(photo: Liljevalchs konsthall)The Liljevalchs museum in Stockholm is having an exhibition to celebrate 50 years of allen keys, Swedish meatballs, catalogues, flat pack everything, follow the arrow paths, buying more than you wanted to, screaming kids in the ballroom, 50 cent hot dogs, and of course fun, affordable and oh so Scandinavian furniture.
Ikea holds a special spot in my heart. I have been a customer since before I even had any money. My mom would drop my sister and I off in the ballroom (no judgments, I would have to) and shop. At the end of the trip we would get some goodies from the Swedish food shop; gingerbread cookies, delicious milk chocolate or even better, a plate of Swedish meatballs with potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce from the restaurant. (We have since managed to recreated Ikea's Swedish meatball dish vegetarian style, I kid you not!)
Even now, nothing soothes my homesick soul more than a trip to Ikea. I love them for their strict adherence to cookie cutter store standards. You could be in any one of their 296 stores and feel like you're in the one you grew up in.
A green armchair designed in the 1950's, one of the oldest items on display.(photo: guardian.co.uk)
Page from Ikea's first catalogue, 1951.(photo: guardian.co.uk)
(photo: Liljevalchs konsthall)
The exhibit at the Liljevalchs konsthall(photo: guardian.co.uk)
HA! Thats a funny memory. I have to admit I didn't start liking ikea until a couple of years ago. Paul would always take me through the showrooms and i would moan and complaing because I didn't like playing the "someday when we have our own place we will get this tv cabinet" game. It bored me. Then I started realizing how inexpensive everything was...our entire apartment is furnished by Ikea, no joke.
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