Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 catalog release party at IKEA Atlanta.
My sidekick, Eli, came along, and all evening I was entertained by how much my 12-year-old loved everything he saw! (Note to IKEA: If you’re making a 12-year-old boy want to shop, you must be doing something right!)
[He was trying to put on a frown for the camera, but couldn’t hold it. LOL]
I was also amused by how much Eli loved the chicken satay skewers from the buffet, but I digress. (Two plates full, people. Two!)
It had been a while since I’d been to IKEA. Last time I went, it was a rainy afternoon and my sister and I whiled away a few hours, stopping for a yummy dinner of Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes in the budget-priced restaurant. At the time, we were shopping mainly for rugs and kitchen gadgets, so we kind of breezed through many of the departments.
Well, at the catalog release party, we got to go on a guided tour of IKEA, and it was just awesome.
[Why, yes, our hearts are pounding with excitement over this glimpse inside IKEA’s dreamy closet systems!]
I spent a decent amount of time in each department and came home with several bits of knowledge that are going to take me back sooner than later:
- They sell over 15 kinds of mattresses and most come with a 25-year warranty. So don’t believe those commercials that say you have to replace your mattress every eight years. If you buy an IKEA mattress and it fails to perform eight years in, just return it for a new one. (Check their site for details, and keep your receipts, obviously! The salesperson suggested scanning a copy to protect against register tape fading.)
[Eli made it his mission to test every mattress until he found his bliss.]
[Although I think he’d have happily slept on a pile of these ultra-soft bathmats.]
- Everything is NOT all Scandinavian-modern-fabulous, like it used to be. And I really like that. Because these days, I’m more of a traditional girl when it comes to home design. Not everything at IKEA is austere and clean-lined. There are a ton of really pretty things to be found here.
[Click the pic to see the lovely floral detail on the must-have window screen, the classic chair design and the vintage cabinets.]
- However, with a small 1970s bathroom ranking near the top of our remodel wish list, this modern sink cabinet is just what I’m looking for. It doesn’t project far from the wall, and those deep drawers are just what I need to store 4 kids’ worth of stuff!
- Sign up for IKEA Family and get a free coffee or tea every time you shop, as well as deals emailed to your inbox. Oh, and we received a BOGO fro-yo coupon on our registration receipt, which we, of course, took advantage of.
- Finally, their Sparkling Pear Drink (Dryck Bubbel Paron) is the bomb-diggety. Even Eli, who isn’t a fruit-juice-lover, found a way to casually sneak himself a second glass.
So if you’ve never been to IKEA, or haven’t been in a while, do yourself a favor and go! And to make it easier to shop for the things you love, enter this contest to win a $100 IKEA gift card!