EchoDitto

The new New York office is a dream. An Ikea-furnished dream. Gisele mentioned that we went to Ikea, but I have to elaborate.

We drove to Ikea on Friday morning at 11 am. Traffic was light, Gisele was an excellent driver, I navigated as only a girl from New Jersey can, and Harish made back-to-back calls from the back seat. I did a little pre-gaming with the team regarding decisions that needed to be made, an overview of the trip, and areas of the store we would avoid.

Despite my schedule and lists, Gisele and Harish got overwhelmed at the top of the first escalator. “We should have hired a consultant to help us furnish the office at Ikea...” Harish said mournfully. “Wait” I replied. “I am a consultant helping you to furnish your office at Ikea. In fact, I’m your consultant. You pay me to consult.” Thus was born EchoOffice.

EchoOffice will be available for all of your office furnishing services, including online and offline strategy, on-the-ground engagements, and strategic communication. Whether you need a cute couch, or have to furnish an entire office, we will serve as your guide and coach. Until we get staffed up and off the ground, let me be your virtual consultant for making your next Ikea shopping trip the best it can be:

1. Do preliminary research. Although I find the Ikea site to be incredibly hard to navigate and not intuitive, spend a little time researching the items you are interested in. You might want to also check some similarly-priced competitors: cb2, west elm, and maybe pottery barn. Make a spreadsheet that includes photos, prices, and colors. Pages has an excellent template for just this sort of thing. Note: if you are really set on an item, save yourself some heartache--search to see if it’s available in your local store.

1. Plan your space. Draw out a sketch of the room (bonus points if it’s to scale) and approximately where you want everything to go. Before you leave the house measure anything that looks handy and mark it on your map: windows, walls, doors, closets. I promise this will come in handy when you are staring at 6 different lengths and widths of curtains.
2. Make a plan of attack and a list. Ikea is overwhelming, and people who don’t have a clear plan or goals tend to start snapping at each other around the paper-napkin area (overheard in Ikea: “fine, I don’t really care. Pick whatever you want. You never listen to my opinions anyway.”) Don’t let this happen to you. Decide what you want to focus on, which decisions you need to make during this trip, and which items you really need. Sure, you’re going to leave with some random wrapping paper, and a sheepskin rug that you couldn’t resist, but at least make sure you get what you came for.
3. Bring provisions. About half to two-thirds of the way through Ikea, just as you are starting to hit your stride, you will become famished and parched. Sneak a little snack into your bag and you will be much happier.
4. Ask for help. Don’t throw your back out trying to lift that giant BIlly bookshelf alone, ask an employee. Don’t wander back through 17 living rooms looking for the desks, ask someone for a shortcut. The Ikea workers are generally helpful and kind, so don’t hesitate.
5. Enjoy yourself. If you get tired, kick back in the living room, or try to sneak a nap on one of the beds. Harish took a conference call from the puffy, floral couch. I pretended the 612-square-foot apartment was my apartment. I think I saw Gisele squeezing a plush cat toy. Ikea is fun.
   
6. Bring sturdy bags. Unless you’re shopping for plastic storage boxes, it helps to bring a few sturdy tote bags to schlep back the odds and ends you’ll inevitably acquire.

Now, go out and buy low-priced, stylish home furnishings. And... if you get a chance, would you pick me up some lingonberry drink? It’s my favorite.