Before moving to Sweden, I loved IKEA. Sure it was gigantic and overwhelming in a lot of ways, but there also seemed to be some sort of order in it, some neat, well-organized spaces within it, lined and stacked that would make my things neat and well-organized. Perhaps I'm letting my inner neurotic organizer show, but there it is.
Imagine my delight when I discovered a free bus in Stockholm to the biggest IKEA around, that on the way back dropped off only a few blocks from my apartment. Maybe only Jody can understand the sheer joy here...and Dave, because it meant that I didn't need any help carrying things back home. The shelves and layout were similar to the US IKEAs, and I was surprised to find that the textile patterns and options were nearly identical too.
Enough about how much I love IKEA or the Swedish interior design aesthetic (which extends far beyond IKEA); instead I want to share some insights...what I learned about IKEA by living in Stockholm. Ever notice how the display areas in IKEA feel like miniature rooms? Well, that's because apartments tend to be small and well-organized. We're currently apartment hunting and a one bedroom apartment in the city, at least what we've seen averages under 50 sq meters. It's pretty close to many of the spaces that we've seen, but is definitely not true everywhere. And on to some specifics...
Where are the fitted sheets and the king sized duvet covers? Well, we haven't seen them here in Sweden. The first thing we noticed in our apartment was that the bed was made with two single comforters. A past discussion thread on thelocal covered this. As for fitted sheets, I haven't seen them. The only thing that explains their absence in the US IKEAs is their absence here in Sweden. I guess we're expected to sleep without pulling the sheet out from the nicely tucked in corners.
Back in San Diego and in Boston I purchased the big bag of tea lights and box of candles - there were so many and I wondered how on earth I would ever use them. The candles, which tended to be white or cream, were sold by the few dozen and I never seemed to get through the full pack while living in the States. Given how dark it gets here, candles are very important. They light the entrances to storefronts and they line windows up and down the city blocks. I purchased on bag of tealights thinking that I would, once again, never see the bottom of the bag...but the bottom is fast approaching. Others have written about the necessity of candles in Sweden as well as the lit star hanging in the window.
I remember seeing these at IKEA and wondering why they had so many of them. These sorts of window decorations are standard here - window after window, twinkling either by flame or small bulb. Once the winter really sets in, I will be sure to take photos. In the meantime I will perfect my art of nighttime photography so as not to be taken in as a peeping tom.
I am sure that there are plenty of IKEA things that I have forgotten to mention...send me your curiosities.