I was recently in Indianapolis moving my younger daughter into her college dorm at IUPUI.
Of course, once we get her stuff moved in she decides there is more stuff that she needs….bookshelf, bedside table, bathroom cabinet, etc…
So, what do we do?
Head to IKEA of course!
We don’t have an IKEA in the town we are from (Evansville, Indiana about three hours south of Indy), so any excuse to stop by IKEA when I’m in Indy is a good idea to me!
They have a little bit of everything…cookies, cinnamon rolls, picture frames, beds, couches, dishes,….pretty much anything you could want for a home or dorm room!
So How Do You Find Your Items?
Some items are available right where you see them, such as the picture frames and wall art. However, many items are located at the end of your journey through IKEA in a huge warehouse-type room where you get to hunt for your new possessions!
You have to find the number on the tag that is specific for your item when you see it throughout the showroom.
And then hunt in up in the warehouse! The tag gives you the exact aisle and bin number where to find the item.
I think my kids (and my young adults) usually like hunting the items the most because they end up riding the carts around as we find our items!
Putting It Together
As you can see from the pictures above, many things from IKEA need to be assembled when you get them home.
One of the items my daughter bought was a cabinet to go beside her bed. This came in a nice, small box with instructions on how to put it together.
Unlike her mother, she reads the directions!
Some of the parts were a little more difficult to figure out what you were supposed to do with them. The picture below shows the cabinet drawers. Assembly consisted of bending metal to make them into the drawer size needed!
The flat pieces really did bend into the drawers needed for the cabinet. (I had no idea I would be bending metal to make a cabinet when I got up that morning!)
However, the cabinet turned out great and is the perfect size for what she needed!
IKEA is always an adventure
We love looking around to see what all we can find for our house and for presents for friends and family for the holidays!
Personally, I always look forward to bringing home a package of cinnamon rolls for breakfast the following morning (assuming they are not eaten before the next morning)!
Oh, yes!! We just discovered IKEA ourselves about a month ago and can’t wait to go back. What a find! My husband was skeptical at first, but then realized how the system works and his jaw dropped. LOL!!
I love IKEA!! My favorite part is the meatballs! LOL and just wandering around looking at all the room setups.
Ikea is great, especially on a budget! How fun.
I’ve yet to visit an IKEA store, as the closest one to me is three hours away. However thanks for the post. I’m really inspired to visit!
A fun AND memorable time!
We have this same cabinet in black… it is so. handy!!! We love IKEA, especially the ice cream cone, haha!!!
The purple cabinet is super cute! I haven’t been to IKEA in so long. This makes me want to go shop for stuff that I don’t need. 🙂
We’ve only been to IKEA once, we may have to visit again.
Living in a small town I have never been to IKEA. I need to check it out when I am in a bigger area. Looks very cool!
I absolutely love Ikea! They are great for everything! My children’s room is decked out with their furniture!
Can you believe I’ve never been to IKEA? We don’t have one in northern MN. I LOVE that purple cabinet your daughter got, so now I want to go find one. I’m a little obsessed with organization and storage right now, so I think I’d feel right at home. Hope your daughter has a great year at IUPUI!!
My wife and I just move a son and a daughter into different schools, and we did the same thing…at the Kansas City IKEA. That was my first ever trip to IKEA, and I was dumbfounded.
Hard for me to even believe but I have never been to IKEA! Reading this makes me want to plan a trip. Thank you!
Ikea is like an amusement park and is totally an adventure. We have one about an hour away and when we go it is an all-day event – good thing they have a restaurant! Good luck to your daughter at college!
I agree! It’s easy to spend most of a day in there!
Thanks For the explanation of where to actually find the items. I haven’t been in and ikea since I was a kid. So I definitely would have been walking around lost if I go back as an adult and tried to find stuff.
I am grateful everything I have bought from Ikea is pretty easy to put together as well! I love those cinnamon rolls!
Thanks for your review of Ikea! I’ve always enjoyed going to Ikea and wandering around the aisles to see all the great ideas for organizing and storing items!
I love how you casually throw in Cinnamon rolls into the shopping necessities! LOL!
They are a necessity! Once you have one then you will realize how much of a necessity they are! LOL