Posts Tagged with “Project IKEA”

13 Dec 2012
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Have Yourself An IKEA Christmas

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“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” sings Andy Williams. And I have to agree.

People seem more cheerful, everything is on sale and homes are dressed up to the nines in Christmas decorations.

Christmas is also a time where many reflect on the year and be grateful for their blessings, and I have to count IKEA as one of them. I was invited to be an IKEA ambassador earlier this year and that was a fantastic experience. IKEA is also a lifesaver for busy people like me during the Christmas season.

Pei Chyi and I are both business owners, and life doesn’t stop during the Christmas season. I’ve been racing to complete projects in December, so that I can have a peaceful year end break. Throw a hyperactive 2-year old in the mix and you have a recipe for mental meltdown!

So with limited time and opportunity to shop, I need someplace that has everything I need to decorate my home for Christmas, and to grab a few gift items too. And not to curry favor with IKEA, I honestly say that I am thankful to them for solving this problem for me.

For our Christmas decor this year, we bought a FEJKA Christmas tree and JULMYS decoration baubles in assorted colors. What I liked about the FEJKA tree is that it looks more realistic than your run-of-the-mill artificial trees. I bought one from Jusco 2 years ago but didn’t like the wire-brush style pine needles. The FEJKA tree is realistic enough that some people thought it was real when they saw my Instagram 😉

Conveniently, IKEA sells tree decorations too. Zack had a fun time helping with decorations, and we personalized the tree further with handmade ribbons. Read More »

1 Sep 2012
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Get the new IKEA 2013 catalog.. on your smartphone!

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The 2013 IKEA catalog is out! This year IKEA has gone digital (even in their print catalog). You can browse the print catalog just like you always have, but you can enhance it with the companion iOS or Android app too. By using the companion apps to scan marked pages in the catalog, you’ll be able to view films, how-to guides and interesting interactive content on your smartphone or tablet. That’s a pretty cool way to bring a print catalog into the digital age don’t you think?

I am an IKEA Malaysia brand ambassador. See all other posts in my Project IKEA series and my disclosure policy.

22 Aug 2012
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Custom DIY standing desk with Ergotron LX Dual Stacking Arm, made from IKEA NUMERÄR countertop

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When I put together my original IKEA standing desk, I was still experimenting and wanted a solution where I could convert back into a regular sitting desk if necessary.

That solution worked well enough but it was never a long term solution. The biggest problem I had with it was that the computer screen was too far away from my face (the desk I used was 60cm deep) and I found myself leaning forwards to make out text on the screen. The desk was also pretty unstable and would begin to wobble if I was typing quickly.

So when I moved into my new home in late 2011, I began devising a more permanent and flexible solution. The result is this: a standing workstation made from an IKEA NUMERÄR countertop and an Ergotron LX Dual Stacking Arm.

My new standing desk is elbow height, with the awesome Ergotron LX Dual Stacking Arm

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2 Jul 2012
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IKEA Sale 5-22 July 2012

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IKEA is on sale again in July! From 5-22 July 2012, enjoy great deals on selected items.

IKEA has also introduced the IKEA FAMILY card. Card holders will even enjoy additional discounts up to 67% on the first day of the sale. Download PDF for details. Other benefits of the IKEA FAMILY card:

  • Lifetime membership
  • Earn Bonus Points for store vouchers
  • Get 3x Bonus Points on your birthday month (from June 2012 onwards)
  • $ave with member prices on selected products
  • Enjoy free drinks and discounted FAMILY meals
  • Be invited to member-only events
  • Get inspired and first-hand information with 3 newsletters per year

See you at the IKEA sale!

I am an IKEA Malaysia brand ambassador. See all other posts in my Project IKEA series and my disclosure policy.

12 Jun 2012
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Win a place to IKEA's Swedecook class with the Pretty Smart Kitchens contest

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I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had at the Swedecook cooking class, despite not being able to cook 😀

Pei Chyi and I attended the class last Thursday along with other IKEA Malaysia brand ambassadors, which was held at at19Culinary studio in Damansara Heights. Our instructor was Chef Khai, an award winning chef and lecturer at Taylors School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts.

