  Blondy Member Username: Blondy Post Number: 923 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.212.173.138 |
When is it supposed to open? Seriously. | ||
Old_southwest Member Username: Old_southwest Post Number: 106 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.149.72.160 |
In the spring. I haven't heard a date yet. The exterior looks complete. | ||
Huggybear Member Username: Huggybear Post Number: 117 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 70.230.16.223 |
Ikea is the Wal-Mart of furniture. | ||
Boshna Member Username: Boshna Post Number: 113 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 141.213.217.188 |
Yes, the eco-conscious, trendy Scandinavian furniture Walmart. | ||
Chow Member Username: Chow Post Number: 237 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.42.171.71 |
The unmistakable blue box is already up. | ||
Cmubryan Member Username: Cmubryan Post Number: 207 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.42.168.40 |
Its opening in July. I see construction everyday on it as I work less than a mile from the site. Not looking forward to the ridiculous amount of traffic it will bring to an already very congested Ford Road. | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 888 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 64.142.86.133 |
It will be nice to have. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3020 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.172.95.197 |
Oooo...Suburban Chic. Looks like suburban Detroit gets to chalk up another point on it's "uber cool" count. Seriously, the Swedes that thought up this scheme must be laughing their @sses off at how "cool" this has become in America. Really, who am I to judge, though? People like what they like. I'm sure the store will post huge numbers that may subsidize a widening of Ford Road (again) to accomodate all of the traffic...I can't help myself. | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 1529 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 4.229.126.123 |
Swedish/Scandanavian influence in furniture has been around since the 1940's Lmich. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3023 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.172.95.197 |
Sure has, and has particularly taken off with the American masses relatively recently with the proliferation of IKEA in America. | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 618 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
we visited Ikea in Chicagoland earlier this year. The place was massive and the parking lot was half the size of Fairlanes. There were cars with license plates from all over shopping for stuff. I feel sorry for those that will be driving in the area. | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 598 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.73.52.22 |
I feel sorry for people who live in the area! I liken this to living in a house on Bagley near Grand Circus in the early 1900s when the Books' and Whitneys' of the world were throwing up boulevards, skyscrapers, and hotels one street over! I wonder how all the subdivisions of mid 1970s beige-vinyl Colonials will do? I'm sure they will all continue to appreciate. Ikea should have been on the Packard site - damn near the center of the Metro. | ||
Lt_tom Member Username: Lt_tom Post Number: 58 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.0.107.92 |
If the owners of the mid 1970s colonials continue to take care of their property, I'm sure their value will appreciate just fine. Why is there all this animosity towards Ikea? There's nothing wrong with cheap furniture that doesn't look like sh!t.... | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 621 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
I have no animosity whatsoever towards Ikea. Just can't imagine the traffic that I experienced in the area. In Chicago it is located in a mall area and business area. Canton actually has homes in the area. | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 599 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.73.52.22 |
Those home-owners are going to need to do more than just take care of their property, Tom. They're going to need to be content living in a traffic-drenched, congested mess (as if that already doesn't describe that part of Ford Road). They're also going to need to hope that their taxes aren't going to be raised when the township starts having trouble policing and maintaining the burgeoning community. Moreover, they'd better make sure they know what's going on in their community overall, so they can either elect someone to protect their slice of paradise, or know when it's time to move again. I have no particular animosity toward Ikea or Canton. In fact, I will probably give them patronage. Like many here however, I have a deep-rooted frustration. I live in a really great city, in a really great metropolitan area, but it has been completely and totally consumed by hate-fueled, class-led politics and thus, unnecessary development in way too many suburban areas. In only 1983, most of Canton was farmland and forest. The City of Detroit is at the bottom economically because the Pandora's Box of auto-centric development was opened upon what was previously a reasonably cohesive urban area. Detroit was certainly led to its climax by the auto industry, and while some suburban land development