Maybe I Was Little Harsh (IKEA Might Be Okay, Afterall)

After posting my IKEA rant, check out what I came across on their website:

I can't tell if it is flimsy (it looks like it has potential to be wimpy, which may be why it didn't catch my eye in the showroom), or if there is really room on the table for four place-settings, but the concept looks like some of the more expensive stuff I've admired elsewhere.  I am not a fan of white tables, but I actually like the red and white color scheme in this picture. 

Here's the way the table looks upon folding:


Of course, the set is probably out of our price range, even though it isn't terribly expensive as tables go, and I am still not sure what we'd do with the chairs between meals.  Luckily, IKEA offers a version without chairs so we could still potentially use, say, folding chairs.

They also have a "natural wood" version sold without chairs:

Perhaps there is some potential there, even though the thing could fold a little more neatly:


Searching on Ikea's website for desks, I also found some interesting ideas, even if I am not in the market right now for a desk.

These, for instance, are a bit boxy, but similar to desks featured in a number of small-space living design websites recently, placed flush against the wall as if to disappear in it:




And this seems altogether too bulky for our size of space, and it is not really my style, but it does present an interesting set of storage-desk combo options:

Don't Go To Ikea! It's Not For Small Apartment Living!

When Manina and I lived in a small home an hour's drive from an IKEA, I had a few wonderful shopping trips there!  It was great for creative storage containers, and did wonders for our Montessori age 0-3 homeschool setup. 

The one item we bought that required significant assembly was a disaster, and required a return in the end, but as long as we stuck to items that didn't need us to go to alternate sites for pickup (the things that require only a little assembly, IKEA keeps either on the floor or in the storage area right before the checkout), we seemed to do okay. 

I liked that IKEA was interested in innovation, and I liked that IKEA demonstrated some ecological awareness, talking from very early on in company history about things like using wood from sustainable resources.  So understand, all in all, I was an IKEA fan.

For a while after we moved to that house, I would pour over the IKEA catalogs, which really were more like big books, for inspiration.  When I knew I was headed to IKEA -- usually a trip necessitated by my work -- I'd get all excited and spend the days ahead planning the visit. 

Then we moved to a slightly larger house a two hour drive from IKEA.  We learned that it was worthless to try to order something online, and we were well-stocked enough for our home that we didn't need anything enough to justify the drive.  So for a few years, save for one or two trips, our relationship with IKEA has been on hiatus.

Well, the big news is that where we will be living next year is most likely going to be within two or three miles of IKEA!  It all seemed so perfect, when I first realized.  After all, when folks talk about strategies for living in small spaces, IKEA does tend to come up in conversation.  What a blessing, I thought, to have IKEA right there for all my small space creative furnishings.

And just before Christmas, while in our new city touring the local elementary schools to get an idea of what lies ahead for our future, I gave myself a solid block of time to peruse IKEA.  I didn't have money to spend, but I had my notebook and was all ready to plan out my apartment.  I was pretty hyped! 

What a disappointment.  I looked around, completely uninspired, for as long as I could tolerate, and left at least an hour before planned.

Did IKEA change, or is it just my changing needs? 

My hunch is that IKEA is running on fumes of an earlier time.  Here is what I found in my IKEA trip:

• Most of the same "inspired ideas" setups, or small variations of the same setups, on display in the showroom.  Nothing to see here folks!  Move along!
• A couple new innovative items, but mostly the same products, or small variations of the same products, that I chose not to buy when I first moved to my small home an hour from IKEA in 2002.
• A lack of some of the products I first loved at IKEA, but hadn't yet gotten around to buying.  For example, whatever happened to the ladder you nail to the wall for kids to climb?   (Oh, and don't bother trying to contact IKEA through their website to ask them.  They will never reply.)

IKEA, if it ever was, is no longer the go-to place for small apartment living. 

First of all, perhaps because Target has been breaking new ground for itself repeatedly over the last few years, IKEA resembles the sprawl-version of Target.  Sure, they have more showroom floorspace, but that means you'll be taking a hike to see the same types of products, and if you've been to IKEA more than a time or two, you've seen it all before.  If you need a go-to place, Target seems as good a candidate as any.

Second of all, I can't help but feeling like when I am in IKEA, I am getting the supersized American version.  Sure, the furniture is still on the modest end in terms of sizes, as a whole.  If you want a couch, yes, you better be ready to say "how low can you go?" when you sit down.  But I don't get the feeling that IKEA is designing their stuff for American showrooms with the person living in a small space in mind.

