Ikea

The first time I went to an Ikea home furnishings store, I was filled with wonderment.  I don't remember when that was, exactly, but it's been many years now that Ikea has been in my life.  In one sense they're just more big box stores, full of hundreds of thousands of square feet of stuff, most of which I don't need.  But in another sense they're so much more.  Besides the Swedish sensibilities, the economical prices, and the interesting designs, the element that makes the stores special for me and so many others are the little rooms they set up with their furniture and accessories.  Wandering the vast sales floors, you can poke your head into countless "rooms," each one uniquely arranged and decorated.  You can look at one kitchen after another, and if you're with a friend, you can compare your tastes in sofas, color schemes, lamps, and so on.  They also have "houses" of varying sizes, all the way from maybe 1200 square feet to under 300 square feet, and I always marvel at how much of a complete living space you can create in such a small amount of room by using bunk beds, nested tables, stacked microwave-oven combinations, and multipurpose furniture.  Being at Ikea gives you the chance to imagine yourself in all kinds of different lifestyles.  It's like a playground for grown-ups, and I relish every chance I get to visit.