Posts tagged IKEA

Hey, guys! Sorry about my long absence, but I’ve been busy with adjusting to classes starting, living off campus for the first time and on my own, and getting settled in. My apartment is really close to campus, and I bike to classes every day (which I find exhilaratingly fun). Things are going pretty smoothly now that me and my roommates have a regular system for groceries, eating, etc. (They’re molecular genetics, microbiology/pre-pharmacy, and chemical engineering majors so our lifestyles and life views differ considerably), and I LOVE living off campus and having my own space.

But let’s talk furniture. It’s what I’m here for. And that’s most important. I go to the Ohio State University–which is considerably out-of-state–so it was logistical puzzle assembling all my room furniture while my roommates simply brought a lot of their stuff from home. I was on a budget of money and time and limited truck rentals. PLUS, if not most importantly, I had to take responsibility for my design decisions. I owed that to myself and everything I held inviolable. I mean, I am practical and stuff, but for me, I rather have peaceful, empty space than something that I hated. Also, my parents are traditional Chinese, so I had the added pressure of being extra cheap. YET I PULLED IT OFF. It was a bit stressful at times–decisions were sometimes made after flustered hesitation (bless the friends that came to IKEA with me), and it took negotiation with my mom about prices, but I absolutely adore everything in my room, and all purchases totaled under $300.

Unfortunately, I can’t put up pictures of my room until I find a camera that captures the sunlight just right. (That might sound snobby, but the digital camera I have right now is REALLY, REALLY bad. It, like, makes stuff darker or lighter than it actually is.) But what I CAN do is list all the purchases I made and give rave reviews of them. But first, I would like to say a few things about IKEA.

• IKEA is amazing.
• IKEA is cheap. (Prices and quality are Asian mother approved.)
• IKEA is easy to put together. (My mechanical skills aren’t bad, but still. Really easy.)
• IKEA is well-designed.
• IKEA furniture has energy. (Seriously. I see the expensive stuff in up-scale contemporary stores, and most of it feels empty and soulless. You’re much better off getting an equally well-, if not better, designed cheaper version of what you’re looking for at IKEA, where pieces have the fun vibe of creativity and innovative design. Or maybe I’m just weird. Whatever.)

Bed:

I went creative (okay, fine, I did copy my friend) and opted for a sofa bed instead of a regular bed.

I always keep it folded down, and I love it! I’m probably going to always get this sofa bed for myself no matter how rich I am. Why my bed is so amazing:

• it is a beautiful, black slab of serenity and calm
• the LOVAS mattress (the firmest of the BEDDINGE mattresses) is really nice to sleep on. I didn’t think it would be at first, but I actually like harder surfaces
• it’s simple like a platform bed
• it can double as a couch if need be
• it comes with those two pillows. I know.
• it has so much space!!

Desk, Chair, and Lamp:

All IKEA, of course! And all stylistically coordinated! (But not in an annoying way.)

Notes:

• Yes, the table is nice and sturdy. (Better on hardwood floors, of course.)
• The chair is actually a bright red. The picture’s color is off. And the work lamp is the same bright red.
• The work lamp is bendy!

Storage:

Notes:

• The SKUBB drawers go inside the organizer.
• Check out Target’s customizable itso storage collection! I got three of these boxes and pinned two of the them together. The third I use as a nightstand.

-Beryl Zhao