Check it out.  Just click over to the ideas and inspiration section of IKEA's website and look at the type of rooms they think you'll be living in.  Sorry, but for a place with a reputation of being the go-to place for those of us living in small spaces, I think that is crap.  Out of eleven featured space, I see only one...maybe two...places that would look remotely recognizable to those coping with low square footage.  Seriously, just click the link and see.

Click on sofas, and then the first item under sofas, which is "fabric sofas," and the first thumbnail you'll see is this:



Yeah.

Right.

Dealing with a teeny, tiny kids room where you have multiple kids sharing a space?  Don't get too excited.  You will no longer see a trundle or bunk bed at IKEA, and sadly, IKEA has never taken to perfecting the Murphy bed concept in inexpensive form.  The best they have to offer is this...

I'll give them credit.  It's nice and streamlined, and it gives you some floorspace for a desk (if it is tall enough...I can't tell and don't recall), even if your child does have to remember not to trip over the "threshold," but what to do with more than one child, I have no idea.  Without a trundle or bunk, I can't figure out how any two beds are not going to take over my children's room.  Would I need to buy this and a second bed to put inside and perpendicular to this one, making an L-shape I suppose??  Do they have a second bed made to accompany it?  Not that I can tell.

And let's move to the dining room, shall we?

I posted earlier about some dining table options I easily found at my local "discount furniture store."  You would think a store known as the go-to place for folks living in small spaces would have some equally attractive options for families without a lot of square footage.  Aside from the one small table (might seat one...maybe two) that folds out from the wall, which I might use for adding some counterspace to my kitchen but that clearly couldn't accomodate my family of four, however, I left the dining showroom feeling frustrated.  I mean, they did have this...

...which would neatly tuck away the chairs.  But then what?  Because that table would take a huge hunk out of our living room floorspace that we can't afford.

 They did have some flimsy-looking, so-not-my-style drop-leaf tables, such as the one pictured below, and some equally flimsing-looking tables that expand outward by pulling a leaf from the bottomside of the table.  But they were clumsy and unimpressive, and they did not inspire in me any confidence that they could withstand two young children.

Bleh.

As for the kitchen, I can only say that I am still looking for creative combinations of appliances that lead to reduced numbers of appliances being needed.  I would have loved to have found, but did not, a full system of stainless steel stacking pots with small or collapsible handles that take up a very small amount of space.  And I am still looking for creative combinations of cooking utensils and the like for the same reason.  Clicking on "kitchen organization," for example, leads to thumbnails such as:



And I found far less in the way of convienent, compact kitchen appliance and utensil storage than I remember.  Though, I think it is commendable that they have a number of different nice "hanging hooks" options for hanging a wide variety of things on the wall.

Maybe IKEA could hire me as a product designer.  I have a lot of good ideas for families of four living in less than 550 square feet.  Or maybe I should check their international sites to compare what they offer.

My Latest Plan For Dishes

A while back a little craze for "silverware cozies" or "silverware pouches" got started.  The idea was that you could bring your silverware to potlucks and such so as not to use the plastic disposables. 

My sister wrote about making a cute one for herself a couple of years ago on her blog: Cute DIY To-Go Ware.  I've also seen them on a regular basis over at Etsy.  Here's a lovely one at a very cool Etsy shop called PattyPanShop:



I don't know what brought these to mind, but I started thinking about them today, and I had an idea.  As I've mentioned, our plan is to have one set of dishes (plate, bowl, cup or mug, fork, knife, and spoon) per family member.  Because our kitchen is tiny, this will save on storage space, and since we won't have a dishwasher, a side benefit is that we will have motivation to each wash our own dishes after every meal.

My thought is to create from fabric a long rectangular panel to hang on the wall.  The panel will be divided into four sections, and each section will have pockets or elastic holders for one person's dishes.  If it is hung vertically, the lower ones can be for the kids and the higher ones for the adults. 

If it is made from thick fabric, or put together quilt style with adequate batting, I'm thinking we should be able to put our dishes away and let them dry in their permanent spots rather than having them dry on a space-hogging drying rack in the kitchen. 

