On The Loose: My Trips to West Elm & Ikea

On the East Bay, across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, is a little town called Emeryville. I don’t know much about the town except that just by the freeway is a shopping center called Bay Street. Shops such as Apple and Sephora are here, as well as many restaurants. But for me, there’s a deadly combination: West Elm and Ikea are just next to each other. If Crate and Barrel were here too, it would be a triple threat for me. Nonetheless, when I go to Emeryville, I truly am on the loose because all I hear are cash registers in my head with credit card receipts upon credit card receipts printing.

Chef is a designer, and with his influence, as well as my bro, Tyler, and many hours of watching HGTV, I believe I can say that I have developed an eye for modern design. West Elm is our favorite resource, and I must say, our house is fast becoming a West Elm catalog. With our new house, Chef and I said we would be carefully in furnishing it. We would take our time and buy the stuff that would suit our style. That is also one reason why we need to take our time because we are not willing to compromise design for the price. For us, it is better to hold off on buying our furniture until we have the money for the pieces we absolutely love.

In West Elm, we’ve found the pieces that are closest to the designs in our head at quite affordable prices. Well, of course West Elm is not Ikea affordable, but it is definitely more within reach than Design Within Reach or Roche Bobois. A couple of months ago, I spent $250 on cushions. I say these are very well worth it. Chef and I believe that we can find the clean, minimalist design in West Elm, and we always do. This is really one of the shops that speaks to me because I feel pretty much everything that I need in the style I need it can be found here. West Elm understands the modern eccentricities that I have that I cannot quite find elsewhere. Say for example this stainless steel bendy, actually bent, straw that I just purchased. Absolutely perfect for me because I use a straw in everything (not because I’m a priss, but because I just take good care of my teeth). Now, though, I have to get used to not biting my straw which is a habit that I share with my siblings. Anyway, here in West Elm additionally, we find inspiration in the decorating. The way they just put together the accessories truly livens up the place.

All photos by Ms B. Post-processing with PS Express, Diptic and Tilt Shift Focus

Ikea, though affordable, has many pieces that we have loved. This is after all a Swedish company, and we all very well know that they truly know how to design stuff in Sweden. As true to its purpose, I furnished my apartment with Ikea when I was a fresh college grad, independent with no money. I can say I have graduated from that, which is why I have graduated to West Elm. Nonetheless, there are many things still that we go to Ikea for because of its practicality such as the kitchen tools and storage materials. We’ve bought shelves and desks from Ikea that have given our home a zen feel, with the pragmatic storage space that we need. Come on, even David Bromstad has used Ikea items in Color Splash.

I say this is a deadly combination for me because every time that I seem to go to these two shops in Bay Street, I can easily drop $1000. The trip before last, we dropped a good 2 grand. Very much on the loose, I tell you, which is why I have to put a leash on myself and Chef and control our trips there. Like a kid in a candy store, we can go crazy over absolutely amazing design.