IKEAland!

Evening folks, from Starbucks!


I wanted to share about my recent trip to Orlando FL.. While I was there for work, I also made time for a little fun in the sun and a little IKEA trip. Ok, a big IKEA trip. Considering IKEA is 4-5 hours away from me depending on if I go west or south, it was worth it!
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Sooooo... Here we go. If you've never been to IKEA then wow. You're missing out. It is clearly one of the BEST examples of interior design and space planning I've seen.

Most people when I say I studied interior design go, "Oh so you can sew and pick out curtains?"--- 

NO FOLKS. Interior design is NOT Interior Decorating. Let me set the record straight!

As an interior designer-- sure the accessories are cute and fabrics are nice.. but it's all extra "fluff". An interior designer can decide where walls, doors etc go. Where plumbing needs to be put, a smidge of electrical etc.

FAR FAR more than an Interior Decorator. Most "Decorators" do it for a hobby and have a good eye. Interior Design is different.. and hopefully worth the $200k or so I invested in an education to get there with credientials. I'm not trying to knock anyone who decorates.. Just simply state the difference. It's much deeper than just making a room look good.

ANYWAYS, now that I've gotten off topic, back to IKEA.

It's very well laid out and they've thought about EVERYTHING. When I mean everything I mean everything! From signage when you first set foot in the store, to having a place for kids to play
(you drop them off) to how well their shopping carts roll, to the aisles you walk.



Starting out, I begun the trip with my little buggy.

First stop: AS IS. If you have a good eye you can find some good deals. Unfortunately I didn't see anything that would of fit into my Escape and that I needed. However... I found these:

 

I'm not sure if you can make out the price.. but it was 30 cents!! YES! SCORE! I scooped up 8. Nothing wrong with them.. and I DID need some new drinking glasses for the house. I also found a duvet form and some pillow forms that will come in handy for something crafty I'm sure!  

So after time spent in AS IS upstairs I went. 

Once off the elevator it was IKEA bliss ahead!

One of the great things about IKEA is that they have these little apartment layouts like this one. It shows how many square feet the space is and features a "real" couple or family that apparently live in a space of that size. It shows how efficient your space can be with the accommodations we need for daily life. 

Genius? I think yes!

So for 590sq ft you get a pretty nice set up. It included a kitchen, bath, bedroom and living area.
As I walked around I enjoyed looking at their other vignettes they had set up. Ah so much inspiration under one roof!!! I was beside myself.

About 1/4 of the way through the store my buggy was getting full.. So I went back downstairs to exchange it for a full sized one. Silly me thinking I could fit everything in those two yellow bags!

Even kitchens are laid out so you can fully imagine what it looks like.. I think I enjoyed the kids playset-- which might of been my whole reason for taking this picture.

Office layouts were there as well. I actually stopped and measured this space with my tape measure to see how it compares to my future space. It was slightly bigger than what I am working with in my 10x10 room. Loved the use of vertical storage on the walls. Something I definitely have to implement!


Another layout more "Library style"


I LOVED how this was their all too popular Expedit unit attached to the wall! I don't think it's a viable option for me a the moment.. But logging it away in the idea bank.


Overall the trip was successfull.. and I didn't break the bank too much. I can't wait to unpack all the goodies and put them into place once the room is complete!! AHHHH!

I made a "To do" list of what's left for the room-- and it quickly depressed me. There's still quite a bit more to do. Marathon, marathon, marathon I keep telling myself.. I'm so eager to begin to use the space tho!! GAH!

Over the next few days/weeks the blog will undergo some changes as well. Stay tuned!




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