Ikea; do Ukea?

Jeff had a business trip in Atlanta this past Wednesday, so we went down a day early for a shopping expedition. I have been planning to purchase some great IKEA products for the kitchen for quite some time, and it was the perfect opportunity. IKEA is an international company with stores all over Europe, but only in major cities in the US. They feature Scandinavian modern style furniture (and kitchen/bath cabinets, sinks, appliances, etc.) and accessories, including storage options, lighting, decor products, cooking and eating wares, etc.

Those wonderful Swedes have designed every moment of your IKEA experience, from the escalator at the entrance, to the huge plastic shopping bags and handy carts for said bags, to the path you follow through the store. (Some shoppers have said this last detail makes them feel like cattle; I prefer to think of it as a loving and thoughtful gesture!) The escalator takes you to the showroom where you can "test drive" everything, from shelving units and desks to sofas and kitchen cabinets. Their displays include full, self-contained living units squeezed into tiny square footage (how about a living area, bed, kitchen, bath, and storage space in 375 sq ft?). After winding your way through the showroom, you head downstairs in a giant elevator to locate the goods that you have previewed upstairs.

If that weren't enough, there is free childcare, a full cafeteria, a snack bar at the exit, and I've also heard tell that some IKEAs have a "man cave" at which to deposit your male shopping partner in the event that he isn't that interested in, well, shopping. In Germany, IKEA even had pet stations outside with a padded, raised platform and water bowls for those who might enjoy bringing their dogs on the shopping adventure. What's not to love about IKEA?!

We bought this apron sink.

We bought a kitchen cabinet.

We bought hanging rails and accessories.

We bought planters.
We bought $.99 pillows (I'm going to cut them down and make throw pillow forms; for that price I can't even buy stuffing)!

We bought spice jars.
We bought food storage containers for the nifty new pull out cabinet.
And we bought several other items that escape me at the moment. All in all, it was a very productive trip. I took plenty of photos in the showroom of more great things, so here's to hoping we'll be back to IKEA soon to pick up more goodies!