The Spaniards LOVE Ikea! Don’t get me wrong. I, too, love Ikea. But if I were to have my own house and have money and decorate it, I would probably go with a Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn or some other nicer quality furniture/house store. In Spain, there aren’t exactly many choices. There are definitely plenty of small-sized house stores, but with Ikea in the area, it’s hard for them to compete with the cheap price. In Spain it’s not rare to go to a pretty well to do person’s house and see their Swedish made furniture. Naturally, many Spaniards, rich and poor, will go to Ikea and fill an entire house with random stuff and self-assembled furniture.
Francisco and I had our first trip to Ikea on Monday. We really had no choice since we don’t have a lot of money…or I don’t have a lot of money. Our priority was to get the remaining parts of the giant armoire that he got before, a desk, and a few other items we need in the house.
Choosing the parts for the armoire was easy, but deciding on a desk was ridiculous! Is this bigger than the other? Would this take up too much space? Is it high enough so that we can put a TV on it and watch comfortably? Do we like this color? How much does it cost? What do we really need it for? OH MY GOD! Is this what it’s like to be married to someone???!!! If it is, then Jesus Christ!!!
The decisions that had to be made about everything drove me nuts. It’s hard enough for me to decide on my own, but having to do it with someone else is another story. Thankfully, it didn’t take us too much time to decide on the little house goodies that we got; although I did take my time choosing a cereal bowl. I tried to explain to Francisco my need for a perfect cereal bowl and he just seemed confused and annoyed.
After waiting in line to pay for what felt like forever, we then had the problem of transportation. Francisco has a tiny car and we had two big armoire doors and a desk to bring home. We thought of hiring one of the “piratas” waiting outside that basically offer their truck and driving services to take you and your newly-bought goods home. I mean, who wants to pay for Ikea’s high deliver charges? Luckily, we – I mean, he – managed to fit everything in the car somehow.
In the end, it was all good. I definitely have never spent that much time in an Ikea, but it’s always fun to decorate. And because, I couldn’t fit in the car with all the stuff, I got to go to the mall next door and window shop until Francisco came back to pick me up. I can’t wait to get a job and spend some good quality time there J
So now our apartment looks a little homier. At least our bedroom does. Little by little, I hope we can take care of the other rooms so eventually our piso looks just like any other Spanish piso full of Ikea products. Considering I haven’t been able to cook anything, we really need to work on the kitchen next. Is it possible for me to register for Crate and Barrel without having to get married?
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