After a few days home sick, I made it up to the Twin Cities to visit my best friend from college, Kirsten, and have a girls night & finally accomplished my IKEA shopping spree! After arriving Saturday evening, we hit up Chino Latino in Uptown (seriously, if you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, you HAVE to eat here) for cocktails and an incredible meal. Served a la carte style, they recommended one small and one large appetizer per two people if you are hungry. We were ravenous, and followed these instructions to the letter.
After a great night of staying up way too late talking (who says you can’t have sleepovers at 25?!?!) and a great breakfast the next morning, we headed to IKEA. If you recall my apartment inspirations post, I had my eye on a couple of items in particular, specifically the BYAS TV Unit and the Lappljung Rug. I didn’t let this stop me, however, and also purchased a bed skirt, woven table runner, replacement pot lid, and the Raskog Utility Cart. Little did I know the hilarity and drama that was to ensue.
I had known for some time that I would be moving when my roommate graduated from college this May, and started considering my options way back in January. Having had lived in much larger apartments and requiring a yard for the past 5 years really put a dent in my disposable income. (Who am I kidding… disposable income? Try medical bill payment capacity…) and I was ready to challenge myself and approach the idea of a smaller apartment. There were some great options out there not far from where I worked, some with great monthly payments! These, however, were 450 square feet, and would be a huge drop from my 1300 I had currently been enjoying. Ultimately, I decided that it was indeed the right time to move in with Damir, but the concept of downsizing had taken seed!
It was a great project for me to really evaluate what I need to be happy, as well as take a look at how I can live in a much smaller space. Not only an exercise in simplifying, but a project in finding creative ways to make it work! Enter apartmenttherapy.com. Seriously… I love this site! It was also the first place I discovered the Raskog Utility Cart in their post on how to use it in every room of the house. I love the utility, the versatility, and of course, the turquoise color!
So when I found this cart sitting in one of the IKEA settings along with some wiggle room in my budget, this was quickly added to my selection for the day. Upon returning home, it was the first item I unpacked. And immediately, Damir decided to point out that it looked like a hospital cart that nurses wheel around with medicine. After back and forth debate, he settled on “hair salon cart.” I guess he is kind of right, but apparently we both have different tastes… humph. I knew I was going to have a battle on my hands when I introduce the steamer trunk coffee table, but I really didn’t expect a standoff with this cart!
To be fair, I am not the first person to think this would be an incredibly useful item to use as a couch sidetable… not just a surface, but storage! Ikea used it in multiple settings including living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kids play rooms, and it has been featured in many different blogs, on Buzzfeed, … trust me, I did my Pintrest homework to prove I wasn’t crazy!
Regardless, I will have to admit it doesn’t quite fit the way I had envisioned, but in truth my apartment isn’t set up yet, and with good reason! I am excited to announce I am moving again in 2 months! About 50 feet, that is… to the adjacent building but to a balcony apartment! Sooooo excited to have a balcony! The only downside is that I have to wait two months to get things the way I want. Boo. But no reason to put holes in the walls now when it will only come out of my deposit.
So I am holding on my apartment reveal for awhile, but am wasting no time with planning…gotta I make the most of this lag time, and will see if I can keep my cart in the apartment in the meantime.
Hi! I'm Alyce. 
