The Furniture Wonderland – My life and IKEA

I am a long time IKEA fan and customer. The big blue box has shaped my life, impacted my family, and my evolution as an adult. Taking a memory trip back to the furniture wonderland.

IKEA as a kid

I am probably one of the bigger IKEA fans out there. I have been a huge fan of their products since the early 80s when my ex-stepmother bought IKEA BILLY bookshelves to hold her law books.

This was a big deal because the shelves were sturdy enough to hold these big ass hardcover books. And her encyclopedias, and my dad’s vintage collection of Arabian Nights, and all their books.

So what did that mean to me as a book lover? That IKEA was the shit when it came to storing books. The fact that they also had other furniture was irrelevant to a 10 year old, but the brand loyalty was embedded in me at that young age.

IKEA as an adult

Fast forward to me as an adult. Having the opportunity to shop at IKEA, it was like a dream come true. When I was living in Virginia the closest IKEA was 3 hours away on a good day with no traffic. But I planned a trip to the store with the precision of a military mission because it was that serious.

It was important to me that we enjoy the trip to the big blue box. So how does one convince two toddlers that a 3hour trip to buy bookcases is a fun thing to do? By convincing them that this place is the adult equivalent of a magical place.

The Furniture Wonderland.

Of course, for the 5 and under crowd, a visit to Småland is in fact an adventure. Back in those days the IKEA Woodbridge’s Småland was truly fantastic with the immense ball pit, the theater style TV area and whatever else they had that I couldn’t see from the check-in area. But the fact that this was a place that I could shop and my kids could be entertained in relative safety, well that is my idea of dreamy.

An IKEA didn’t open up in my hometown until AFTER I had moved away, and was living 5 states away as an adult. But had it been there in my youth, it’s likely I may have ended up working there. Where I live in Texas, I am lucky enough to have two IKEA stores within a 20-30 mile radius, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.

As far as affordable living options go, other than buying things second hand, you really can’t go wrong with IKEA furniture. I completely buy into their philosophy that it is trying to provide useful and stylish options for everybody. And I like that it is very DIY. There is something so cathartic about taking a project from start to finish, the realization of an idea from dream to reality. It’s amazing to me. 

Helping me make a house a home

It is therefore natural that they are my go to option when it comes time to transform this house into a home for me and my kids.

This is the first opportunity that I have to really put MY spin on my decor. I don’t have to defer or include anybody else’s opintion. I try to involve my kids in the decision making process. But aside from decorating their rooms, they lack the enthusiasm and basic interest in any other room of the house. It is a bit daunting because I am still trying to figure myself out.

However, I also like things to be functional and not just look nice. That is another reason why I like IKEA. I like their aesthetic. It’s a little European, a little modern, and mostly utilitarian. It appeals to me on many levels. 

I could live in an IKEA showroom.

Over the years, the amount of furniture and storage options that I have collected that come from IKEA has increased almost exponentially. To the point that on our last trip to the closest IKEA, we entered a showroom and the kids were like, hey, this feels like our living room. It was nicer than what we currently have set up, but it was what I was aiming for, so 20 points to Gryffindor! 

IKEA still is the place we go to when we are feeling bored. Going in one of their showrooms picks up my spirits when my home life is feeling out of control and dissatisfying. I can at least go here and pretend everything isn’t falling apart around me.