Anyway, I prefer to go it alone. I was already slightly exhausted by the time I got there because the sat nav took me on the route from hell. I've been to Ikea several times before so I knew the route wasn't quite right, yet for some reason I continued to robotically obey the commands as it led me deeper and deeper into unknown territory. Many many treacherous roundabouts filled with drivers of even more questionable skill than my own were involved. The sat nav has a hard time adjusting when the driver deviates from the plan so I tend to just go with it. The only thing worse than being directed through inner-city Birmingham is taking things into your own hands and then having to hear "please turn around when possible" for 10 minutes while you drive blindly in a random direction. No thank you.
Ok. The things I bought.
Shoe storage for our pre-entry area, what British people call "the porch". We pretty much have two front doors in a row here. We normally lock the inner door, but leave the porch door unlocked so the postman can leave packages inside, etc. Hey, are you wondering what that little black and white thing is hanging on the door??
Oh yes! The cat themed etching left by the previous owner, held on the door by some freakishly strong double-sided adhesive strips. To the left of the door we have this delightful pairing:
She does this for a living, you guys. She's good.
I had this photo blown up in a custom size so it would fit in an Ikea frame (they have rather odd dimensions). Much cheaper to put a bespoke poster in an off the shelf frame rather than the other way around. Cream. Walls. Ew. I know the picture is kind of random, but I have a thing for horse photographs, ok? The dining table is a desk/leg combo from Ikea. If it looks kind of wonky that's because it IS - for some reason the particular legs I chose aren't designed to attach to the top. I need to figure out a way to do that. By the way, the table will be undergoing a slight change soon. People who know me or have been following along might be able to guess how. The chairs (we do have 4) are also from Ikea. Dining chairs are kind of a big deal so I bought these plastic ones so they could go outside when I decide on a more permanent option.
(OMG THE WALLS. I'm embarrassed.) The dogs hate the hardwood. It is too slippery for playing and too hard for napping and they do a lot of both those things. The answer, we discovered in Seattle, is a jute rug. It never looks dirty and is pretty much impossible to ruin. I like the texture, too. The big grey sheepie is from Ikea and serves as the dogs' bed. Best looking dog bed out there, let me tell you. Sascha tends to hog it, but you will find them curled up there together pretty often.
That's Bear, Plato's favorite toy, laying between them. Many, many toys have come and gone in the years we've had Bear, but I don't have the heart to throw him away because Plato actually does seem to prefer him to all other toys. Bear doesn't even have any squeakers or stuffing left.
I bought a cool runner for the entry way. We needed some funky up in this house! I think it will look a lot better when this area isn't a gigantic blob of gross gross wood. Gross wood and gross gold socket plates.
I can't look at that picture anymore. This will make me feel better. Freshly folded white towels.
I did buy a lot of towels. I probably do laundry enough that we don't need as many as we have, but I like to go in the spare bedroom where the towels live and see them in perfect stacks.
Let's see... I also bought the light for the bathroom reno. Can we get that party started already? Sheesh. Total lack of instant gratification. All this planning is starting to get boring.
Oh, I also got a new duvet set for the guest bedroom which was definitely the absolute last thing we needed. It was like the big wigs at Ikea asked themselves "what kind of sheets can we design that will make Lauren think she needs more than one set of sheets for the bed that an unknown guest may or may not sleep in at some point in the next two years?" They called my name. I couldn't help myself! I may insist on white sheets for my own bed, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good blue and white stripe.
Maybe these sheets will make some of you want to come visit!
