A visit to IKEA West Chester

Last week, I had the most pleasant blogger experience. Heather from the blog, the Food Hussy, invited me to join her and other local bloggers for an event at IKEA in West Chester.

I've been an IKEA fan since the day it opened its doors locally. I love IKEA, because of the customer experience. I can immerse myself in design possibilities all afternoon while browsing their showroom floor. I know I can find farmhouse chic or ultra modern and everything in between.

I mostly leave with a dolly full of home accents, plants and a few household staples, like their baggies. (An important side note: If you weren't aware that IKEA has the best ziplock baggies in the world, you are missing out. They're so colorful and come in six different sizes. I refuse to buy baggies anywhere else. Yes, it is the small things in life that make me happy.)





Up until this point, the only food items I have sampled is their chocolate. I can't resist taking advantage of their "3 for $2" chocolate bar special at the checkout. The hazelnut chocolate is my favorite!

IKEA has so much more when it comes to food! This event was an eye-opener for me. I had never stopped to have a meal in their cafeteria or even visited their small market up front. Of course, I hear people rave over the meatballs and cinnamon rolls, but when I have a dolly full of furniture and loose household items, food is the last thing on my mind.

At the blogger event, we sampled three of the most delicious drinks made from two of their syrups, followed by a variety of meatball dishes, each catering to different tastes. We mingled to another area where we tried some of their sweet treats and even a greenhouse-inspired station with salmon-topped salad and other garden fresh foods. I was blown away by flavors and freshness of each product.

The IKEA team had several stations set up for us to explore. One of my favorites was a long dinner table featuring countless combinations of dinnerware. 

Another was centered around the idea of endless inspiration for children. IKEA offers a full spectrum of games and art activities for little ones. Did you know they even have kids' costumes? Talk about perfect timing for Halloween. I can only imagine how much money you would save buying your child's costume here versus Pottery Barn.

I've been to several blogger events and this one was so well done. I loved every single minute of my experience. I was in heaven getting a sneak peek of IKEA's latest and greatest while catching up with blogging pals.

To make the evening even better, the IKEA team surprised us with a basket of goodies, including their new catalog, which was released that very day and recipes for the dishes we sampled. Now to get cooking! I'll need to remember to start my next IKEA visit with a meal at the cafeteria and finish up with some shopping in their super market.

A very special thanks to the IKEA marketing, chef and interior design teams for spending the evening with us!

Photo compliments of the Food Hussy