I haven’t redecorated or invested in our home interiors in a while. Not that we need to buy any more new things. We’re all set. We have everything that we need, and there isn’t exactly any more space in our apartment for, say, new furniture, or a bigger bed. Not much space to re-arrange too. At least none yet.
But this week I found myself browsing through the recently released Ikea Catalog 2015 (online version) and felt my heart flutter with excitement all over again.
I used to be an avid Ikea Catalog collector. And of course I like their products too. Known as the go-to place for affordable and high quality furniture and home essentials, they surely have refined their designs and have evolved into an inspirational lifestyle brand worldwide. I guess for us here in the Philippines, Ikea items are more of a novelty since we don’t have any Ikea stores in the country.
Ikea products are affordable if you buy them from the US, EU, Australia, or Singapore. Getting their items to the Philippines, however, can be really costly, at least based from my own experience. I have a few Ikea pieces I bought when I was still single and we still use them until now —a phased out Rexbo ladder shelf (aha, collector’s item!), a floor lamp, some pillowcases and bed sheets, frames, etc. They cost a bit much because, either you spend a ridiculous amount on shipping, or, you have to go abroad to visit an Ikea store.
Browsing the online catalog makes me daydream about home interiors again, and how we can improve our own home in small, inexpensive ways. Here are some of my picks from the catalog and why I love them. I hope this gives you a little dose of inspiration today too:
Kid-friendly living room and playroom
Lately I’ve been daydreaming a lot about having white walls and huge windows! Natural light, yo. I love how neutral colored bases (white tables, book shelves and chairs, and light colored sofas) can make a space look big, and make bright and happy accent colors pop up!
My husband and I have maintained a minimalist look for our home since we got married, but what can I say, it’s just impossible to not have a messy, colorful house with kids! I’ve learned to adjust to that, and have grown to love and embrace this beautiful mess. What can I say.. “a messy house is a happy house“, indeed! :)
Clean and functional bedroom
Ikea catalog writes, “The bedroom and bathroom is where everyday begins and ends. And if everyone can make everyday begin and end in a nicer way, just imagine its effect on life!”
I never really thought of it that way, and so for the longest time, I’ve placed little thought on styling our bedroom, which also happens to be (probably) the messiest space in our house. Sharing our bed and our small bedroom space with the twins is just a riot! If we have a bigger space (and budget), these are my bedroom pegs:
Although, seriously, can any real life bedroom really look this perfect??
Organized closet space
At first I thought “ohhhh I want this!”
And almost within an instant, I remembered that I’m not sharing an apartment with a woman, soooo I thought this clean, neutral walk-in closet will do:
We don’t have a lot of closet space in our apartment now, which is why it’s hard to maintain a bedroom without clothes and towels lying around. Maybe someday. In our future home. :)
Me-time space
Ahhh, I need huge windows, some house plants, and a cozy window seat like this in my life:
Or a small room that we can convert to a movie room or a mini-library!
Aside from white, the only other wall paint I could imagine living in is a nice shade of blue, like this, which looks a lot like our wedding colors, don’t you think? I can’t deny, I’ve been pretty consistent with this. Blue has always been OUR color.
Ikea’s Content Marketing Strategy
A few months ago I blogged about why Ikea’s Content Marketing is working wonders for them. (Read the article HERE.) As far as Content Marketing is concerned, Ikea is one of the few major brands who get it.
You can just imagine the amount of work they put in building their content (and those catalogs!), and they’re doing it so amazingly well that it’s not just about selling furniture anymore. It’s become more of engaging a community and inspiring individuals to live happy, inspired and meaningful lives.
To launch the Ikea Catalog 2015, they created this video that is currently being shared around the web since it was released 3 days ago. Have you seen it?
You just can’t help but smile watching that one, no? The video promoted the Ikea brand without hard-selling the actual products, and that is how any content strategy should be. I thought spoofing Apple to promote their catalog was very entertaining to watch. Coining a new word “BookBook” was just plain brilliant.
But what did you get from watching that video, really? Did it make you want to run to the nearest Ikea store to get a copy of the catalog or to buy Ikea products? Maybe yes. Maybe not. Mostly, what the video did was to make us think about the proverbial analog vs digital debate, and why holding a book still feels more rewarding at times.
While many other brands have chosen to go paper-less, Ikea has been consistently firm in producing printed material such as their annual catalogs. And yet, they’re so in the digital game too, effectively producing the same material in digital format that people just love to consume and share. Free inspiration is always welcome, and Ikea has been successfully inspiring us (for free!) through years. Well, why not.
Hands down, Ikea. Your passion just blows my mind.
