and exotic little elephant drinking glasses…

… and these delicate printed OJ glasses (we in fact snatched up a set of six for $6).

And you folks know we are suckers for all things natural- so these woven planter baskets get us every time. We enjoy the idea of using them beyond the holding-plants agenda, like as chic little wastebaskets or even a place to corral magazines next to the couch. Heck you can even top some of the bigger ones with a round of glass to create a especially cool living room side table.

And on the subject of woven wonders, have you folks seen the latest basket pendant that simply came out this month in the new catalog (the hemisphere-shaped beaut on the right)? We enjoy the vintage-modern-meets-beachy vibe that it has going on.

And we cannot forget these oldies-but-goodies that we have been loving for ages. White Ikea planters are so low-cost (sometimes under a buck!) and so sleek for popping plants into throughout your home that you truly cannot go wrong snagging a few each time you visit. Plus they can also be used a chic little storage containers for everything from toiletries to keys. We are consistently sure to have a few extras on hand… simply in case.

When it comes to rugs, we must admit that sometimes we think Ikea is hit or miss, but this bold and vivid orange-swirled circle rug is a showstopper in any room (check it out in one of the homes we House Crashed here).

And this little square rug woos us to no end. If only our bathroom was bigger- how cute would two of these look in front of a pleasant big double sink? Sigh.

So that concludes our camera-in-hand-Ikea roundup. For more info on the items featured above (prices, measurements, etc) simply head on over to Ikea’s website– or better yet, swing through Ikea whenever you get a chance. We like to think of it as the equivalent to a ball pit or a moon bounce for adults. There is simply so much zipping around and grinning like a fool.

And while we are on the subject of go-tos, sound off about your go-to Ikea items (old or new) and feel free to include links to them so we can all check ’em out (either in your flickr photos of your home or on the Ikea website). Think of it as a book club meeting except it is an online Ikea catalog club gathering. And of course we should point out that we are in no way affiliated with Ikea nor are we receiving any compensation for this gushing little post. We simply like ’em and we think most of you folks do too! So let us chat Malm and Lack and all those other funny names that have become a part of our decorating vernacular. Spill the Expedit beans.