A weekend visit to IKEA with my better half was the typical mixture of appreciation for simple, effective design and annoyance at the one-way system imposed on customers as they file through the store.
The new IKEA catalogue failed to impress. There was something about the drab colours and clutter that was unlike previous Scandinavian clean lines and subtle colour combinations.
The meatballs with mash and peas were very good and the restaurant’s view of the airport’s runway with Divis mountain as a backdrop, spectacular. I pondered why there were no planes taking off from the George Best Belfast City airport that afternoon. Who knows…
Did IKEA create the designs on show, or had they evolved from decades of experimentation with pine furniture? Some would hold the view that IKEA’s original creator should be credited with the genius of flat-packed furniture. Others have remarked on the incremental changes that contributed to existing forms of great complexity and frustration.
Whether you take the view that watches require a watchmaker, or find the evidence of evolutionary changes compelling, there is no doubt that meatballs, mash, and gravy is a winning combination.
odespinner 