It's no secret that I ::heart:: IKEA. Unfortunately, the closest store to my home is just under 5 hours away, but every once in a while I get sent away on a work trip and end up with one nearby. That's why I didn't complain when my company wanted me to travel to one of our satellite offices in Ohio a few weeks ago, where the local IKEA store was a mere 45 minutes from my hotel. I was totally in heaven, and I decided that while I was there I'd go ahead and take all of you, my dear readers, along on a little virtual shopping trip!
I toted my camera along with me and was on the lookout in every department for ideas for decorating and organizing your scrapbooking space, focusing on some of the newer or lesser-known items rather than well-known pieces like the ever popular Expedit bookcase and Alex carts.
My first stop? The RASKOG carts!! I've wanted one of these ever since the first time I spotted it on some blog, somewhere (isn't that how so many shopping trips start? haha!), and had to wait patiently until a) I was near an IKEA and b) said IKEA had one in stock because, wow, are these things popular! They tend to sell out quickly, so I considered myself very luck to find not only the gray one that I was after, but also a turquoise one for Mom!
I searched the store high and low for a model unit that was already assembled so I could photograph it, but wasn't able to find one anywhere. Here's the photo from the IKEA web site, though- is it not seriously cute?!?
I didn't buy everything that I'm showing here, of course (just a couple of things really), but that didn't stop me from drooling over some of the gorgeous new fixtures in the lighting department. Aside from painting the walls, I think that changing out the light fixture(s) is one of the quickest ways to make a statement in a room. And with IKEA's great prices, it's also a fairly inexpensive way to get a new look, too.
I loooooove these little pendant lights with the beaded crystal shades. If you on;y have one light fixture in your scrap space (like I do), then a small fixture like this probably won't provide enough light, but in a larger space a pendant like this hung over a cozy reading chair can create a great little nook in your space.
I have a smaller chandelier similar to this gorgeous beauty hanging in my dining room, and I'm totally tempted to put this larger version in my scrap room. Again, lighting/shadows are a concern so I'll have to think about it, but it's definitely on the "maybe" list.
I had to include a photo of this one just for the geeky fun of it- how about those 8-bit style decals? The bucket shade is a plain, clear fixture out of the package, and you can dress it up however you like from there!
If your room leans more toward shabby chic, these sweet LYRIK lamps, available in both a floor and tabletop model, might be just the thing for you. Love those fabric shades!
For those who lean more zen, something like the tried-and-true RUTBO floor lamp might be a great way to bring more light into a corner of your room that's just a touch dark. The white paper shades on these diffuse the light quite nicely, helping to even out shadows.
If you're an IKEA veteran, you may find it odd that I started in lighting, but I had my reasons. I only had a couple of hours in the store (I went one night after work, so I was running up against closing time), and usually by the time I get down to the Marketplace section I'm worn out and don't look at things as closely as I should. On this trip I decided to fix that by going through IKEA backwards! I started in the Marketplace instead of the Showroom, then went against the flow of traffic (yes, I got some looks- ha!) to make sure I was fresh when I passed through most of the organizational stuff.
Speaking of organization, it might surprise you to learn that I actually find very little to help organize my scrap space in the home office/organization section of the store. Instead, I prefer to browse the kitchen and bathroom sections for great containers- usually I find what I need and it's prettier to boot.
For instance, these pretty boxes are in the bathroom section, and a set of three is just $7.99! I love the chevron pattern.
This sweet metal three-tiered stand is in the same department. I actually have one of these in my bathroom already, and I can absolutely see it as a useful catch-all for small items on a scrapping desk, too. Let's hear it for not losing small buttons and embellishment bits any more!
These metal-topped glasses would be just perfect for corralling buttons and brads while still keeping them accessible. I can just see a shelf lined with these holding a rainbow of colors- decorative and functional!
This set of woven baskets ($14.99 for a set of three different sizes) would be great for holding smaller chipboard and label sheets or even Thickers on a bookshelf.
Moving from the bathroom section to textiles, I found the second item on my to-buy list for this trip. While I picked up these fun, colorful pillow covers and curtains for my bedroom, they'd make a great basis for a scrap room decorating scheme as well. In my case, my bedroom is already yellow and gray, so they're going to work well with my existing comforter and accessories to freshen up the color palette just a bit.
The kitchenware section is a treasure trove of organizational ideas, with fabulous containers to be found around every corner. These lidded jars are another great option for storing buttons and small bits, and they would totally work for ribbon, too. And at just $2.99 each, they're quite reasonably priced.
Last week I posted my Target nesting-tray solution to working with kits, but IKEA also has some lovely trays if the nesting part isn't important to you. You'll find an array of colors, sizes, shapes, and prints here, and all are under $10.
I visited the kitchenware section with the intention of purchasing this lovely glass 3-tiered stand. At $14.99 it's a bargain, and I'm now using it to hold my ever-growing collection of roller date stamps plus a few favorite smaller wood-mounted ones.
Distress and Stamp Marker lovers will like these stainless steel kitchen utensil holders, perfect for keeping your pen collection together.
And don't forget to check on closeouts, too! These fun, brightly colored (hello, neon!) plastic dish sets were being cleared out and would be perfect for adding a little color to your space.
Smaller bowls like these little glass pretties are great to have on your desk to keep smaller items from getting lost, and are also handy to have on hand for watercoloring- especially at 99 cents each!
And of course I couldn't walk through IKEA without visiting the amazing showroom, even if just for a few minutes. It's worth studying some of the rooms to see how items can be used in a unique way.
And, yeah, I like to drool over the kitchens, too. :)
I've seen these rail systems (found in the kitchen section) in many scrap rooms, and these colored plastic pails to hang on them are so fun! There are metal buckets available, as well.
IKEA is also a great place to see just how efficiently a small space can be used with just a little creativity and planning. The "apartment" below is just 380 square feet and looks totally liveable! Granted, it's a perfectly arranged 380 sf (in the real world I don't think that walls are ever in just the right spot like these are) without the "stuff" that most people (not to mention scrappers!) have, but it still gets your brain going in that direction.
My final stop was this bedroom display, where I was sucked in by that amazing canvas on the wall. IKEA has several different styles of art available in large format like this, and if you have a bare wall in your scrap room (hey, no laughing!! :) ), this could be the perfect thing to fill it.
This was by no means a comprehensive walk-through of the organization and decorating possibilities available at IKEA- goodness knows there are entire blogs dedicated to just that! Hopefully you took away one or two good hints, though, to use in your own spaces.
Thanks for stopping by!