The panel can then be hung as wall art in the living room near the dining table (which will probably be the table with the leaves that drop down so we can push it against the wall to use as a practical or decorative table between meals), taking it out of the tiny kitchen entirely and leaving more wall space in there for things like art and magnetic hanging knife holders.

I'm imagining a mix of fabrics, sort of Oilily style.

The Cookbook Debate

My wife and I have a solid collection of cookbooks.  In fact, we have inhereted a number of them from other people who were downsizing or moving.  And despite the number of recipes available on the internet, we actually use our cookbooks.  We like the particular mix of books we have, and there are some recipes we go to again and again.  The use each book gets falls into three broad categories:

1.  Once in a blue moon or less often: these are the cookbooks that we thumb through every now and then when we need to get inspired.

2.  A handful of times each year: these are the cookbooks we use on occassion for reference, or cookbooks that have particular recipes we don't make often but that we like to have available for when we do make them.

3.  At least monthly: We have at least two cookbooks that have really become our staples in the kitchen.  One is a very old Betty Crocker cookbook.  It contains the recipes we use for making bread, pie crusts, many desserts, and more.  It also contains instructions for things like cooking different types of beans and different types of rice.  We use this probably weekly, and sometimes more than once a week.  The other is a three-ring binder of recipes we have collected from various sources such as family members, magazines, and so forth.  We consult this binder at least monthly, sometimes more.

I suggested to my dear wife that we consider doing the following...

For books we use once in a blue moon or less often, and even for books we use a handful of times each year: Go through these books and purge those we can pass on to others.  Pack away those we want to keep and put them in storage (currently my MIL's basement). 

For books we use at least monthly: Scan the books (neither of which are available on Google Books) and keep an electronic file on a thumb drive as well as on our computer.  Pack away these books and put them in storage (currently my MIL's basement).

My dear wife does not like the idea of having her most precious and well-valued cookbooks in electronic form.  It makes sense, as we have been largely computer-free at home now for about a month due to computer malfunctions, and this seems to happen often enough that she is worried she won't be able to get to her recipes when she needs them. 

I reminded her that we will be on or close to my school, where there will be computer labs if needed...and that this would be the whole point of putting the files on a thumb drive.  She said, though, that she also likes to have the books with her in the kitchen without having to worry about spills like she would if she had a laptop in there.  She just likes the security of those books.

Part of me thinks, why not just try the electronic format?  We can always get the books and bring them back to our apartment if we find we can't live without them.  While only two books would be necessary, they are large and will take up space that is so precious.  Besides, we'll likely need to start cooking very differently once in the tiny kitchen, and will thus most likely be searching the internet more regularly for our recipes.  The other part of me thinks, if the security of having hard copies of the books is helpful for our family, why make a big deal about the space that just two cookbooks would take?

Funny the things that get debated when space is limited.  It sort of reminds me of back in the days when I was trying to learn to be a serious backpacker, and people would talk about cutting off the ends of the handles on their toothbrushes because every gram and ounce would count in the ease of carrying their necessities on their backs.  It sounds so silly!

Anyone who is friends with me on Facebook might have guessed that I am obsessed with engineering and design concepts.  I may not have the mind or heart of an engineer or artist, but I definitely have a heart to appreciate both. That's why I find this type of thing so inspirational, even if these types of innovations are cost and student housing-rules prohibitive:

Transformer Furniture

This has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  I especially love the inclusion of a dining table and seating for twelve!  Not that I really need more things to buy (this is the fun part of moving, saying, "oh, maybe I could get this," which of course in most cases isn't possible...and the truth is that I should really focus my energies on getting rid of stuff, not collecting stuff), but I am all bummed out it isn't commercially available yet.  Apparently the designers of this lovely piece are looking for produces and business co-operators.  Check out more here. 

A friend of mine pointed out that all the shapes seem pretty basic, and that maybe I could have somebody make this for me.  I like the idea of being able to customize it, but I can't imagine that building it wouldn't take a ton of time!  I have a hard time imagining that it wouldn't cost a pretty penny that I don't have, but it's fun to dream. 

I love transformer furniture!

I adore this concept:

I'm not confident that the chairs would be particularly comfortable or sturdy (mind you we have two very active children), but if I got the table with the leaves that drop down, wouldn't these be great chairs to go with it?

Because really, that's half the problem with the dining table in the living room.  Even if it can be placed away to the side of the room, there's the question of what to do with the chairs.

