IKEA Lighting

Ah, so it's Spring Break and I find myself wandering the aisles at Ikea again. I'm always on the lookout for display items for my collection. Today, I focused on lighting. There is currently no lighting in my cabinets, which is okay since it's a light-colored wood, but still. I didn't find anything that just jumped out and said "buy me," but I thought I would share anyway.

This first one is from Magiker, and it's on clearance right now for $6.99. The arm is adjustable and there's a little flip switch on the front. If the cabinet is too high, though, it might be a pain to turn on. It didn't feel too hot, and if you have just a few open shelves, this might work well for you. Mine are enclosed, though...so moving on...

Next up, the infamous NON lights. These are usually paired up with Detolf cabinets. Unfortunately, though they look good and the Detolf actually has a hole in the top just for these, they run really hot. Beware of using these for extended periods of time if you have polystone. However, the two packs are on clearance for $4.99 if you have a heat-proof display item to illuminate.

This 8W fluorescent Liesta seemed promising. It didn't seem to be hot at all and you can string several together and only have to use one outlet. Since my cases have doors with wooden frames, they might actually be able to conceal the lights somewhat. I would change out my wooden shelves for glass and then only mount two in each case, under the top and under the fixed wooden shelf. The light also looks kinda yellow-y rather than "white." Not terrible for $12.99.

This last one is called Dioder, which sounds kinda odoriffic, but whatever. They didn't have this one on display, so I can't say what the light looks like other than that they have different colors. According to the label, they emit little heat, last 50 times longer than normal bulbs, and can be used in small spaces (they're pretty thin). The four pack will set you back about $40, and it looks like they are all attached to one power cord, so it must be meant for use in very close proximity.

I spent about $60 on stuff for school and organizational supplies...yes, the struggle for storage continues...nothing for my collection. :(

IKEA!

Okay, so what does one do when one has Sunday night off? Since I was feeling much better, I dragged my brother off to Ikea, armed with naught but two cough drops. Fortunately, it was only 20 minutes away. Unfortunately, I got there at 7:30 and they close at 9.

Naturally, I was there to scout display options for my collection-cum-crack-habit. Oh, and to get some organizational goodies for my house. Currently, I have two birch Billy bookcases with glass doors. They retail for about $180 (doors alone are $50 a piece). I got lucky and found the doors on clearance for $10 a pair, so it only cost me $180 + tax for both. Seriously kicking myself for not buying more doors, I have room for one more case. I really like these, they were fairly easy to put together (I needed a little help putting on the doors) and are pretty sizeable and sturdy. Glass shelves are available for an extra $8 each, so eventually, I think I may swap out some or all of them. I am concerned that they won't hold enough, as the max load is 22lbs. Ikea has dropped the price on the white ones a bit, making this one a steal at $130. If I didn't already have birch ones, I would totally get some of these. They do have other colors and door options, the cost varies.

I also have one Detolf glass cabinet. Strangely, I didn't see this one in the showroom at my local Ikea, just one for $40 in the As-Is section. I hope it isn't being discontinued because, at $60, it's good value for the money. *update as of 7/07, these are now available in black and white as well as um, "wood." I know a lot of collectors use these for their prized pieces, I have even seen Cave Trolls perched on them! It's a little difficult to put together on your own, the shelves are not adjustable, and the dust can still get in though the sides. Still, it offers a clean look, and most collectibles fit inside just fine. I think if you remove two of the shelves, you can usually get two Premium Format figures from Sideshow in each one. The same goes for the Sauron statue. In keeping with the clean look, I try to have just one or two pieces on each shelf for maximum impact. I have my Narnia stuff (Weta mostly) in mine, though the Ringwraith on Steed used to live in it. There is a cutout on top for installing a light fixture, which is a nice bonus, though I would not recommend anything halogen or incandescent, for fear of melting the precioussses.

I spotted this Revinge glass front cabinet in the media storage section. I was looking for a cabinet with doors for all the DVDs that we have (I would put a curtain inside the door). It looks really cluttered when you can see them all out in the open, even if they are in alphabetical order. The regular price is $100, but it's on clearance for $60. It appears to only be available in this pretty sort of Martha Stewart blue. I forgot to look and see if the shelves were adjustable, but I assume they are since they are all glass (7 or 8 shelves). Besides DVDs, I thought it might be nice for helms, medallions, 6 or 12" figures. If I actually collected the Froud Fairies (I only have one fairie and 2 pixies), this would be perfect. It's a bit shallow, less than 6" deep. It would be nice in a house with a cottage or shabby-chic decor. In the end, the color doesn't go with any other furniture in the house, so it was a no go. If it gets marked down further though, I might be persuaded to take it home and give it a paint job. :) (Update as of 5/10, I saw a few left at IKEA for $40. I didn't get one, though, I didn't realize it was $60 last time).

Depending on where you live, it costs about $49 for home delivery of 250 pounds. I can tell you that 2-3 Billy bookcases weigh about that much. If I ever decide to get more cabinets, I'm renting a UHaul.

Now, I see I've run the risk of sounding like an Ikea commercial, but collectors are almost as obsessive about display as they are about the objects themselves, and Ikea does have a few reasonably priced options for those of us who don't have $2000 for a Pulaski. :P Given my sizeable collection, I'd go broke if I tried to go that route! You can see pics of some of my collection, by the way, at http://mbluefairy.photosite.com/

Okay, so after all that, I didn't buy any of those things today! Or rather yesterday, as it's now well past midnight. :P I got a medicine cabinet, for medicine, but not for the bathroom (you should never store medicine in the bathroom!). In the As-Is section I found what I think is one side of a bookcase or cabinet, which is just perfect to mount as an extra long shelf in the laundry area. Looks aren't important there, and you can't beat it for $0.60. Also got a couple of storage boxes for my stash of Holiday cards and a cutting board to use for folding laundry. I know, that sounds anal retentive, doesn't it? I tried it out, though, and it works great! All my shirts will be folded to the same size, how cool is that? ;P

I'm going to bed. I have a long day of folding laundry and drilling holes in the wall tomorrow...