Idle Thoughts

Until I was ready to start getting some creature comforts into the house, to put an end to what was essentially a camping trip, my only experience of going to IKEA was the large store in Park Royal (N. London) where I had bought a few small things. One thing I was not ready for was the difference between what was in the catalog and what was available in the store. I had innocently assumed that if it was in the book, it would be available to take home. OK there are a few exceptions, such as bespoke kitchens (more of this later) but otherwise I expected to fulfill my shopping list. Boy, did I get a surprise.Up until then I had been sleeping on an inflatable bed I got from Carrefour in Granada on my very first trip. So the top priority was a me-sized bed. This was followed closely by some armchairs, to replace the spanish legacy - which I’m sure had fleas. When I got to the store I had a good idea of what I wanted and was pleased to see that the showroom was displaying all the bits I intended to come away with. Better still, they all looked much as I expected them to, so there was no reason for last-minute changes of plan - or so I thought. Armed with my list of IKEA part numbers I headed off to the warehouse part of the store to pick up my selections, only to find some of my carefully chosen items simply weren’t there. More annoying still was that some pieces that came in multiple boxes had one box present but no stock of the second. Hmmm, time for a rethink.

After a cup of swedish coffee and a danish pastry, I stopped panicing. Yes there was stuff here I could use - albeit not quite the stuff I had sized up or decided on. The biggest consideration I had was would my purchases fit up against the walls I had planned for them and would I remember to get all the additional parts, such as handles, bed-feet hinges. From that first trip I came away with a couple of divan beds, two chests of drawers a flat-pack sofa and matching armchairs. the wardrobe would have to wait, as I wasn't sure the height of the one I could get would suit the curved wall it was destined to be up against.

The photo shows one of the divans (sans headboard - for some reason the store simply didn't stock them, none, nada, zilch). Also here are the wardrobe from trip #2 and behind my rucksack the IKEA chest of drawers - replacing the one that I had inherited, complete with falling-off drawer front.

The kitchen table and some of the chairs I bought. Although I hadn't appreciated it at the time, the presence of a large, flat surface in a kitchen really opens up the possibilities for some decent meals - goodbye tin-opener!)

All in all, I made two trips to IKEA and spent about €1600. It took me a few days to actually assemble all this stuff, mainly because I'm a screw and glue assembler. Although that approach gives a better built piece of furniture, it also means it won't come apart again - so getting it right first time is an absolute must. This work also reaffirmed my belief that an electric screwdriver is one of the top three tools that every person who has a front-door key should have.

After all this manic shopping, the result was that the house was livable, albeit with some crucial items (such as a TV and washing machine) missing. I’d fix that on a later trip and find a better way to furnish the house that was a lot cheaper.
The next big job was to tackle the electrics.