was necessary, the dense, diverse streetcar neighborhoods were dismantled by a decidedly pro-automobile transportation system that favors relentless sprawl. Throw in racial issues, and the whole area was sold for scrap. As the auto biz stopped hiring and began moving plants out to Wayne, Wixom, etc. those who were on the bottom remained at the bottom, which happens to be where they began: without transportation, public or otherwise, in Detroit. Now, we've got the most starkly contrasted group of have and have-nots in the country, with development going on where it's not necessary, and acres of land in the city sitting idle for decades. More to it than that, but I havn't got time. Ironically, I've got to get ready to work at the Auto Show! Come see me at the Dodge exhibit between 10 and 4 today, and I'll talk to anyone who'll listen. | ||
Lt_tom Member Username: Lt_tom Post Number: 59 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.0.107.92 |
IKEA does not generate traffic. Michigan does not have traffic. Take a drive on the NB 405 freeway from LAX through the Sepulveda pass during rush hour....then you will know what traffic is. | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 1532 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 4.229.123.157 |
Lmich as I said there has been the Danish/Scandanavian influence here since the 40's.And it has been in many homes not just rich people's. I think Ikea offers design attractive to some at a very cheap price.As for suburban chic I don't get it.......if I owned a house in Detroit or some other city would my Ikea furniture be .."city chic"..? | ||
Naturalsister Member Username: Naturalsister Post Number: 430 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.42.169.65 |
Lt_tom, I agree, now that is traffic. I lived in LA for about 3 months in the early 90s. Whew! later - naturalsister | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 943 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.73.58.168 |
Tell us something we don't already know, Eric_c. 
Eh... I'd say "Ikea is the Target of furniture" would be more accurate. | ||
Mumbly Member Username: Mumbly Post Number: 19 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.250.175.253 |
If the traffic around the new Canton IKEA turns out to be anything like the traffic around the Schaumburg, Illinois IKEA---it's going to be a nightmare. On weekends, expect total gridlock at the I-275/Ford Rd. exit as well as the intersection of Ford Rd. & Haggerty. | ||
Lt_tom Member Username: Lt_tom Post Number: 60 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.0.107.92 |
I would say there would be gridlock around IKEA on the weekends for the first couple months after its opened and maybe around Christmastime. People will flock to it while it is brand new, then all the excitement will taper off. Isn't IKEA going to be right next to the freeway? Here in SoCal, all 3 IKEAs (Carson, Covina, Costa Mesa) straddle freeway interchanges. I've never noticed a big upsurge in traffic as I get near an IKEA area. | ||
Mumbly Member Username: Mumbly Post Number: 20 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.79.103.147 |
The problem is that there are very few IKEA stores in this part of the country. So I imagine that the Canton store will be deluged with IKEA-bound shoppers not only from Michigan, but also parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario. However, as you point out, once the "excitement" tapers off, traffic may not be so bad. | ||
Naturalsister Member Username: Naturalsister Post Number: 433 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.42.169.65 |
Toronto (metro-area) has 4 IKEA stores, they won't be coming here. I mean crossing the border with potential to have to declare? Naaaah, don't see it happening very often at all. later - naturalsister | ||
Mumbly Member Username: Mumbly Post Number: 21 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.79.103.147 |
I said "parts" of Ontario (i.e. Windsor). | ||
Skipp Member Username: Skipp Post Number: 63 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 24.192.6.193 |
I've installed a few lighting fixtures from IKEA. All i can say is you get what you pay for. (Message edited by skipp on January 15, 2006) | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8045 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.71.65.231 |
Please God, no Ik"crap"a stores! Junk, junk and more junk with no style whatsoever. You can buy far better furniture for close to the same price at any local furniture store with far superior quality. And for those items that are more expensive, you will bet a lot longer use from them anyway. Down with the generic, bland style of the 21st century. Take a stand, and let's all get rid of the big box stores. | ||
Lt_tom Member Username: Lt_tom Post Number: 61 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.0.107.92 |
Great idea Goat...you should post up some links for where to get affordable, yet not in the 'bland' style of the 21st century. Any suggestions? People don't go to IKEA because it has the coolest look, they go there because they need cheap furniture. A lot of IKEA stuff is small and minimalist so it can be used in a small living area. This appeals to people that live in smaller housing units because they can maximize their space, and they don't have that much money to begin with..especially to blow on furniture. | ||
