The "right" glassware?

IKEA glasses are probably cheaper than Mason jars!

Posted by Devra First June 22, 2009 02:32 PM

I'm not usually a stickler for having high-quality glassware. A lot of people are very particular about being able to drink their wine from an appropriate vessel. I mostly don't care.

Recently, though, I'm having glassware issues. First there were the stunted little tumblers at Tory Row. Now it's the water glasses at Tupelo. Or should I say water vats?

I don't have a whole lot of complaints about the restaurant, as you'll read on Wednesday. But I hate the ginormous Mason jars they're using as drinking glasses!

They are a lot bigger than this in person.

1. I can barely wrap my hand around the thing.

2. They only fill them about halfway anyway. Why not use the more manageable standard-size Mason jar, then?

3. I'm not sure about how I feel about the glasses as a representation of some sort of "poverty chic" aesthetic. If you can't afford drinking glasses and are making the most of what you have, that's one thing. But at this point, IKEA glasses are probably cheaper than Mason jars. It's not, actually, cool to be poor.

Do you care what kind of glassware your beverage comes in?

The "right" glassware? - Dishing - Boston.com

Before and After: The Benefits of Basic Tidying and Cable Management

Not every workplace makeover needs to involve a spending spree at Ikea and more LEDs than a flight control panel. Today's featured workspace just needed a little tidying and cable control.

It doesn't float, spin, flash, or appear to contain glowing alien spore, but today's featured workspace gets the job done in a very practical and tidy way. Lifehacker reader Dani Cela just needed to tame the mess of cables at his feet and tidy up. He attached a cable basket like the one Adam used to tidy his cables under his desk. The small space under the left-hand side proved to be perfect for a shallow recycling bin, further cutting down on the things around his feet and legs. After the tidying and cable re-routing, Dani's left with a functional workspace with all his essentials at hand. Check out the before and after links below for more detailed pictures of his cable basket and workspace.

Lifehacker

Going to IKEA is a serious step in the stages of a relationship

One afternoon while vacuuming my apartment, there was a thud at the door. I opened and found my downstairs neighbor standing there with a weary expression.

“Hey man,” he said. “My wife wants to ask you something.”

Jonathan Cade
Richmond.com
Published: June 16, 2009

Stages of IKEA

Who's the woman in the Ikea TV ad?

 
Actress in Ikea ad, Venida Evans, has lived and experienced enough to tell what is a good value.

Question: Who is the older woman who seems to be playing the conscience of the Ikea customers in those quirky ads running now? The ads are odd, but they do grab your attention.

— Regina Fagan, Sacramento

A:  They are quirky and remind the Ad Team of the movie Ghost. But actress Venida Evans is meant to represent consumers' "Inner Ikea," according to Deutsch, N.Y., which created the ads.

The "Inner Ikea" campaign, which began last October, is designed to help consumers recognize that Ikea's designs give shoppers more value than you'd expect for the price.

USATODAY.com

Designer tricks for the kitchen

Architects and interiors specialists share their secret sources, strategies for clever styling, organizing tips, and other home updates you can do yourself.

By Marni Elyse Katz and Deblina Chakraborty

June 12, 2009

(Photo by Eric Roth)

Clear the decks: If a jumble of small appliances is cluttering your countertops, clean them and start over, says interior architect Lisa Foster, principal of the Providence firm Reconstructure. Choose your most-used tool as a starting point -- the coffee maker, for example -- and put anything that doesn't match it in the cabinets.

Get a grip: The easiest way to update old cabinets is to install new handles or knobs, says Providence's Lisa Foster, who likes the inexpensive and fun stainless-steel finish Attest handles from IKEA. "Always look for solid or single-piece construction," she recommends. "Handles composed of multiple parts can unscrew or break over time."

The Boston Globe

Some (fun) assembly required

Pull out a rolling pin, kitchen shears, a few bowls, and a baking sheet. Fill a small plastic container with hot soapy water and pop a sponge into it. It's time to teach kids to cook. And there's plenty of time right now. Most parents of young children are looking ahead to a long hot summer and feeling a little anxious about filling all those days with activities.

The Boston Globe

Approval for Winnipeg store

Construction will take about 18 months

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Ikea Canada has obtained site approval for a 350,000-square-foot store here to open between late 2011 and early 2013.

The store, Ikea's first in the Winnipeg market, will be at Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway. Construction will begin once the retailer receives approval for needed infrastructure changes.

According to the Sweden-based home furnishings giant, construction will take about 18 months.

