I never thought I would say this but I am sick of shopping. I know, call the shopping Gods and tell them that one of their finest has fallen. I am sick of crowds, sick of loading and unloading the car, sick of returning things, sick of spending money.
OK, now that I have that off my chest I can start to tell you a little bit about my weekend. Our new house has a living room and a family room. We had great furniture from Ethan Allen to put in the family room but the living room was empty. I thought it would be practical to make the living room more of a cozy den because it is smaller and has a nice fireplace and a view of the backyard. Ikea has these great chaise lounges that I love, that have the comfort of a chair and Ottoman combination for a fraction of the price.
We decided to go to Ikea to pick up the chaises instead of having them delivered, what an ordeal! Between the kid who pooped on the floor in the living room section, the mass crowds of people, and the size of the boxes, next time I will pay the $80 to let UPS bring them. To make matters worse, we decided to get a TV stand and a dresser that day too!
Our house is only 10 minutes from Ikea so we took two trips with our new goodies, the first trip with the smaller cabinet boxes and the second trip with the lounges. Chris was convinced that the boxes would fit if we tired the back door of our SUV down with the string Ikea provides that is as cheap as everything else inside their store. After we loaded the boxes into the truck and tied them down Chris confessed that he was too scared to drive the car, he wanted me to drive, Ha! I couldn’t believe it but I drove away anyway. Once I put the car into drive the back door started to beep and it beeped ALL THE WAY HOME! Chris was cracking up in the passenger seat while I was stuck driving with people passing me giving me dirty looks. I was at a stop light and I really wanted to roll my window down and ask the car next to me if they could hear the beeping and where they thought it was coming from but I didn’t.
Once we got home we unloaded the car and Chris started to put together the TV stand which turned into a 4 hour project. I couldn’t handle it because I have no patience. If it was up to me I would have gone to Pottery Barn and just had everything delivered. I know that the prices at Ikea are really low but is it worth it? He spent the next day (5 hours) putting together the dresser we bought, I will show you that once I finish our bedroom.
Here is the reveal of the living room, thank God it is all set up now because after our trip to Ikea it was good to put our feet up and relax!
14 comments :
Very nice Mandy! I love that it is so cozy a great room to read in. I have the same love and hate relationship with Ikea. The first time we went I think Rob was ready to have a break down. But you can't beat the prices. I love my kitchen chairs and table.
Congrats! It looks wonderful!
Thanks for the Ikea tips. . .still haven't bought anything but picture frames there. . .
Good for you, getting the room together so quickly. If it was my house it would have stayed empty (or a dumping ground) for 6 months — ha!
Okay. I need to be blunt-fully honest with you. I jealous. I just want to grab a book and test out one of your new chaise lounges.
It's a very cozy, comfortable looking room! I could definitely see myself relaxing on one of those chaises.
It's way too cold and simplified for me. I like a living room with less light, bigger furniture, a variety of media to be considered ie. books, magazines, music, dvd…lamps to add light. I do enjoy the tiediness of it. <3
Anonymous, I wouldn't describe it as cold at all, all of that natural light really warms it up!
What a cozy room! I like how you left some spots to finish up later! Those are always fun to find things for down the road. The simplified place will be a great spot to de-stress and refresh! Can't wait to see how it changes as you get settled into your new home!
Ikea is great. My daughter bought a sofa about 3 or 4 years ago and it is like new. Has a white cover and she washes it and put it back on while still slightly damp. The sofa is comfortable and quite stable. Your tv stand looks good. Usually men do not have patience to put something like that together without having a hissy fit. Congratulations to you for choosing such a good mate. You have a great deal of wisdom.
What a mess! But it was all worth it in the end! I love the chaises! I seriously always tell my husband that I wish it was popular to have beds in family rooms so you could watch tv while laying down. Why not? So I LOVE that you did this!
This room looks amazing and so inviting! Where is that rug from (the yellow one?)
i love it, can i come watch a movie with you? looks great. i have a party going on right now, would love if you shared this. http://typeadecorating.blogspot.com/2011/04/anything-goes-party-13.html
Lauren, the rug is from Pottery Barn, I bought it at the outlet 3 years ago for $30
Hi there~ Ohh your post just cracks me up!! I apologize! I have ventured into Ikea just a couple of times… YES their prices are amazing! But I get lost every time I go in there… no quick running in and out- I need a map to find my way around! lol! Your new space looks lovely- glad you made it safely home with your purchases!
Thanks for sharing at FNF~ Have a wonderful weekend!