I was poking around Ikea’s website, just to see what was new, and I spotted two items — a wool Corrected: not wool rug and a translucent orchid-colored dining chair — that KaPowW, I was in love. So likety-click, I found a table and a bit of wall art to go with — and here we have it, a chic pop-art dining room that inspired us to revive our occasional Mid Mod Mad Mood Board series.
Golly, I wish I had a friend or a relative who need to quickly furnish a first house or apartment — I’d love to see this installed in the right space.
Kate tells me that when she was fresh out of college and moving 600 miles into an unfurnished rental, she used graduation money to pick up as much as possible from Ikea for her new place. At that point in her life, Kate didn’t have much time or energy to devote to decorating, so the ability to walk into an Ikea for ‘instant decor’ was a perfect solution. Later, when she moved to her current home, she easily resold the Ikea furniture on craigslist for 50% – 75% of its original value!
My chic $845 Ikea dining room
Forget “practical.” I just plain love the look of this dining space I pieced together — for $845 — including an 8′ x 10′ rug that I am guessing should last you a goodly portion of a lifetime.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Docksta 41″ tulip table — $200. Note, CB2 has a similar table for $199, Pam had the CB2 table in her kitchen early on, and was satisfied with the quality
- Marslev rug — $249
- Tobias chair, lilac — $79 ($316 for four)
- Knarsta picture — $10
- Ikea PS pendant lamp — $70 (suggested by reader TikiMama)
So what makes this decor all work together? The classic shape of the Saarinen-inspired Docsta table is a great place to start. The translucent Tobias chair — which reminds me of Orchid, Pantone’s color of the year for 2014 — visually echoes the translucency suggested in the rug design — this ‘translucency on translucency’ = awesome. The translucency of the chair also prevents the color from being too cloying — this shade can be difficult to work with.
The Marslev rug also includes sensible neutral colors like beige, cream and grey that make it feel grown up. For art: The Knarsta picture lives large for just $10, and because it is mounted on a board, likely requires no extra frame.
After we published this story, reader TikiMama chimed in with her add-on — the Ikea PS pendant lamp — which is a perfect addition to the space.
If you were able to paint, a warm gray — don’t adjust your computer, yes, I might paint the walls gray — would work to create a calming backdrop for this lively dining room grouping.
Kim says
This is beautiful – and regarding gray walls, I agree and have a good suggestion. I painted mine a beautiful shade that would work perfectly here. The color is Benjamin Moore Calm OC-11. It’s a warm pale gray with a very subtle tan undertone that would mesh beautifully with the orange art and the purple accents. Gray is a difficult color, as you can end up with blue or green undertones, which would clash horribly. I would love to see a photo of this grouping in a home!
Josie says
http://www.remodelista.com/posts/diy-ombre-pink-paper-lamp-shade <—I love the soft form of paper lanterns. They seem less 'jagged' and if you're willing to look at painting the white ones the options are pretty endless.
I do love those chairs and the tulip table concept. So cute.
Also I love the corner PS cabinet in pink. Would happily trade having a rug for it to bring this puppy in under budget. Dining room rugs always seem scary to me anyway, one red wine… and I need storage. 😀
But if I had to have a rug, Trix are for kids, but I can have one of these, right? http://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/rugs-and-windows/girls-rugs/?cm_type=gnav I like way too many of these for a grown woman.
Would y'all make fun of me forever? And can I scoot it to the adjacent living room so I don't drop sauce on my wool rug?
Sandra says
A word of caution: I would always look at Ikea lamps in person, and especially those like this one, that are made of plastic. When I looked at them, I decided that dust and cobwebs aside, it would have more meaning if I made one out of paper mache’ or cardboard, myself.
I did buy three Ikea ceiling lights, very simple, with a glass shade that looks like the rings of Saturn, and grouped them in a triangle. All three fixtures, plus 6 LED bulbs, and sales tax were less than $100. I think it would have looked cheap and small to put one in the middle of the kitchen, but by having three, I got a more dramatic effect. And I LOVE the Ikea LED bulb light quality.
Cynthia says
Groovy! that’s a lotta look and style for the money. The pendant light is going to become a classic. What fun and great job!
Karin says
Love the Dockstra! I bought one this year. I found four cheap vintage Saarinen style tulip chairs to go with it. It makes me really happy when I look at it. MY DH says it looks like a set.
Jackie says
Omg the table and chairs are so cute, I just moved to a new place so I went to order… 349$ for delivery! Never mind! I’ll just pretend to have them 🙁
pam kueber says
ugh
steve vickery says
No doubt that the Ikea table looks sweet for the money. There are so many Saarinen tulip table knock-offs out there, though, that it may be worthwhile to do just a little research before plunking down the two C-notes. But I do love it.
Amy says
Yes, “plastics!” – as the man in The movie The Graduate declared – what great things came from plastic. The sansational, psychadelic ’60’s!
Holland VanDieren says
A great look that evokes my 60s heyday. Love your eye, Pam!
Trish says
Very pretty! But the rug isn’t wool… It is polypropolene.
Roundhouse Sarah says
Eh… Easier to clean when you spill something on it then ; )
pam kueber says
ACK! I swear when I wrote this story up last week it said WOOL!
Well, there you go! That’s why the price is what it is!