"We are happy to be able to move forward with our expansion into the Winnipeg market," said Kerri Molinaro, president of Ikea Canada. "We will look forward to serving the Winnipeg market and are confident that we will have a positive impact on the community through job creation and service contracts."

Headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, Ikea Canada currently operates 11 stores in the country.

Furniture Today

Food tales from a first visit to IKEA

 

We visited the Ikea store for the first time this past weekend.  What a store!  Being a foodie, I just wanted to go straight to the food court, but I got sucked in by all the kitchen stuff.  Their prices are very reasonable, but believe me, you could spend a lot of money in this store.

I eventually found my way to the food court upstairs.  Wow.  Everything looked so good.  They were smart and put the deserts at the front of the line, so you are tempted by desert before you choose your meal.

We tried the chocolate overload cake and the Swedish almond cake.  The Swedish almond cake was like a carrot cake except it had almonds in it instead of carrots.  It was one layer, and instead of the rich cream cheese icing, there was a thin light custard icing on top.  The flavor was excellent with an unusual texture from the nuts.

Passing the salads, I was so tempted by an openface shrimp and egg sandwich that was piled high with shrimp for only 2.99.  Where else do you find a deal like that?  Jim enjoyed the gravlax, which is cured and thinly sliced salmon served with a honey, mustard and dill sauce.

Finally, we got to the entrees.  I tried the Swedish meatballs that I had heard so much about.  They came with a cream sauce that tasted of just a hint of mustard.  Real mashed potatoes were served on the side with a small spoonful of ligonberry sauce.  An excellent meal for only $4.99

I had never had ligonberry sauce, and found it to be similar to cranberry sauce.  The berries are much smaller, and not as tart, but overall the flavor is similar.

We sampled a juice box of elderflower drink.  My first impression was that it tastes like flowers.  It was like a mildly sweet flower tea.

Everything was good and very reasonably priced.  All three of us ate, with deserts and drinks, for under $25.

Downstairs, just past the checkout area is a bistro area with all kinds of Swedish food products that you can buy.  All sorts of cookies and pastries, the juice boxes and juice concentrates for both ligonberry juice and elderflower drink, and a lot of other tempting goodies.

The most unusual finds for me was the tubes of spread  and pate ready for a cocktail party.  Salmon pate, cream cheese and caviar, cheese and shrimp paste, all premade in a tube ready for your crackers.  Check out the photo slide show to see these.  I will definitely be trying these for my next party.

I also grabbed one of their Swedish cookbooks for only $5.99.  When I try out the recipes, I'll let you know. 

Tampa Ethnic Foods Examiner

IKEA and UNICEF

Here’s a real sunshine story! Starting in June 2009, for every SUNNAN solar powered lamp sold in IKEA stores worldwide, one lamp will be given to UNICEF to light up the life of a child.

The first shipments are destined for Pakistan, helping children in camps for people who had to flee their homes, and remote villages in Balochistan and the North West Frontier province.

IKEA has made an especially sturdy SUNNAN for the developing world, designed to resist the wear and tear of difficult living situations, including a battery capable of withstanding high temperatures.

This unit will enable children to play, read, write and study at night, even if their homes have no electricity.

“Millions of children can’t draw, write or read after sunset, limiting their horizons and possibly their futures,” said Marianne Barner, head of IKEA Social Initiative. “We hope our lamps are a small but important contribution to improving the lives of children in developing countries.”

“Especially girls are often required to help out with household chores after school, and their only chance of doing their homework may be at night,” she said. “SUNNAN can make a huge difference to them. If they can keep up with the homework, their school attendance will likely increase and their achievements improve.”

SUNNAN comes in five bright colours and is available in an IKEA store near you, or online at www.ikea.com. SUNNAN work lamp combines low-energy LED technology with solar panels. Just charge the panel for 9-12 hours in the sun and get four hours of full light!  

About the IKEA Social Initiative
The IKEA Social Initiative, established in 2005, manages IKEA’s social involvement on a global level.  The mission is to improve the rights and life opportunities of the many children. The main partners are the two leading global child right organisations; UNICEF and Save the Children. IKEA Social Initiative invests in a range of programs with a holistic approach, aiming to create substantial and lasting results.

IKEA and UNICEF lighten up children’s lives in the developing world

The Wine Case Desk

The desk is constructed of the 8 cases he found, plus a $60 glass table top he picked up at Ikea. The entire thing is designed to be broken down easily for both rearrangement and moving. The boxes are secured to each other and to the desktop using deep throat C-clamps he picked up for less than a dollar each. Where the C-clamps meet the glass is protected with small rubber pads and the tension is only high enough to grip properly.

Lifehacker - Workspaces