What I am interested in is actually designing my living space, not just moving into it.  So I am specifically looking to set up my home so that everything has both its function and its beauty.  This chair fits that bill.  Its from Studio Dror, but the website keeps shutting down my computer, so I can't link to it.  What I would like to know is how much these cost and where they can be purchased.

Oh, wait, nevermind. Look.

Pots and Pans

For some reason, pots and pans seem easier to get under control than appliances.  Maybe because there are so many choices for pot-hangers... 

...and lid organizers...

...and even combinations of the two...

I wonder what system would maximize the space use the best? I also wonder what people do with their really big pots?

I know I said I don't like to spend a lot of time on apartmenttherapy.com, but they do have some resources for small kitchen organization (as well as small kitchen renovation for those who, unlike me, have the freedom and ability to renovate).

Tables and Counters

Our living room may end up being our only space for dining in our apartment, so one challenge we are going to have is how to have a place to dine in our living room

Before having kids, we once spent a year living in a tiny apartment with no place to dine, and we would sit on cushions on the floor and eat at our coffee table.  I don't mind eating like that as a general rule.  It's a Japanese dining style, right?



But I do have some concerns about whether the kids will be unhappy about the change. 

Another consideration I have is that a table can double really nicely for a counter.  Tables make productive workspaces when not allowed to get cluttered with other stuff as our dining table does in our current home. 

The other day I found myself looking at this piece, sold at Bob's Discount Furniture:



It can't seat a big crowd but can seat four, and I really like how easily the leaves drop and then get propped up again:



I think (??) the whole set, including chairs is $200, which we could probably swing if we made it a savings priority over the spring (did I mention we are downsizing with no money to do it?).

What I don't like is that it is dull.  From a design standpoint, it doesn't make me say, "oh, I love that table!"  But I might be willing to live with that.  I can imagine the table between meals, leaves down, against a wall in the living room with a nice cloth runner and some pretty flowers to bring some of the outside in.

On the other hand, what would make me like it even more would be if the same design had a table surface that could double as a cutting board, so as to free us from having to store cutting boards.  It's too bad marble, granite, etc. is so heavy, as I think people don't see it as drop-leaf material.  The below, also from Bob's Discount Furniture, isn't my style, nor would it seat four very well, but it would be a great counter-table double.



It's too bad IKEA doesn't have a better website.

First Musings on the Kitchen

So, as you can see from the pictures of our current house, the kitchen we have now is not huge.  The counterspace you see in the above picture is indeed all the counter space we have.  However, we are working with a full-sized stove and oven, a double-sided sink, and we are able to get additional storage space on shelves going down to our basement through a door in our kitchen.  There is also room in the kitchen for a small island or table for additional workspace.  The previous owners, as you can see, were smart by putting into the space a granite or marble-top table of some sort that could essentially double as a counter/workspace.

Contrast this to the photos the school sent us of one of the apartments we might end up in.  Apparently, the kitchen wasn't even worth a photo, but I think the fact that it has a mini-oven is pretty telling. 

When I visualize what the kitchen might look like, I often think of the Smitten Kitchen.  I love seeing how someone else is making do with a small kitchen.

For some families, I imagine, a small kitchen wouldn't be a huge challenge.  For us, it is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges of downsizing.  Over the last few years, we've worked hard to learn to cook almost everything we eat from scratch.  Any day of the week in our home, you can smell fresh breads or tortillas, stews or soups, quiches or enchilladas, all made by hand.  The only thing we are still buying prepared on a regular basis are noodles, as we don't yet have the pasta maker attachment to the KitchenAid we are so thankful to have received as a wedding gift way back when (where will THAT thing go in our new tiny kitchen?).

Cooking from scratch is a big deal for us, for a number of reasons:

1. It's the only economically feasible thing for us to do, and when I am a student, this will be even more important (afterall, isn't that one of the benefits I claim to downsized living...lower costs?).
2. It helps us ensure a healthier, more rounded diet than would be available eating more pre-prepared foods or eating out on something even close to our budget.  Our food at home is minimally processed and made from whole grains, for example.
3. By being part of a family that cooks, our kids are assimilating important life skills. 
4. A lot of times, it tastes better. 

One thing we are trying to do in making this move is to shape a life around our values.  Part of the use of this blog for me is the space to explore different ways we might express our values in the choices we make regarding our living space.  Nowhere is that more important to me, than in the kitchen.