Some More Window Shopping At Ikea: a house log

We at last got back over to Ikea to see all the new stuff this year (and to pick up a catalog in person since we waited and waited for one to come to our door with no avail). Let us simply say it did not disappoint! So we snapped a few photos of some of the things that inspired us most. Here is an office that we truly liked. Although having all that space in our current house to devote to an office is a pipe dream, perhaps our next house will allow for it. And even if not it is still lively to look at.

Speaking of dreams for our future house, we have consistently adored the idea of an island (even though we widened both doorways surrounding our kitchen, an island never made sense with our current house’s floor plan). So of course we stopped to drool over this sleek yet charming butcher block beauty.

And we had to snap a photo of this not-wrapped up-yet kitchen because we were so amused by our reaction to it. We in fact both stood there and reminisced about how exciting our own kitchen reno was back in the day. I guess most people would hate looking at this “mess” but we paused for a moment and soaked it up.

We also enjoyed this warm and cozy arrangement of photos on the wall so we grabbed a shot for anyone out there who might be looking for a semi-balanced but not totally symmetrical plan to implement in their own home. Pointer: use paper or even brown paper bags (cut into rectangles) to represent your frames. Then move them around on the wall until you like the arrangement and tape them in place with blue painter’s tape. You can even nail right through the paper to hang the frames in that formation.

We were also charmed by this bathroom since it is simply one wall but it is packed with tons of storage and function. The bowl sinks keep things feeling less boxy thanks to the soft curves (since this set-up could look a bit too angular and grid-like without them) and the seeded glass on the middle cabinet was in fact truly fairly in person.

We could not pass this mirror without grabbing a photo for you folks. Not only because it is large and modern (and sure to add polish and bounce around tons of light) but also because it was reflecting that lively white geometric chandelier. We like how the curves in each item play off of each other.

And I nearly took to the streets hooting and hollering when I came across one of Ikea’s new-this-year additions to their furnishings and accessories. Faux sheepskin rugs! So for anyone who does not want to Hands-on them, now you do not have to! And they are simply $12.99. Oh glad day. Needless to say we returned home with a few (simply for good measure). I enjoy tossing them on the backs of chairs, over the bench in our dining area, and even under the Christmas tree in lieu of a traditional tree skirt. Note: Clara’s not still that teeny, I borrowed this old pic from this post of yore.

This stately gray glass fronted cabinet was also spot on for us. The fact that it was up on elegant legs (which make it feel a lot less heavy) and that it had such pleasant top molding and chic hardware wooed us to no end.

This New York City map print was also cool and graphic thanks to the high contrast and detailed design.

Oh and this rug made us laugh because we both thought it said Petersik for a split second. And let us face it, an Ikea product coincidentally bearing our last name would likely make me break out my dorky Elaine from Seinfeld dance.

We also noticed these plaques in a few of the showrooms, and truly appreciated that they not only listed the size of the room, they also shared the color of the wall paint for anyone walking by who happened to like what they saw. Convenient, right?

And this larger than life chandelier was simply that. Large and in charge. It would look unbelievably remarkable in a lofted dining room or den (we certainly think it can be dressed up or down).

And simply as I stopped to cuddle the faux sheepskin rugs, John made himself right at home in one of the remarkable walk-in closets complete with a pair of shoes that had been cable tied to the shelf. Someday we will have a closet system like this… someday…

And last but not least are these vivid smoky acrylic chairs (which also come in clear). Paired with a chunky rustic wood table we think they would make for an remarkable mixed & matched result full of texture and interest. Plus they are impervious to jelly covered fingers and spit up (which is certainly something that I take note of these days).

So there you have our little virtual tour through Ikea. Have you folks been yet? Have your catalogs in fact arrived? Are you loving anything in particular this year (and obsessing over old go-tos that they brought back)? Let us talk Ikea. No umlauts necessary.

Psst- Try as we might, we could not locate links, prices, or names for all of the items that we photographed above, so feel free to consult ikea.com or breeze through the store in person for more info since we are hardly experts when it comes to those details! And we were not paid or perk’d for this post, we simply enjoy us some Ikea and we hoped to take you window shopping with us. See more window shopping adventures here.