IKEA Spring Decorating Ideas {Shopping Inspiration, April 2014}

It has been a long time since I took you all on a little tour of our Woodbridge IKEA showrooms. Our IKEA is less than half an hour away, so even if I don't have a big ticket item on my list, it's close enough that I can go up to browse and find some decorating ideas for the next season. IKEA didn't disappoint during our recent trip. The showrooms and marketplace were full of new pieces! I thought I'd share some of the best IKEA decorating tips and ideas from my recent trip. Please forgive the grainy, darker iPhone photos.

It was Harris' very first IKEA trip. I think I was quite a bit more excited than he was, but he was very well behaved...even better than his two sisters! He napped in his stroller, had a bottle in the cafe, and smiled at all the other shoppers in the elevator on the way down to the marketplace.

I always enjoy peeking in at the living rooms and family rooms. The IKEA designers do such a great job of showing shoppers how to layer pieces, add lots of storage, and include different seating options without cluttering up a space.

While many of the Swedish superstore's pieces are more modern in design than my taste, there are always plenty of things I can see mixing in well with a traditionally designed room. And they do, of course, have some furniture and accessories that fit well with a cottage/Swedish country vibe.

This orange couch would be much too loud for my family room, but it could be the star of a kids' play space and media center:

I always want to sit down and have a mocha and a good chat with a friend when we pass by the dining spaces:

I don't know what the quality of an IKEA kitchen would be like in the "real world" as far as durability over a long period of time, but the showroom spaces are so open, with tons of storage. They definitely get an A for the pretty factor, especially the showrooms where the kitchen and family spaces were open concept.

The designers do a good job of creating warm, relaxing bedrooms and baths. I sort of wanted to ditch the fam and take a nap. Or soak my feet in a fake tub. That wouldn't have been weird at all would it?

Of course, my girls were most enthralled with the kids' bedrooms and nurseries. As far as making good use of space for children, IKEA's designers really do top notch work. The layout of each child's space provided plenty of room for sleep, play, and storage (a key ingredient!).

Who wouldn't love to spend time in these outdoor spaces?

I love browsing the marketplace for fun accessories...saw a bunch of new items!

Realllllly wanted to get some yardage of this rustic fabric to use as a backdrop, but was trying to be frugal with the money I had to spend, so I didn't get any. They had some lovely fabric choices!

Some very cute polypropylene rugs that I think would look great on a covered porch or deck area:

Springy baskets for display or storing things...

We brought home a set of glasses, a SIGURD bench in white, a stuffed dachshund for Harris' nursery, and an adorable Barbie-sized set of IKEA furniture for the girls' doll house. Not bad!

I know this was picture overload today, but I hope you enjoyed shopping with me if you don't have an IKEA close by. We are lucky!

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