IKEA!

Kevin and I had a nice trip to IKEA 2 sundays ago! and not just any IKEA the original! The first IKEA store ever was built and founded in Älmhult, Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad. The company's name is an acronym comprising the initials of the founder's name (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his hometown (Agunnaryd, in Småland, South Sweden). IKEA is best known for its modern architectural design on a number of types of furniture and appliances which are associated with an eco-freindly interior design that are very cost conscious. I love IKEA! I think it was a great idea and I just enjoy going in the stores and walking around and seeing all the showrooms! They have a very consistent branding, every store all over the world is very similar! 

The first stores outside Sweden were opened in Norway in 1963 and Denmark in 1969. The stores spread to other parts of Europe in the 1970s, with the first store outside Scandinavia opening in Switzerland in 1973, followed by Germany in 1974.

The world's five largest IKEA stores are Stockholm Kungens Kurva, Sweden: 55,200 m^2, Shanghai, China: 49,400 m^2, Shenyang, China: 47,000 m^2, Tianjin, China: 45,736 m^2, and Berlin Lichtenberg, Germany: 45,000 m^2. IKEA stores are always designed in yellow and blue, the Sweden national colors. The old stores have very few windows and they are started to place more use of glass and skylights in the newer stores for aesthetics and functionality. Natural lighting reduces energy costs, improves worker morale and gives a better impression of the product.

IKEA is the world's third-largest consumer of wood, behind The Home Depot and Lowe's. Many stores have a play area where the parents can drop off their children before shopping , named Småland (the province of Sweden where Ingvar Kamprad was born, where Kevin and I are currently living!)

Loved this pink and white girly showroom! Layout- IKEA stores are often designed in a one-way layout, allowing the customers to see all of the products and displays rather than traditional retail shopping where one can just go to what they want and that is all they really see. However there are often shortcuts in the showrooms! The sequence usually goes furniture showrooms first allowing the customers to make note of what they see and like! Then their is the "Market Hall" warehouse for smaller items then the "Self Serve" furniture warehouse where you can gather your previously noted showroom products. Most IKEA stores offer an "as-is" section at the end of the warehouse. (Sarah Jane's Favorite! ;)) Returned, damaged and formerly showcased products are displayed here and sold with a significant discount, but also with a "no-returns" policy.

Rather than being sold pre-assembled, much of IKEA's furniture is designed to be self-assembled. IKEA states that it has been a pioneering force in sustainable approaches to mass consumer culture. Kamprad refers to the concept as "democratic design" or environmental design meaning that the company applies an integrated approach to manufacturing and design.

Nice wall of shelves and storage! Although IKEA household products and furniture are designed in Sweden, they are largely manufactured in developing countries to keep costs down, like everything else these days. With suppliers in 50 countries, roughly ⅔ of purchasing is from Europe with about ⅓ from Asia. A small amount of products are produced in North America.

All plaid everything! IKEA products are identified by single word names. Most of the names are Scandinavian in origin. Although there are some notable exceptions, most product names are based on a special naming system developed by IKEA! - I found this interesting! :)

Upholstered furniture, coffee tables, rattan furniture, bookshelves, media storage, doorknobs: Swedish place names 

Beds, wardrobes, hall furniture: Norwegian place names

Dining tables and chairs: Finnish place names

Bookcase ranges: Occupations

Bathroom articles: Scandinavian lakes, rivers and bays

Kitchens: grammatical terms

Chairs, desks: men's names

Fabrics, curtains: women's names

IKEA naming system continued!

Garden furniture: Swedish Islands

Carpets: Danish place names

Lighting: terms from music, chemistry, meteorology, measures, weights, seasons, months, days, boats, nautical terms

Bedlinen, bed covers, pillows/cushions: flowers, plants, precious stones 

Children's Items: mammals, birds, adjectives

Curtain accessories: mathematical and geometrical terms

Kitchen utensils: foreign words, spices, herbs, fish, mushrooms, fruits or berries, functional descriptions.

Boxes, wall decoration, pictures and frames, clocks: colloquial expressions, also Swedish place names.

We stopped for lunch and had some traditional Swedish food including Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes and, lingonberry jam. Yum Yum!

Time to check-out! Awards- IKEA was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2004 and 2005 by Working Mothers magazine. It ranked 96 in Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2006 and in October 2008, IKEA Canada LP was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Swedish Word of the Day:
Möbler ("meh-bleh") meaning Furniture


PEACE & LOVE,
Kevin & Amanda