LIKEA IKEA?

I've done it! I made the obligatory pilgrimage to IKEA...I mean, if this company was brave enough to come to our (depressed) state, there must be something to it, right? Well, let me say this. The place is impressive. It's huge, and the color theme matches the University of Michigan. Not sure if this is their color scheme around the world, but it certainly works in southern lower Michigan.

The place is huge. But, my sister, who travels quite a bit more than I, has visited several other IKEA stores, said as size goes, this is not one of the big ones. There are multiple-storied IKEAS in larger areas like Chicago. WOW. My feet would not survive it. If my feet didn't kill me, then think I would die of overwhelming inventories and the maze-like layout would have me running like a white rat trying to find my way OUT!

Since we had just come from the Holocaust Museum and it was late in the afternoon, we decided to run right up to the cafeteria to eat. We grabbed our trays and moved through the line and chose our entrees. I would rate the food as mediocre. Perhaps we just hit it on a bad day, but the food was not hot and nor especially good or unique, but it was fast it was food, so we weren't hungry anymore, know what I'm sayin'?

I'm using my small little digital I keep in my purse, so because of the flash, the pictures aren't the best. My niece, Katie, in the photo above, took a lot of these photos.

This nursery is so cute...all little mice on the curtains and bedding. I loved the whimsical cuteness. I liked the children's area the best and bought some cute stuff for my new grandchild to be...

There was furniture and bins of pillows and accessories everywhere. One of my favorite parts of the store was all the little "apartments" they had set up around the perimeter of the upper story. The furniture seemed small to me, or somehow off scale, or too low to the ground or something. I can't say exactly but I felt like it might have been on the set of a movie called "Honey, I Shrunk the Furniture".

I find it puzzling that this furniture for Swedes is so small (IKEA is a Swedish company). My son-in-law has quite a bit Swedish blood in him and he's six four. I don't picture this furniture suiting him or his size.

I guess we Americans are used to livin' large or something, but I saw a man tip up one of their sofas with one hand....and that wouldn't happen with any of our American-made sofas here at home.

Luke was fascinated with all the storage options, and I learned that day that he prefers MODERN furniture to all of my OLD stuff....sniff!

I can certainly see why a kid likes all this stuff...it's bright, modern, different, and would be neat in a dorm or your first apartment or first home. But I just decided there was NO WAY I could possibly have as much fun in IKEA as I would in an antique mall, and I don't have to read a foreign language and push a four-wheel drive shopping cart in an antique mall...(really, all four wheels turn on their shopping carts!)

Lovin' those stripey chairs, and sitting in them you've got to get low, low, low, low low, (shorty).

Fake orange leather anyone?

The black and white area was monochoromatically wondrous. It was my favorite area and the most traditional in looks and style.

Their kitchen set-ups were neat looking. I'm just curious if their sinks work with our plumbing? I was surprised that they sell appliances, too!

Luke checks out the fridge that matches the cupboards in one of the kitchen set-ups.

Who wouldn't like to have all those shelves in their all white living room?

Well, it's an exciting place to visit, but it won't ever be a serious single destination for me. It's just not ME. Most of this stuff would look just plain silly in my humble little country abode.

I enjoyed looking, just for fun and I bought a few baby items and a neat fold out towel bar, and will go back when I have more time to look all over the place without a teenage son whose feet hurt! I wouldn't mind buying the pretend kitchen and the dishes and food for a grandchild someday.


Do YOU like IKEA?
(Or, like me, did you find it made you feel slightly off-kilter or like you were in another dimension?)