Atl_runner Member Username: Atl_runner Post Number: 1779 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.209.118.72 |
Ikea opened here in west Midtown, Atlanta in an area called Atlantic station. Sure, it creates traffic, but real estate in the area is skyrocketing. There is no 8 lane mega feeder road either.. although I-75 dumps off not to far from there. Ikea is cool enough. It's not the walmart of furniture, far from it. It's a lot closer to being the Home Depot of furniture. It's guaranteed to be successful in any major city simply because of the way it does business. Be sure to try the swedish meatballs they have in their resturant area.. I thought they were excellent. Also, try to get there AND be one of the first people in the store the day it opens. They give away a ton of things and have huge discounts as a sort of celebration. I was pleasently suprised with the place and the overall IKEA experience. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 1314 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.250.205.35 |
Holy shit, this is insanity. IKEA did not start the big box trend, and they certainly haven't capitalized on it like Target, Wal-Mart and other "superstores" have, including our (formerly) very own K-Mart. Scandinavian design is also anything but bland or generic. It has a long tradition of restraint, a focus on the function of the item and respect for craft. What has resulted is a style that is beautiful, enduring and accessible. It also dates back earlier than most modern design, really to the era of Arts & Crafts, and Detroit's significant heritage of modern design has its roots in the work of Eliel Saarinen at Cranbrook. http://www.cranbrookart.edu/mu seum/virtual.html IKEA has taken these design principals and applied them to the mass market in a really incredibly ingenious manner. Their stores are beautifully merchandised, they carry EVERYTHING you could possibly need for a home, and their pricing is excellent. It is very true that the quality is not there, and you will wear out your furniture in a few years (with the exception of their kitchen cabinets, which are pretty good). But they not only identified a great untapped need but have dominated that market in the US for years. Target is the only big store that has even come close to tapping into this market. For people with a limited budget, IKEA is fantastic. If you need to set up your home quickly, it's also great. I've known many people who get set up with IKEA and then gradually replace the furniture in their house piece by piece with higher quality merchandise. The traffic will suck there, sure, it always does at an IKEA. But I think the fact that metro Detroit *finally* has an IKEA says nothing but good things about the quality of life here. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 1315 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.250.205.35 |
Yes, Goat, I too would be interested in seeing the names of some local places where the pricing is cheaper, the styling is better and the quality is superior to IKEA. | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 1323 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.44.117.10 |
What about that furniture place in the Kales? I hear you could furnish a basement to the nines' with that stuff... | ||
Jjw Member Username: Jjw Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.33.56.156 |
A true tale of life: 1.Born 2.School 3.Job 4.Buy IKEA furniture 5.Replace broken IKEA furniture 6.Die | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8049 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 70.48.208.50 |
Agreed Jjw. How many redesign shows on TV represent the bland "IKEA" look? Almost all. No thanks! If the minimal look is what you crave, have at at it! Personally, I think it sucks. But then again the whole late '50s/early'60s look is tres chic at the moment...go figure. You would have thought I tried to screw someone's mother the way I was attacked on this thread. Cripes! It's IKEA folks. Not sure in the Detroit area, but some of Tepperman's furniture has been pretty decent wood for wood, metal for metal. Coulter's though can be pricier, has very high quality as well. Boycott's has some wonderful sofa's and loveseats | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 1537 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 4.229.123.117 |
So Eames and Knoll and Herman Miller are represented in museums exactly why Goat? I have no problem when you or anyone else expresses your preference for one thing over another but to want to impose it on others well.......MYOB. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 277 Registered: 02-2005 Posted From: 69.241.164.222 |
If you're looking for some very nice Scandinavian, or modern and non-faddish, furniture, try the House of Denmark. We just recently replaced furniture that we bought there more than 20 years. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8052 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.156.93.26 |
Mind my own business? LMAO! You arrogant ass CL. I expressed my OPINION! Don't like it...tough! Obviously you do care if people express their likes and dislikes. I would rather more stores available than just shopping in large style places. I surely don't care about any of the people you mentioned. I think it sucks and I stand by what I said. I don't like Bauhaus architecture nor most post WWII era architecture and there have been some exceptional (to some people) architects from that era. | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 1539 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 4.229.126.138 |
