When I’m getting carried away, I describe IKEA as a design museum where the exhibits are on sale. Several friends, with whom I otherwise have a lot in common, hate the place. They find the year-round commercialism and endless mazes of false walls connected by travelators oppressive.
I don’t need to buy anything to find inspiration. Perhaps it’s the thought of more storage space and therefore a relatively decluttered home that makes me feel creative. I think however, it’s the creativity involved in the business and the ability of the designers to think outside the box: 3-tray trollies that swivel to manoeuvre between their cafe tables; candlesticks that turn over to become tea light holders; the focus on small-space living rather than aspiration.
If I was a better runner, I’d cross-train- in less fancy terms, add a different sport into my weekly routine. I think as a writer, it’s good to look at other people’s ideas, in whatever medium they’re expressed.
Ikea mirror Hope and Glory
