I hate to admit that I sort of like Ikea. I mean, once I recover from the 1 hour drive through heinous traffic, tune out the 5 gajillion screaming kids and leave a trail of breadcrumbs to help me through the endless labyrinth of cheaply made (but cheap!) furniture, I usually find more than a few gems. Last week Karly and I took a spin through the showroom and yesterday I drove all the way back there AGAIN to return a poopy bedskirt (why are good bedskirts so hard to find???), so I feel pretty darn well acquainted with all of Ikea's current offerings. Most of them cater to the first apartment crowd with a healthy dose of suburban family for good measure, but Karly and I both agree that the textiles freakin' rock! Check out this mod take on the Suzani trend:
I think it would make a super upholstery fabric for an accent chair, perhaps on a Danish teak for added warmth and depth, or maybe it could punch up some sleek white lacquered number...
There were so many great choices it was more than a little overwhelming, but I do love these:
Ok, and these:
AND these!
Can you tell I'm really feeling a black and white color palette, with pops of summery brights just to kick things up a notch or three?
These are all fabrics by the yard, so if you're sewing challenged like moi you'll have to bribe your crafty friends or family members to help you out with major projects. Even for the craft impaired, I don't think it would be too difficult to whip out some pillows, curtains, or redo seat pads on chairs. Just remember that with graphics as bold as these, a little goes a long way. You don't want your house to look like this.