IKEA and their product names We don’t have to explain what IKEA is, do we? Well, as exciting as one may think the story behind the name is, there’s actually no such thing. IKEA is a simple abbreviation of the founders’ initials I. K. (Ingvar Kamprad), with the combination of E (coming from Elmtaryd, the farm he was raised in) and A (after Agunnaryd, the small village close to his farm). A bit boring, I guess. What is more interesting is where the weird names of all IKEA products come from. An article in Guardian from 2008 explains it all: Because the company’s founder Kamprad is dyslexic, he thought that creating a naming system for the products would help remembering and differentiating them better than if they had letters and numbers attached as names. Since IKEA is a beloved place to buy home furnishings by people all over the world, this turned out not to be a bad idea at all. If you’re wondering about the naming system, here it is: Upholstered furniture (sofas, couches), rattan furniture, bookshelves, coffee tables, doorknobs, and media storage: Swedish place names

e.g. Kivik (sofas) – a locality in Skåne County, Swedenswags and tails curtains essex e.g. Expedit – shop assistant/clerkcheap blackout curtains asda Hall furniture, beds, and wardrobes: Norwegian place nameshomebase blackout curtains e.g. Mandal (beds) – town and municipality in Norwayeclipse thermaback curtains black Dining tables and chairs: Finnish and Swedish place names e.g. Bjursta (table) – village in Sweden Carpets: Danish place names e.g. Vemb (rug) – little town in Denmark Bathroom storage and accessories: Scandinavian rivers, lakes, and bays

e.g. Limmaren (bathroom set bottles) – lake in Sweden Desks and chairs: men’s names e.g. Mike (desk) – short for Mikael, Swedish version for Michael Fabrics, materials, and curtains: women’s names e.g. Merete (curtains) – Nordic female name Curtain accessories: mathematical and geometrical terms, various adjectives e.g. Kvartal (curtain rails) – means quarterly in Swedish Bed linen, covers, pillows, and cushions: plants, flowers, precious stones e.g. Smörboll (duvet cover and pillowcases) – a globe-flower in Swedish Lighting: music terms, seasons, months, days, chemistry, meteorology, measures, weights, boats, nautical terms e.g. Årstid (wall lamp) – means season in Swedish Kitchens: grammatical terms, but have exceptions e.g. Rationell (cabinet system) – means rational in Swedish Kitchen utensils: prominent foreign words, spices, herbs, mushrooms, fruits and berries, fish, and some functional descriptions

e.g. Koncis (garlic press) – concise Children’s items: birds, mammals, various adjectives e.g. Sniglar (bed frame) – means snails in Swedish Wall decorations, clocks, boxes, pictures and frames: colloquial expressions, but also Swedish place names e.g. Flärdfull (candle in glass) – means vanity in Swedish So it turns out it’s quite easy to understand IKEA’s naming system…you just have to learn Swedish ;) These rules are not 100% strict so don’t try to ambush us with examples : ) Just one negative thing about the naming process – it’s not uncommon that countries change names of specific products due to the names sounding similar to unacceptable words in those countries. And last but not least, if you decide you’d enjoy learning Swedish through IKEA products, visit this website to play a cool guess-the-meaning-of-the-IKEA-product game : )I have had lots of inquiries about the fabric for my living room curtains. ~ it is the Waverly Ellis Hemp.

I cut the 54” width in half to make 2 panels out of each section. They are not huge and fluffy, but they frame the windows nicely and the price was right for $40 for all 4 panels! Let it cool a little, then take off the paper (my favorite part) Then fold the fabric over the tape and iron and it “fuses” it all together. Crisp curtains ready to be clipped up! My husband thinks I’m obsessed with the word “crisp.” Crisp curtains, crisp air outside, crisp apples, crisp leaves, telling him he’s speaking in a rather crisp voice…..    before, but look at these fabrics! Shipping is free over $35 and there is free return shipping with their 100% satisfaction guaranteed! © 320 Sycamore, 2013. Blog design by Wonder Forest. © Copyright 2008-14 Innovative Art Concepts, LLC All designs, text and photographs are the property of Innovative Art Concepts, LLC and may not be copied orCutting Edge Stencils is a trademark of Innovative Art Concepts, Site designed by Nisarga Design

Powered By SEO TorontoThank you so much for your generous comments on the dining room reveal!  We are really enjoying this room.  Since I changed it, we've been having all our dinners there, so far we had use it more than we did all last year, it's like being in a different home! One of the new things for this room were the curtains, I bought two sets of Ikea - Merete Curtains $24.99/pair. Find the fabric you want to use, the width should be the same as the one in your curtains plus 1"(for seams). For it's height I doubled my measurement 3½" x 2 = 7"  and added 1"(seams) for a total of 8".Each strip of fabric gets folded ½" on each side Then the whole strip of fabric gets folded lengthwise. The curtain panel is then placed, aligned with the ½" seam, placing it in the middle of the strip of fabric (sandwiching it). Pin it in place and sew it. Close both ends too. The front and back are going to look finished.  Do you see those lines?  They are far from straight, but well, you're the only one who knows!