My favorite thing at Ikea: the AS-IS room! We have a method of Ikea-shopping: first, the AS-IS room, then take whatever we find out to the car, *then* go back and shop regularly. Quite often we find things we would have paid full price for, but avoided by visiting AS-IS first :) Of course, some days are complete off days, we find nothing, but others are great. Think "repurposing", too, when you're there.

Gosh, what else. In the regular area: I bought slide-outs for our laundry room sinkbase cabinet in Ikea--got me a whole lot more usable room, and they're well constructed. One was the recycling slide out, but didn't buy the buckets. The other was the two-level wire slideout.

Lighting is a great department, too. Really good prices on many different kinds of fixtures, many very cool.

I need coffee...then I'll have my brain on. There's so much more, it's funny that these particularly sprang to my mind.

You can't beat their breakfasts - I suggest going at 9a.m. and having their full breakfast for $1.99 (I believe that includes coffee) and then "touring". It can be confusing - you have to follow their arrows around the showrooms, and finally, you end up downstairs where you can pull the large products (like bookshelves and Poang chairs) and find the cashier. Keep an open mind, and have fun!

They have great and really cheap glass jars. They are perfect for making cabinets look uncluttered. And they can make even rice look fancy in a glass front cabinet.

Have a FUN shopping trip.

I love IKEA! Candle holders and kitchen utensils are great.
I love their lighting but make sure you pay attention to the style of bulb. I bought some little lamps that can clamp on to my boys' desks. Well, the bulb at IKEA is a 2-pk for $3 but anywhere else it cost almost $10 for just one bulb (even ebay). Now I have to go back because I didn't think to buy it there.
Also rugs, any size, shape, color or price.

Some one showed a picture of drawer dividers the other day, I think they were the Rationelle (??)line. They come in pieces and you assemble them as you like to fit your stuff, would love to find those somewhere else.

I'm no where near an IKEA and am thinking of doing a road trip just to visit a store (probably 2 1/2 hours away)..most of my remodel is done except for the fun stuff.

Have fun and let us know if it was worth the trip! Thanks!

Fern76

The drawer dividers are great, all the glassware, lidded containers for organizing, utensils if you need those. Walk through their kitchen section and just see how they've designed the spaces and the things they have displayed for organization and you'll find plenty of ideas there. Oh, and lighting, lightbulbs (cheap) and candles and candle holders!!!!

I don't have an Ikea near me yet (one's coming to Charlotte, NC this year) but I've been often with family and friends who all live close to them. I have to say that one of my favorite kitchen items from Ikea is this little plastic oval container with a lid (think tupperware) but it also comes with two different cheese grater tops. So you grate your cheese right into the container and then have a lid to seal it with. Dumb, I know, and lots of companies make them I'm sure but I just love that darn thing! CHEAP, too!

They have great throw pillows and cool little vases and planters, nifty little kitchen gadgets, cheap glassware, fun little side tables, lamps and furniture items, funky rugs and curtains, and great stuff for kid's rooms! Oh and don't forget to pick up some fab chocolates and other food items. Treat yourself to a plate of swedish meatballs! You can spend hours there AND you'll have a blast!

They have tons of kitchen gadgets- utensils, scissors, bowls, etc, and yes, great glass jars and other storage solutions. Hanging systems, etc. One thing you might want to do is measure the dimensions of anything in the kitchen that you think "needs" something- ie, drawer sizes, or wall lengths, or floor areas for rugs, etc, then take a tiny tape measure with you in your purse.

Great stuff for kids' rooms. Also, good storage: shelves, plastic containers, etc. Cheap and easy to install wine glass and wine bottle racks. Magnetic knife strips and cute spice jars. Bathroom wall cabinets... Just a few of my favorite things!

As-is room? And they serve food? Wow, I'm thinking I should ditch the in-laws and spend all weekend there!

for those who don't have an IKEA, the one in San Diego ships out so you can call and place an order and they'll ship it to you. I needed two connection shelves for my entertainment unit. I called every single store. The only two left happened to be in a store that actually takes phone orders. yeah! They were great.

The kitchen cabinets are a great bargain and the Blum manufactured drawers are an exceptional bargain.

They always have interesting displays (good for ideas). Great gadgets. I learned from "alywa" that they have great deals on cabinet hardware. Love their jams, cookies and other little goodies - Those darned oatmeal florentines covered on one side in chocolate are addictive. Enjoy!

You won't need a tape measure in your purse, though--you'll probably come home with half a dozen paper tape measures in various pockets :)

Yes, textiles of all kinds--pillowcases, rugs, curtains...Some Ikea draperies are used in very upscale houses I've seen in magazines...

Also bathroom accessories--several lines of them. Office accessories. Storage of every conceivable kind.

Hey, you know what--go to the Ikea website and get a preliminary look! Then at least you'll have some destinations in mind for after the AS-IS room :)

We had a blast at Ikea yesterday! I was disappointed that the kind of drawer dividers they had now wouldn't work with our drawers, but there were plenty of other goodies to see there. Somehow we managed to escape with our pocketbooks mostly intact...the only thing we bought was one of those lidded cheese graters that rmlanza was talking about. We had intended this to be solely a scouting mission, and it pretty much was.

LOL! I KNEW someone would love that thing as much as I did! I can't believe that was the only thing you bought! For some dumb reason that just thrills me to death! Glad you had fun! I can't wait for the new one near us to open.

Robin

Robin, the funniest part is that DH picked it up all by himself, and said he wanted it. I told him that I heard those were nice and it was a done deal!

Well you know what they say, "great minds think alike!" HA!