Friday, May 20, 2011

Head Over Heels: Casual/Vintage Style.... At Ikea?

When you think of Ikea, what comes to mind?

I think of....
  Fighting the crowds on the weekends
Assembling furniture with crummy L wrenches (for hours)
Budget prices
Questionable quality
Oddly delicious cafeteria food
Paper rulers and mini pencils
Funny Swedish names
Arguing with Alex over said odd Swedish named item
Bring home same day convenience
Carts that don't roll straight
Stick figure assembly instruction drawings
Big, bright, crazy ultra modern furniture and decor

It's good, it's bad, it's ugly...It is a necessary evil sometimes right?

Let's focus on that last thought...when it comes to style at Ikea, I really only picture those bright crazy patterns (which scare me).  But actually, you can find some really great furniture and decor items (that aren't totally cheap and crappy) with a casual/ vintage feel!  The best part?  The prices!

Here is a list of items from Ikea with a casual/ vintage feel that I am Head Over Heels for!

Funny Swedish name and price guide
1. Hemnes linen cabinet: $249.99  2. Socker series pots: $0.79-$5.99  3. Levanger mirror: $79.99  4. Ektorp chair: $249.99  5. Ektorp cushion: $19.99  6. Dalfred stool: $39.99  7. Liatorp coffee table: $199.99  8. Borrby lantern: $7.99  9. Barometer lamp: $59.99  10. Ingolf stool: $29.99  11. Hemnes desk: $299.99 12. Lenda pair of curtains: $14.99  13. Kristaller chandelier: $39.99  14. Pjas basket: $14.99  15. Stenstorp wall shelf: $29.99  16. Liatorp Sideboard: $325.00  17. Egeby rug $69.99

I will vouche for what I just featured, we actually have quite a few of these in our house!  Let's take a look at how we styled them.

By the fireplace (and mantel Alex built-DIY steps here) we have 2 of the Pjas baskets, Borrby lantern, and the Egeby rug in our Living Room.
On our Guest Bed we have the Ektorp cushion as a decorative pillow.
In our Kitchen we use 2 of the Stenstorp wall shelves for our dishes and wine glasses.
Over in our Dining Room we placed the Liatorp Sideboard in the space where a built in buffet was removed (which is a total crime, I wish our old home had this original historic element).
On our Sideboard, I use some of the Socker pots for decor and as a napkin holder.
In our larger bathroom I use the Ingolf stool for large folded towels and to hold a cute basket of washcloths and hand towels.
Finally, over in my Dressing Room, I have the Dalfred stool and Lenda curtains (which we also have in a couple other rooms, love them! Can't beat the price!).

I do have a love/ hate relationship with Ikea, but I have to say that I am very happy with those items I purchased.  They have held up well and I love the look in our home.  I might have my eye on some of those other items I featured for other rooms in the house!

Do you have some of these items in your house?  Are you Head Over Heels too?

Also, if I can have a moment of your time...
I am looking for some feedback on these Friday Head Over Heels posts.  I am curious if you like them, hate them, or if you prefer the content of some more than others?  Was this a good one?  Eventually I'd love for this to become a Linky Party where we can all link up and share things or posts we love that week 
I'd love any thoughts or comments, pretty please!

Enjoy the weekend everybody! I HOPE I have a chair update soon! Keep your fingers crossed!

7 comments:

  1. I am craving a trip to IKEA so bad. Even though it is crazy crowded, 2 hours away and we always get lost I want to go. Plus the cinnamon roll reward for my husband at the end of the trip is always a plus! We have those silver pots and use them everywhere. I love that stool, can't believe the price!

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  2. Heart the posts! I also HEART Ikea - I think there's a balance: some items on the cheap = no one cries when they don't last. That being said, I've had LOTS of furniture and decor from Ikea, on the cheap, and still going strong.
    PLUS! Just had my entire new kitchen's worth of cabinets delivered from IKEA - like 2 hours ago!

    6 wine glasses for 2$ - sign me up!

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  3. Love the head of heels posts on Friday! Keep them up!

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  4. I have several of #8. I bought them from a bride that used them in her wedding last summer, and I hope to use them as decor for my wedding this summer. Frugal find, yo! For the most part I pretty much loathe Ikea. OK. That is a bit harsh. It's a love-hate thing. I can handle it in small doses. I get lost in there. And I know they have little direction pointy things on the floor, but I still get confused. And Vanessa's comment above made me giggle because I totally have to reward my other half with treats whenever we go places he is less than keen on. Ha!

    As for HOH....keep it coming, girl. And a linky party would be great. I will link up if I can get my crap together in order to do so. ;) Send out the details. I bet it will catch on. -Lauren

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  5. Ha! These Ikea discussions are great! Vanessa, I too need to reward myself if I go to Ikea with a treat, usually their frozen yogurt cones do the trick :) also, it is pretty easy for us to make lots of trips there since it is only 15 minutes away... hmmm is that a good or bad thing? Glad to hear you guys like the HOH posts, I just wasn't too sure about them, I appreciate your comments!

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  6. Of course I like them my sweet friend!!! If I can keep up with blogging with this busy little buddy of mine, I would of love to link up!

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  7. Carla,

    Keep up the Head over Heels posts! I absolutely love the first picture of the linen cabinet. Sadly, when I lived in a rental home with and decorated ONLY with red, Ikea sold this piece in yellow. And now, when I would love to put this piece in our gray and yellow guest room, they only sell it in red!

    I am with you on the maddening yet captivating qualities of Ikea. The more blogs I read, the more I realize we're so lucky to have them nearby and that's probably why we've come to hate them a bit too!

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