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20 Mar 2012
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The only time of the year that you want to see red at IKEA…

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.. is during the IKEA sale!

It’s the last week to take advantage of great deals at everyone’s favorite furniture and lifestyle store. The IKEA sale is on until this Sunday, 25th March.

Zack’s play area in our living room

Pei Chyi, Zack and I paid a visit to the store at the beginning of the sale and bought this cute KRITTER table and chair set for Zack to arrange his alphabet blocks and play with his Play-doh. It wasn’t on sale, but we needed it and there are so many other things that are on sale. Here are some of the great deals that we saw. Read More »

29 Feb 2012
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IKEA, so much more than furniture

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My love affair with IKEA continues, this time with me visiting IKEA all the way Down Under.

Earlier this month Zack, Pei Chyi and I went for a vacation in Melbourne. Well, it was a part working holiday because Pei Chyi’s company was running a trade show there. That meant that she was busy during the day and I had to watch Zack alone.

Have you ever tried watching a hyperactive 2-year old for more than an hour? Read More »

29 Jan 2012
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Give IKEA products a personal touch by hacking them!

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I used to oppose IKEA. I didn’t want my house to look like an IKEA showroom, and to avoid falling for the “IKEA nesting instinct” explained in this scene of The Fight Club, one of my fave movies of all time.

I’ve since gotten over that. I’m not buying IKEA products to define myself after all, I’m buying them because of their great value and business practices. And to make sure my house doesn’t end up looking like an IKEA showroom, I hack my IKEA stuff! (For example, see my DIY IKEA Standing Desk Hack).

Here’s another hack we recently did for our home.

The super affordable SOLSTA PÄLLBO footstool is only RM8.90, but only comes in white and gray. Not really matching with our living room’s color scheme.

SOLSTA PÄLLBO footstool

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22 Dec 2011
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IKEA return policy = Lifesaver!

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My master bathroom

The master bathroom in our new house comes with a double sink, so we wanted to have a large mirror that is wide enough for both me and Pei Chyi to use at the same time. After looking at countless bathroom accessory shops, getting quotes for custom mirrors we decided that we would settle for the IKEA HOVET mirror.

The HOVET mirror is a beautiful thing with a sleek aluminum frame, and is suitable for use in high-humidity areas like a bathroom. Perfect! At RM349 it was still cheaper than a custom mirror too. So we purchased the mirror and had it delivered.

When it arrived we admired it and were so excited that we were going to have such a big mirror in our bathroom. Because you know, it’s huge!. So big in fact, that it was too wide for our bathroom. Facepalm! Read More »

23 Nov 2011
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Why I love IKEA

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Earlier this month I was invited to a behind the scenes tour at IKEA Malaysia. This was part of their blogger program me which I was invited to be part of as well. The picture above was taken at their very cool office. See more on their Facebook page. I also learnt some cool facts – IKEA Malaysia sells 590,000 meatballs and 300,000 curry puffs each month. Mind boggling!

There are a few brands that I would gladly associate myself with without hesitation. The first would be Apple – no surprises there. I also really love WordPress. And the other brand on this very short list would be IKEA.

The first major piece of furniture I bought was from IKEA. Incidentally, this TOMEILILA sofa is still in great shape and is part of our new living room. Try spotting how many IKEA stuff we have in our new home – it’s like an IKEA showroom!

The IKEA Way

IKEA preaches taking responsibility for people and for the environment as a prerequisite for doing good business. From my visit to IKEA I could see that they don’t say this to blow smoke in our face, they are serious about it. All their employees are trained to recycle to the point that they don’t even have trash bins at their desks – they have to pick up and deposit their trash in a common bin. That’s definitely a good habit to inculcate because I regularly see Malaysians chucking trash out their car window.. aiya! Read More »