Traditional Ikea

Wikipedia

The first time I took my parents to Ikea, they thought I was crazy. Sure, they liked the prices – and my dad loved the meatballs – but they just couldn’t see the light-toned, self-assemble Scandinavian furniture and bold prints fitting into a traditional home like their own. 

 While I’ll admit that not everything at the blue and gold giant fits my style, I enjoy hunting for the things that do. I never fail to leave Ikea exhausted, but inspired. Who knew you could set up a cute (theoretically) workable living space in 300 square feet? 

Lately, it seems that I’m finding even more pieces that I could easily incorporate into our home – or any old house, for that matter. In honor of the new Ikea catalog scheduled to hit stores early this month, I thought I’d take a look at the more traditional side of the Swedish spectrum. 

Ikea has recently been advertising this bed for $199. 

  Sure, it’s not mahogany or anything – and I’ve found that IKEA’s dark-stained pieces have a tendency to scratch easily, exposing the light wood underneath. But where else can you buy a nice, simple Shaker-style bed for under 200 bucks?

 Or how about this cute little country linen cabinet? Never mind that at $250, it’s more than the bed. 

 Since we’ve never actually had a dining room, we’ve happily made do with IKEA’s tiniest two-seater table for almost six years. But if I were to want an affordable upgrade, I think this little round table and simple chairs would suit the arts and crafts feel of our house. 

Call me boring and basic, but I like a white kitchen.  And you can’t get one much more classic and inexpensive than this. These wainscot-inspired cabinets  would be at home in a beach house, a cottage or a bungalow.

Ikea

And these side tables could work with a mid-century, traditional or country theme – or just about anything. 

 

 Of course, browsing Ikea’s website is nowhere near as fun as touring the store, where you can get a feel for how to style all the furniture in those flat boxes. Is it just me, or are there any other closet Ikea addicts out there? Have you ever found anything not-too-Ikea at Ikea?

A Place to Start

Sentimental value is a strong motivator – which explains why an ardent fan of arts and crafts style would be sleeping in a bed more fit for Laura Ingalls Wilder than Gustav Stickley.

Once upon a time, I dreamed of snoozing in an oversized chocolate brown sleigh bed, or maybe a nice shaker farmhouse model. Basic, classic.

Restoration Hardware

Pottery Barn

Long story short, my boyfriend’s dad made the aforementioned pine log bed for him and, though it’s not exactly our style, we feel obligated to keep it around. It’s beautiful, well-made and has a lot of that sentimental value I just mentioned.

 So here’s my dilemma. We’re trying to gear ourselves up to get back on the home renovation train, starting with the bedroom. We figure it’s a small, not-too-overwhelming place to start, and after all, we spend a third of our lives there. But I need some ideas for toning down the rustic quality of our bed.

 So far, I’m thinking of keeping the walls a subdued shade of mocha, taupe or wheat – a lot more neutral than I would normally go for – and refraining from going too crazy with patterned quilts and duvet covers, as I’ve been known to do. Maybe putting up some vintage wall art, and replacing or customizing some of the hand-me-down lamps and side tables.

Rather than meticulously scrape off every last crumb of the dreaded mid-century popcorn ceiling – as we did in the other rooms of our house (and burned ourselves out in the process) – we’re thinking of covering it with beadboard and tacking on some crown molding.

This Old House

Other than that, I’m at a loss. But here’s where I’m looking for inspiration.

Better Homes and Gardens

Cottages & Bungalows

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

Blogwise, I’m inspired by these romantic bedroom redos at A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress, Yellow Brick Home and Wild Ink (as featured on Brooklyn Limestone).

One benefit to spiffing up the boudoir is that we can find a new place for the musical instruments that have been bunking with us. Just for fun, let’s count the number of guitars the love of my life has stored between our bedroom furnishings.

One, two, three.

Four, five, six.

Lucky number seven.

And eight…who seems to have been hiding from me.

You should see the rest of the house. But no worries, we’re going to get things under control here real soon.