No matter your background or position, everyone has an opinion on IKEA. While some love the organization, flow, pricing, and practical nature, other people hate IKEA for the exact same reasons. Wherever you fall on the IKEA love/hate scale, everyone can agree that this successful store’s approaches are one-of-a-kind. Though the unique approaches from IKEA defy conventional ones, it hasn’t slowed down the home furnishing giant in the slightest. So kickback on your Karlstad, and dust off your Norden, these life lessons from IKEA are the real deal.
1. Minimalism Rocks
Nowhere is it more clear that minimalism is the way of the future than IKEA. Not only does minimalist designs make sense for decreased shipping costs and more efficiently design showrooms, minimalist designs are also more efficient to produce. As we increasingly see our home spaces transformed by new design elements, minimalism is one that is surely here to stay.
2. It’s OK To Be Cheap
Sure IKEA furniture doesn’t always last for more than a few years, but what things do these days? The affordable products at IKEA not only make for a successful business model, it lets a lot of us have a more comfortable life then we would otherwise be able to afford. At times when everyone is struggling to make ends meet, it’s a nice reminder to know that being cheap can be a good thing.
3. Be More Independent
Not everybody’s a fan of IKEA’s self-serve nature, however there’s nothing wrong with showing yourself what you can do. Sure you had to traverse four floors and carry your furniture to the till yourself, but making things is terrifically gratifying. Nothing but your sweat and tears made that couch a reality.
4. All You Need Is A Hexagonal Wrench
No matter how complicated your IKEA purchase is, it seems that it always goes together with nothing more than a few screws and a tiny wrench. Those shrunken hexagons build even the largest IKEA pieces, whether it’s a couch, table or bed. It’s enough evidence to convince me at least, that you can do anything in life with willpower and a hexagonal wrench.
5. Welcome Others
Who can forget this adorable monkey who found his way inside of an IKEA in Canada, in 2012. In the midst of inclement weather, IKEA sheltered the monkey until an alternative home could be found. Now happy and healthy at an animal sanctuary, the monkey named Darwin was captured in a humane way. A strong reminder that it is never out of fashion to care for others.
6. Europe’s Where It’s At
IKEA’s not just an innovative store with successful products, it’s also the sign of new approaches in Europe. Not only that, but IKEA tailors its presence to every market it enters. Between futuristic spaces and more innovative building designs, it never hurts to look for influences outside our own countries. Not only that, approaching all cultures with respect is crucial in understanding others.
7. Everything Is Better With Food
IKEA is a strong testament to a universally true principal: food makes everything better. Whether you’re a bacon fanatic, a junk food lover, or the person who can never turn down a pizza, absolutely every and anything goes better with food. In fact, if they allowed it at the gym, I would even snack while working out. Another tasty reason why IKEA keeps us coming back.
Featured photo credit: John Pastor via flickr.com
