Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
High Rhodes at Ikea
Iconic textile designer launches pink-credible range
Ikeep getting asked by various people if I have started to go back into places I haven’t been in since the beginning of the pandemic. For instance, have I gone back into a supermarket yet? The answer is no, because Click & Collect is just too convenient.
There are no queues, no screaming babies, no heavy trolley to drag and push around. I get to browse the aisles from the comfort of my home and wait for my shopping to arrive from the comfort of my car. Whatever I want I just leave behind and if I didn’t get what I want, I just rebook another Click & Collect.
Another place I which I don’t envisage myself going back into for a while is Ikea.
Look, we all know it isn’t the most enjoyable shopping experience. There is even a running “joke” that a visit to this flatpack hell is responsible for breaking up relationships not to mention the ones that fall apart when you both attempt to assemble your new Hauga unit.
Again, online shopping is the preferred method when it comes to Ikea as, again, you avoid the queues, screaming children (and screaming parents) and even bigger and heavier trolleys to lug around.
The only problem is, Ikea’s online store – like its bargain corner – is a bit hit and miss.
They were hit hard with a lack of stock during the pandemic, and have yet to catch up so you may find that what you are looking for can only be bought by physically going in store.
If this is the case, I can tell you that there may be a silver lining to this fact – or maybe that should be a neon pink lining – because Ikea has just launched its new range designer by designer Zandra Rhodes.
The fashion icon is famous for more than just her bright hair, as she has designed for Princess Diana, T. Rex singer Marc Bolan and Queen’s Freddie Mercury to name but a few.
And now she has turned her hand to the Swedish franchise with this glam-rockesque range.
I pretty much like everything, but I think my favourite item is her take on the Ikea carrier bag. She has turned the huge blue and yellow plastic eyesore into a pretty, frilly, pink delight... and it may even be worth a trip back in to Ikea just to buy one.