Last night the hubs & I decided to take an impromptu trip to IKEA. Just to look.

We have 3 different IKEA’s within 15 miles of us; the closest being 5 miles away in Elizabeth. We browsed & split an order of Swedish meatballs for dinner. {awww}

It wasn’t planned. We didn’t need anything in particular but I am keeping my eyes open for a few different pieces.

I need a storage option for my 9 different sets of china, plus all my glassware.

Yeah. You read that right. 9 different SETS of china.  Not place settings, actual sets.

I collect china & glassware like most women collect handbags. I’ve never actually had my entire collection in one place though. Different patterns & pieces are scattered between my parents, Rob’s parents, & our apartment.

Nothing at IKEA has grabbed me though. I’m thinking I want something more heirloom {which IKEA won’t have} or built into the kitchen. We perused different options but moved along to housewares. We were just looking.

In housewares, we spent some time looking at rugs. We’ve never purchased a rug before; never really had the need. Besides, those suckers are expensive! With hardwoods throughout, we now need one for our bedroom {& eventually one for the parlor} but nothing has screamed TAKE ME I’M YOURS.

I saw this last night at IKEA. It’s the Hemmet Rug in dark orange for $149.

The price is right and the color is brighter in person. It’s an option. Like it; not sure I love it. I was thinking a pattern might be nice but solids would be easier to coordinate with. I’m keeping it in mind but it didn’t come home with us. I don’t know exactly what I want but feel like I’ll know when I see it. Besides, we were just looking.

Also saw some fun fabric that I loved.

Yeah. Loved that!

It’s Majken in gray & orange for $7.99/yd. While I’m a sucker for fabric, I didn’t have a project in mind. At $7.99/yard, it needed to have a purpose before hopping into the bright yellow bag. Again, tucked it away for future reference and moved along. We were just there to look anyway.

We made it all the way through the showroom, housewares, and the self-serve warehouse empty handed. Victory!

Then we decided to pop into the AS-IS section. You know, just to look.

Sitting along the wall was a lonely chair & a half with only a coordinating footstool to keep it company.

Originally $649, the Stockholm chair spent a good bit of time as a showroom display model. It was marked down 50% to $324.50. We sat in it.

Quite comfortable. Just the right size for our 2 cabooses and maybe a dog snuggled on our laps.

Slightly dirty though.
It is a floor model, so I guess that’s to be expected.
Oh. It’s a slipcover. We could toss it in the wash.
Maybe if it was a little less. Under $300 would be good.
Lets ask.
{Ask IKEA sales lady. She says things come into the AS-IS section and get marked down 30%. The longer they sit, the more they take off. She’ll check and see if it’s time to mark this little guy down again.}
Turns out – It IS time to mark it down again! Another 10% off = now $259.60.
Sold. It’s little stool friend came home with us to for a mere $35.

We thought it would wedge into the trunk. It didn’t.

45 minutes and more than a few weird looks later, it was secured to the top of our trunk with the stool & cushions inside.

It was secure but we still took it slow coming home.

The new additions are now sitting – naked – in our parlor while the slip covers take a spin through the washing machine. If they don’t come clean, maybe I’ll make a new cover out of that fun gray & orange Majken fabric!