Um, art is not a thing that can get done ‘right’ at all. You either love it, or you don’t, and that’s all you need to know. Maybe $90 is a lot to you. To me, it’s merely the base of an installation I may (and probably will) change over time. And I’m talking about a piece that is appx 4’ X 6’ - not small pictures.
I get what you’re saying about the lines - I don’t do Black Fridays or any of that. I even find all those rewards cards and coupons too annoying. I don’t even do IKEA sales, as a rule. I go during the week while everyone else is busy elsewhere. My only point was the enthusiasm and camaraderie I encountered when I did go on a sale day. I went there to look at stupid shelf, but came back with a whole new perspective.
WRT to all super-simple lines in most of the products - hey. There’s a reason why cabinet makers learn to make boxes. There’s a reason why Crate and Barrel is the name of a furniture store. And, there’s a reason why Home depot carries moldings and trims, and why there is even a place that just sells alternate legs and styling pieces for your IKEA stuff. It’s just boxes and panels and legs. But so is most of your other furniture. I can throw on a strip of molding or a cornice, and that flat square shelf becomes a victorian piece, or a bright color and make it mid-century, or whatever I can dream up.
I also get why you dislike the plain lines - I used to think the very same, couldn’t understand the attraction. I don’t care for most of the set pieces in the catalog, myself. Definitely not into the Swedish look. But that was before I got the idea that these are just the boxes you will make into whatever YOU like. I’ve seen decoupaged pieces that would fit any of the shabby chic trendy stuff so many people like these days, painted pieces that will fit in with anything else, etc. You don’t have to trek there to mess around with it - go online, or get one of the Droid apps and mess around. See what you see. It’s a case where you really can’t judge a bookcase by it’s cover, lol.
