The Swedish way to stay cool

KAREN WIGHT

If you’re getting ready to send a student off to college, furnish a

first apartment or if you want a lot of immediate gratification, Ikea

is a great place to start. They’ve added some great new lines and new

colors and, in trademark Ikea spirit, have a few items at price

points that seem too good to be true.

If you are looking for a desk chair, look no further. There is a

cool chair for every day of the week. The Snille swivel chair is a

whopping $19.99 and comes in lime green, hot pink, bright orange,

black and white. The height is adjustable and has a thick plastic

seat with a steel base. For 20 bucks, your coed needs to take their

own groovy chair to school.

If you want something a little more sophisticated for yourself,

check out the Nominell swivel chair for $129. OK, compared to $19.99,

it seems like a fortune, but this padded chair has all the bells and

whistles. This year, the design team added a leopard print option.

If a new armchair is in your future, look at the Poang design. The

chair frame comes in a brown-black finish that makes this chair look

like a piece of furniture, not a leftover. The new fabric color

option is rust. The combination with the dark frame is very handsome.

I am not a recliner kind of girl, but I do recognize that most

men’s eyes glaze over when you mention the word. Recliner, say it

again. Is it a hormone thing? A comfort thing? A memories of Dad

thing? I don’t know, but Ikea has added recliners to its mix this

year. There are two models, both have adjustable seats, back angles

and can be locked in the desired position. One style has a modern

feeling, the other more traditional. Both are under $400. You can

make the men in your life happy on a budget.

Chairs in the kids’ section are fun. The Fargglad chair looks like

a rainbow. It has a steel frame with a multi-colored plastic seat and

back for $14.99. Cruising through the kids’ section at Ikea is like

going to an amusement park. Their new lines include a spider theme

(but not Spiderman), complete with stuffed spiders that attach to the

wall -- green bodies, long black legs, yuck. A budding entomologist’s

dream come true. There is a more fanciful bug theme that has leaf

canopies that clip to a bed frame. It’s like living “A Bug’s Life” in

your bedroom. (Cute with that rainbow chair, hint, hint.)

Another why-didn’t-I-market- this item is a punching bag. You read

it correctly, punching bag, as in take out your aggressions. We used

to have a punching bag hanging in the garage, and when Annie thought

she had to beat something, we’d send her out to punch to her heart’s

content. It saved a lot of wear and tear on her brother and sister.

Best of all? Ikea’s punching bags are orange.

In the big people’s furniture section, I found a great leather

sofa. I’m sure I found the most expensive item in the store (I have a

gift for that), but even at $799, this dark brown leather sofa gives

you a lot of bang for the buck. It’s a new item in the Kramfors

series.

Also in this section, Ikea has added a walnut stain option to many

of its tables, armoires and entertainment units. It’s a much dressier

look than the lighter counterparts and is a nice foil for a white

room.

On to accessory items. The Morker desk lamp is $4.99. It even

works. And comes with a bulb. You have your choice of red, yellow,

blue or white. Every dorm room needs one of these.

My vote for coolest wall lamp? The TYFT 10-inch squares. The

square lamp comes with four exchangeable plastic shades that are all

color and pattern interchangeable. A set of four or more on a wall

makes a big statement.

If you like candles and color, this is a store to make your heart

sing. The best candlestick accessory I found was a color bobeche that

fits on top of an existing candlestick. Instant fun in orange, blue

or purple: $3.99 for a four-pack.

My last rave is about mirrors. Big mirrors make a big impact. The

5-foot, 6-inch version at Ikea was $99, framed. Also worth noting was

the Tranby circular mirror with a mirror-mosaic rim: $19.99.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.