The point Goat is that your opinion applies to you only.Why not just say that rather than going on about how crappy something is? | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 1316 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.61.187.234 |
CL said it exactly. Goat, you don't just make a point of stating your opinion, you have to state that what other people like is wrong. To exemplify that, it's like me saying that your opinion is wrong because you are uneducated about the topic and you are stuck in the past. Except I would never actually say that. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8053 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.156.93.249 |
Wouldn't it be better to explain ones reason for liking or not liking something than just say "I don't like it"? It doesn't make for much discussion. BTW: Sorry for calling you an ass. | ||
Merchantgander Member Username: Merchantgander Post Number: 1460 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 150.198.164.127 |
CL said "I have no problem when you or anyone else expresses your preference for one thing over another but to want to impose it on others well.......MYOB." and "The point Goat is that your opinion applies to you only.Why not just say that rather than going on about how crappy something is?" I believe there is a pot and kettle around here somewhere. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 672 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.39.170.90 |
Still doubtful, bringing IKEA furniture back over the border can get you caught with some massive duty charges. I know, I tried that once. There's just no good way to hide a butcher block in a Honda Civic. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 1318 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.61.187.234 |
Goat, I gave an outline of some of modern scandinavian design's qualities above. If you want to see examples of Scandinavian design without the poor quality aspect, here are some examples of furniture and product design I've come across over the years (I'm including Finland even though it officially isn't considered part of scandinavia per se, because the same design principals hold). www.swedese.se www.artek.fi www.iittala.com www.stelton.com www.rosendahl.us www.tonfisk-design.fi www.evasolo.dk It may not be your personal aesthetic, that's fine. But it does tend to be a more accessible variant of modern because of the emphasis on natural materials, inspirations drawn from nature, excellent craftsmanship and quality, and simplicity of design. Homes in the scandinavian countries will often have a mix of more traditional designs along with modern designs, and it works beautifully. Teak "danish modern" design is what many people associate with 50/60's scandinavian design, and many people in Canada and the US have bad memories of it due to cheap, mass-produced knockoffs made in the USA with INCREDIBLY inferior construction and materials. I feel queasy just thinking about that stuff. But true danish modern furniture was handmade in small workshops by skilled woodworkers, and if you've ever spent time up close cleaning or oiling one of these pieces it is quickly evident that the quality is amazing - compare to Shaker furniture, for example. Modern scandinavian design is also famous for consistent excellence among various areas: furniture, ceramics, glass, textiles, lighting ... the design principals I mentioned above hold true for work done in all these areas. It's actually a fascinating story how such a distinct design philosophy evolved so early (designs considered modern began appearing in the early 20th century in scandinavian countries) and so completely undiluted by outside influences, all due to remoteness of the area, inspiration from what was found locally, and the evolution of craft. It's something that could never happen today and a heritage that should be more universally appreciated, especially when compared to US and other European modern design that was driven primarily by advances in technology. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8056 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.156.93.249 |
Dialh4hipster, Thanks for the links. True, not my taste but I did like some of products by Artek. The lighting fixtures were quite unique and could certainly add a personal touch to ones home. The ittala had some pretty interesting dishes available. Rosendahl has some nice kitchen accessories as well. I agree with you that Scandinavian products can be very excelletn in quality. Even at the turn of the century to the 1920's they made some excellent Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture. Truly incredible pieces of work. I wonder if the Scandinavians design thier furniture because everything is so expensive and resources not available? | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 1323 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.61.187.234 |
Oh, I forgot the largest manufacturer of modern furniture in northern europe on my list there. Whoops. www.fritzhansen.com And you might like this - they're big on the handcrafting: www.carlhansen.com |
