I have never understood

What is the difference between a nightstand and a end table? As I understand it, they share the same purpose (to hold lamps and reading material and other small things). IKEA has different pieces in each category, so I thought I'd do an exhaustive roundup.

Vejmon, $99

I'm quite fond of this one in that it is very similar to the Angle-Leg Side Table, just cheaper by $70.

Trondheim, $79.99

Sorum, $79.99

Hemnes, $69.99

Expedit Side Table, $34.99

Twiggy Side Table, $99.95

Parsons Mini Desk, $249
Slightly larger than the Parsons End Table and $50 more.

Harvey Carbon, $99.95

Malm Chest, $49.99

I find this incredibly ugly, but if I end up in a small enough apartment, I'll probably be glad of the storage.

Expedit 2x2, $49.99

This piece is much taller than any of the others, and is only appropriate for use against a wall or the side of a sofa.

It's only now struck me...

Some of the apartments I'm considering are absolutely teeny-tiny. Like, 560 sq ft tiny. Many of the floor plans of the itty-bitty studios have a fair amount of space taken up by a long-ish hallway, so one idea I had was to have a sideboard in the entryway.

A lot of what comes up when searching for sideboards is vertical, at IKEA at least, so I've been looking elsewhere. Here are a few media centers that might work. They're all fairly short (around 36") and not that deep (around 17').

Tobo, $219

Liatorp, $299

Ikea Stockholm, $299

Ikea PS, $99

Hemnes, $199

Besta Burs, $249

Besta Adal, $130

I'd need to get some sort of saw...

This IKEA hack is almost too simple, but totally doable at the same time. Customize your nightstand or sidetable by putting two Lack sidetables on top of each other, and cutting some height off the legs of the bottom one. I love tables with storage.

This is so cool

A laptop riser constructed out of IKEA furniture! Instructions here.

Deconstruction

So, umm, I kind of love the look of the picture and the frame separately leaning against the wall. The rest of the look is a little too grunge-chic, and I'm a little too fond of the creature comforts of my possessions to give them up entirely.

I think what I'm going to do is take large art and lean it against the wall instead of hanging it up. Besides, anything that's reminiscent of this place can't be half bad.

IKEA has got several large, unframed prints for not too much money. Unfortunately, they're about as personalized as a brick, but nobody can afford custom prints that large.

IKEA Pjatteryd (30 3/4 X 46 1/2) $49.99

IKEA Pjatteryd (30 3/4 X 46 1/2) $49.99

IKEA Premiar (55 x 78 3/4) $149

All pictures here. My only issue with some of the large prints is, how in the world do you fit them in a car??

Very expensive websites

Evinco and 2Modern are at least 3 or 4 times more expensive than IKEA in most categories, though their furniture is just so beautiful.

However, 2Modern has quite a selection of lamps and pillows for cheaper than elsewhere on the net.

Evinco is actually quite reasonable when it comes to armchairs and sofabeds. It's mind-boggling. Evinco has quite a selection of leather club chairs, starting around $300, which is actually quite comparable to some of IKEA's more expensive chairs. The only conceivable lesson here is to only purchase IKEA's cheaper chairs, or to maybe buy a lot of leather club chairs.

Pablo Tube Top Lamp (from 2Modern)

Chrome Chairs

Contingency planning - apartments with chrome accents need furnishings too.

IKEA Smedsta $199
(in black, though the white is quite nice too)

IKEA Klappsta $199
(only available in white)

Oh no, there's another Karlstad chair

I think I like the other Karlstad chair better, but this one is cheaper by $20 in the grey color.

Sivik dark grey $279

Why am I so indecisive?

The IKEA Karlstad Chair. I'm just completely unable to commit fully to a single color.

Blekinge White $249

Sivik beige $299

Korndal Medium Grey $349

Sivik Dark Grey $299

The crack that is IKEA

IKEA has far too many chairs, and for many of those chairs, I'm quite fond of several colors. I don't have the presence of mind for a single, lucid, very long post about all of them at once. Not now, not ever.

So here's to the first of many posts about chairs from IKEA...

IKEA Tullsta (in dark grey) $99

Not overfond of the birch legs (which are very IKEA), but I think on this chair, they look ok.

Also quite fond of the natural.

Color Schemes

I'm quite fond of the colors of this couch, white with dark brown/black.
This loveseat is the closest I can find on IKEA at the moment.

These last two pictures just seem ... ideal to me.
Especially the first one, with the black leather and the gray cloth.

Christina Murphy's mismatched chairs

'Nuff said. Lots of choices with the Ikea Poang.

Striking a blow against vegetarians worldwide...

I'm afraid it may be horribly gauche, but I really want one of these.
Thankfully, Ikea offers this option (only available in store) for $250, and Amazon has quite a selection.