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, Sweden e.g. Expedit – shop assistant/clerkcurtains church crookham Hall furniture, beds, and wardrobes: Norwegian place namesrosewood black and white double swag shower curtain e.g. Mandal (beds) – town and municipality in Norwayeclipse tosca curtains Dining tables and chairs: Finnish and Swedish place namesstring curtains xenos e.g. Bjursta (table) – village in Swedentribeca faux silk grommet curtains

Carpets: Danish place names e.g. Vemb (rug) – little town in Denmark Bathroom storage and accessories: Scandinavian rivers, lakes, and baysready made curtains 280cm drop e.g. Limmaren (bathroom set bottles) – lake in Swedenhabitat blackout curtain liner 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 : )From sheer to silk, drapery adds the finishing touch to these soothing rooms. In the bedroom alcove of Robert Rowe's New York studio, the curtains are in a Loro Piana cashmere and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Kingsport Gray. The bed is upholstered in a 19th-century wool carriage blanket and dressed in a paisley shawl. Get the look: Cashmere Wish, price upon request; In Christopher Gow's master bedroom, drawings by Anna Maria Maiolino hang above a custom-made Hastens bed covered with an Indonesian ikat; the lamps are midcentury, and the shag rug is from Turkey. Get the look: Aurora Home Silk Curtain Panel, $84.99; Fashion designer Nanette Lepore's gypsy spirit is evident throughout her West Village townhouse, which is saturated with bodacious color combinations. Get the look: Turquoise Single Panel Curtain, $68.95;

Fashion designer Lorry Newhouse embraced the whimsical spirit and rich history of his Southhampton cottage. The wallpaper in the bedroom and the fabric for the chair, bed skirts, and curtains are by Rose Cumming; the coverlet and shams are by Matouk, and the prints and mirror are Victorian. Get the look: Lenoxdale Toile Curtains, $79.95-$119.95; In Philip Gorrivan's 1840s Connecticut home, the bedroom features an acrylic sculpture by Michael Laube, Matouk linens, and a chaise by Jean Pascaud. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Light Pewter, the shades are of an Albert Hadley fabric. Get the look: Russell by Albert Hadley, price upon request; The bedroom in this Moroccan riad, designed by Martin Raffone and William McIntosh, is dressed with a blanket and linens by Matteo and pillow shams by Libeco. The rug was found in a souk. Get the look: Linen Grommet Curtain, $78-$108; In this Virginia Tupker-designed carriage house, the curtains in the guest room are of a Les Indiennes cotton, and the rug is a vintage Indian dhurrie.

The custom beds are dressed with spreads from Chelsea Textiles. Get the look: Belle, price upon request; In Christopher Noto's Paris pied-à-terre, the curtains are of a Holland & Sherry tweed, and the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball's Wevet. The custom-designed bed is flanked by an antique Persian. Get the look: Softline Berne Window Panel, $45-134; SCAD President Paula Wallace and her husband Glenn Wallace transformed a dilapidated two-story home in Georgia's Historic Landmark district and made it into a livable, luxe space. Get the look: Windsor Gold Curtain Panel, $119; Though he's known for his cool and restrained rooms, Russell Groves turns out to be the ideal designer to transform a glassy Manhattan duplex into a stylish yet kid-friendly home. The master bedroom's built-in white-oak bed and nightstands are custom made, the bedding is by Calvin Klein Home, and the lamps are by Stephen Gerould. Get the look: Belgian Linen Cross Weave Drapery, $239-$669;

For Michael Bruno, founder of 1stdibs, a house in New York's famed Tuxedo Park is not only the fulfillment of a childhood dream, it's become a retreat more elegant than he could have imagined. Get the look: Belgian Brushed Linen Cotton Drapery, $239-$609; In the Hamptons, architect Paul Masi and designer Damon Liss, raised the elemental barn to a new level of sophistication. The bedding in the master is by Matteo, the custom-made leather dresser is by BDDW, and the ceiling is of weathered cedar shingles. Get the look: Wool Challis, $82/yard; In her family's new Greenwich, Connecticut home, Emma Jane Pilkington evokes the restrained elegance of her beloved Europe. Custom-made panels of wallpaper by Martyn Lawrence Bullard for Schumacher hang behind the headboard, made of the same George Spencer Designs fabric as the curtains. Get the look: Flavio in Wisteria, price upon request; Designer Kim Alexandriuk applies her keen eye and love of modernity to help a longtime client reimagine her traditional stone house in Bel Air.

In the daughter's room, the linen curtains are by Christopher Farr, the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball's Clunch, and the ceiling is in the company's Pitch Blue. Get the look: Carnival, price upon request; When fashion entrepreneur Mossimo Giannulli and his wife, actress Lori Loughlin, purchased their second house in Los Angeles, they adopted a whole new style. The walls are covered in a linen by Lulu DK, which was also used for the curtains. The bed is custom-made. Get the look: Stella LD in Tangerine by Lulu DK, price upon request; A dilapidated 18th-century country house in Wales became the perfect canvas for interior designer Penny Morrison's passion for offbeat colors and fanciful patterns. A guest room headboard and canopy are covered in a linen by Penny Morrison Fabrics, and a vintage kilim tops a carpet. Get the look: Pom Tassel Curtain, $78-$108; Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's laid-back Bridgehampton master bedroom mixes crips white walls, bedding, and curtains with colorful accessories, including an aqua Christopher Spitzmiller lamp and apple-green vintage armchairs.

Designer Eric Hughes grounded the room with a sisal rug and hung grommeted IKEA curtain panels for a relaxed, beachy feel. Get the look: Merete Curtains, $39.99; In Lindsey Buckingham's master bedroom, the Fleetwood Mac rockstar has curtains of a Bennison Fabrics linen-cotton, an antique ballroom chair, and a neoclassical desk. Get the look: Chinese Peasant, price upon request; Designer Alessandra Branca turned the top floor of a 16th-century convent in Rome into a relaxed ode to Italy. The bedroom features curtains of a vintage ticking stripe, a vintage iron bed, and a Louis XVI painted settee. Get the look: Ticking Stripe Curtains in Sage, $39.95-$59.95; The guest bedroom in Tamara Mellon's Hamptons home has a hint of a decorator's touch, with walls covered in striped linen and paisley curtains in a matching shade of beige. The curtains, wallcovering, and Roman shade are in Schumacher fabrics, and the bedside table is from Mecox Gardens. Get the look: Shirala Paisley, price upon request;