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| Red Hook Ikea |
Yesterday was the day for shopping. The sun was out, it was warm, and the time had come for me to finally replace a small bedside lamp that I had discarded a year prior. I think it dated back 10+ years. So I set out on a field trip to Red Hooks' Ikea on the waterfront, a short bus ride away from da 'hood.
It was a glorious time, because 1) it was a weekday and a lot of people were sitting at a desk somewhere in Manhattan and 2) it was right after the store opened. I'm not sure how I can describe the joy of roaming freely through an empty store while not rubbing elbows and navigating the craziest, busiest obstacle course there is—a New York City crowd scoring cheap households items. It is a brutal sport, like walking through Times Square on any given day or night. Think of Calcutta in India's' airport with no one in it. It feels something like this:
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| "...the hills are alive, with the sound of no one..." |
Freedom, wonderful sweet freedom! But I was on a mission, a lighting mission, and this massive store does not disappoint. They have a plethora of affordable and stylish items. I saw a designer-type guy
(see also: Asian Hipster) sporting the requisite black-framed glasses one must get from his art school with a diploma, sorting through throw pillows and loading his cart in a serious manner. Aha! An interior designer on a gig. Gotcha, dude. I was focused, too.
(see also: Asian Hipster) sporting the requisite black-framed glasses one must get from his art school with a diploma, sorting through throw pillows and loading his cart in a serious manner. Aha! An interior designer on a gig. Gotcha, dude. I was focused, too.
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| Ikea baby lamps |
First up, shorty lamps. Cool for college kid dorm rooms, but would they throw off enough light to read by? Probably not. Still...awww, baby lamps. So cute!
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| The wall of groovy mood lamps |
OK, now I was getting warmer. Groovy, small-scale lights that would fit nicely on my nightstand, except they kinda look like mood rings. Mod, stylish, and hip, though not the simple, clean and classic style I was looking for. Plus, they're kinda low on the emitted light scale. "Shagadelic" for a make-out pad, but not for me.
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| Cabbage patch lamp heads |
Next up, the land of bulbous, cabbage-patch head Star Trek lamps. Haha! Funny, but no. The search continues.
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| A turn through the wall of Asia lamps |
WOW! What a view. You can see the waterfront sculpture park from this picture window. I love Asian-style paper lamps, but they are too definitive a look for the old lines of my apartment. Still, I love the store design and the scene outside. Gorgeous.
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| East meets West |
The styles and selection can't be beat for the price: wall units, ceiling lights, floor models, bedside lamps, shades and bulbs of many shapes and sizes. But where is the classic, clean, and contemporary? Aha! I think I found my section.
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| Classic lines, clean & contemporary styling |
This store is massive. It's really a world unto itself with a drop-off daycare section for harried and hurried parents, a cafeteria style, sit-down food court, a fast-food section after check-out that's next to the another little shopping area of cold cases and sundry items with a variety of imported Swiss foods. For the hoarders and pack rats out there, this must be a Shoppers Paradise of overwhelming stimulation, but for me, it was time to go. I had my stuff and I got things to do. Always. So, what did I finally get? See for yourself.
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| My new reading lamp. |
Perfect, no? Home sweet home for my new reading lamp.
May your adventures be grand, whether near or far.
