Hi everyone! Did you have a nice week? Spring Break week ended up being a rush of activities here, including an epic 5 hour Ikea trip. Bean’s love of Ikea knows no bounds, and yes, we must try out all the chairs. Even though we are not in the market for a chair. Or bed. Or stools. Or dining tables. Or duvets.
So, yes, if you saw the little girl with the curls ecstatically skipping down the corridors of an empty Ikea last week, testing out every single piece of furniture, that was us! Hi hi hi!
We were really there to pick up storage and closet supplies for the nursery and baby’s closet. But, I was pretty wow’d by Ikea’s new offerings. They were actually stylish. Here’s what we ended up with:
These Puddha felt storage cubes are a huge step up from the fabric storage cubes that all parents must buy upon the birth of a child. The matte grey felt and shiny brass snaps are a great contrast in textures, and you can unsnap the box to store it flat when not in use.
The larger cubes will be stacked on ceiling-height shelves in the nursery, filled with extra diapers and wipes and all the other flotsam that accompanies a new baby. The smaller basket will be our diapering caddy.
How sweet is this children’s book display shelf? Ikea has seemed to wise up to all the pinterest parents using Ikea’s picture rails for children’s books display, because they now sell this FLISAT book display as well as a wall mounted version. While most of Bean’s books are in her room, I like to keep a small selection in the living room for easy reading. This shelf is just her size and easy for her to see what books are there and even easier for her to pull out ones she wants to read.
The wood is raw, so we might even stain it in the future to match the rest of the living room.
The shallow, wooden BRANKIS basket has turned out to be the perfect solution to Bean’s collection of train tracks with all their errant shapes. The crate itself is very light (critical for small arms and hands!) with handles that pop up for her to easily grab the tracks off a shelf. The length is just right for longer tracks too. And once back on the shelves, they don’t look at all like toy storage. Perfect!!
Ok, disclaimer, I did not buy this SKOGSTA basket, but it is gorgeous in person. Very heavy, very solid Acacia wood. Just really not the kind of thing you’d expect of Ikea (no offense, Ikea), let alone for $10. Do I wish I owned a farm table, so that I could put this basket on top filled with jars of utensils and napkins? Yes. Or maybe an island or peninsula, where I could stock it with fruit? Yes. Alas, I don’t have either of those things so I had to settle for merely petting it in the store while dreaming of my Sonoma farmhouse.
Ikea decided to get into the self-watering planter market this year and I am all for it. Two SOTCITRON planters now sit in Bean’s bay windows, filled with colorful peonies, and I don’t have to water them every day. Or, in my case, either over-watering or under-watering every day. Or, worrying about them drying out while we’re on a trip somewhere. They’re so easy to use, that even a 4 year old can feel like she’s taking care of her own plants when she notices the reservoir getting too low.
This Ikea PS 2017 self-watering planter will also be in my Sonoma farmhouse. I just love the whole premise — gardening and fresh blooms and moist soil with literally none of the work.
I love the entire RANARP lighting line, and I finally had an excuse to buy one — for Bean’s reading nook! The black and white fabric cord and brass are so now.
A friendly reminder that Ikea kitchen trays are perfect for corralling kitchen countertop necessities. I have a similar one (no longer sold) for my (neatly contained) coffee station. I highly recommend them!
