You may think that the hottest ticket in town this Summer is a ticket for the main stage at the Reading Festival – but that’s maybe where you are wrong. It is, in fact, a parking place for a visit to Reading’s long awaited and newly opened IKEA store. Oh yes … If you are lucky enough to bag that parking place and make it through the entrance hall and up to the restaurant, if I am honest, securing a table next to an ‘A lister’ at The Ivy would be more achievable right now than enjoying your plate of meatballs at Reading IKEA. It is super busy!
Joy = local
The first weekend that IKEA opened in Reading the weather was very hot and the combination of a high number of visitors and an accident on the M4 meant that there were reported queues of up to four hours leaving the car park. Young families stuck in their cars were venting their justified frustration on Twitter as they tried to leave. A combination of bad luck perhaps and IKEA being a victim of its own success.
I am more than a little joyous that I now live under two miles from the nearest IKEA. No more time-consuming (and unnecessary polluting) car journeys to Wembley or Bristol. I can even take the bus. Propping has just got a whole lot easier!
My top 5 Reading IKEA products
I love the fact that the IKEA brand has a strong design heritage and is still selling items with a traditional Swedish (Gustavian) style as well as the more contemporary Scandi-style too. Prices remain pretty competitive and curtain fabrics (mostly 100% cotton) sold by the metre are a particular bargain. There are some lovely quality striped fabrics – ‘Ullakarin’ for example which is an incredible £4/m and old favourite ‘Aina’ a plain grey linen at £7/m. You might also like to look out for some of these products which caught my eye on a propping trip to the Reading store this morning:
1. Lisabo desk 118 x 45 cm ash veneer, £115
Reading IKEA had this desk doubling up as a very cute dressing/console table in one of their room sets.
2. 100% wool fringed throw (also available in blue), 150 x 200 cm, £39
This versatile 100% wool throw is perfect for outdoor theatre/festivals or picnics. It would also look v.smart dressing the end of a pair of single guest beds.
3. Gjora Bed frame, birch, Leirsund, Double £315
A sort of ‘demi’ four-poster. The quality of this birch wooden bed made it look so much more expensive than it is. Could be kept plain or styled with fabric, fairy lights or paper garlands.
4. Fabrics: left: Aina grey, £7/m, right: Ullakarin stripe, £4/m (100% cotton)
Just scrummy really – get sewing!
5. Ternslev flatwoven rug, 250 x 250 cm, £99
You can turn, twist and play around with this asymmetric patchwork rug to find which angle suits your room best. The red tape finishes off the ends nicely adding an extra design detail:
Find your nearest IKEA store here.
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Charis x
Charis White Interiors 
Brilliantly funny opening paragraph – Kit was reading the delays off the Internet as we queued some at the Hollywood Studios! IKEA was my go to store in Paris – I dropped in pretty much every week on my way to the airport picking or dropping off guests! I could never face it back in the UK but will definitely drop into this one – damn it that it can’t be part of a school run!
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Thank you Jo! 😀👍🏻
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I had no idea it was opening in Reading and look forward to visiting. However, I have a feeling I will be doing the upmarket equivalent of that which Nansi Griffiths spoke about before singing the beautiful song ‘Rita was 16 years’ in a recording of a live performance. She described visiting London and Woolworths stores saying she couldn’t wait to go in and “fill up her basket with unnecessary plastic items”!
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There is certainly lots of lovely ‘stuff’ to be had! Enjoy …
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Hii great reading your blog
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Thank you, I am glad that you enjoyed it.
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