Going to IKEA on a Sunday
capturing a sweet and relatable snapshot a Sunday at IKEA
As I write this, I’m at IKEA, accompanying my dad to look at discounted furniture. I’m sitting at one of the desk displays, and when I look up, I see a display of my boyfriend’s IKEA pegboard. “I miss him,” that’s what I thought. Before we dated, he sent me a photo of his pegboard filled with keyboards, Polaroids, an angklung, and other random knick-knacks. He also sent me the link to it and told me to get one for my desk back in Jakarta when I moved back. A couple of days later, we went to IKEA together — just as friends. That memory made me reminisce about our moments together, especially at IKEA.
IKEA always reminds me of him. Now I’m here, all the way in Indonesia, surrounded by people with different reasons for being here today.
Newlyweds warm my heart. Seeing them trying out sofas and saying things like, “This is good, we should get this,” while the wife replies, “It’s not aesthetic!” and the husband just sighs and follows her with a genuine smile.
Fathers picking up IKEA stuffed animals — like the golden retriever — and barking at their kids: “Dek, look at this woof woof,” and the kid just ignores him with a side-eye. I know the kid means well and is just joking around. I see kids getting tired from walking around the showroom, flopping onto the floor and saying, “Pa, I’m sleepy,” and their fathers smile and pick them up. The kids fall asleep not long after.
An elderly man is focusing hard on one of the IKEA boxes, reading the entire description. It made me chuckle a little, seeing him so focused. Then I saw him go to his family and explain everything he had read. They all laughed. A truly wholesome moment.
Then there’s someone with three carts full of children’s items — plates, spoons, scissors, mugs, and dolls. I wonder what they’re buying all that for. I assume it might be for a school, or maybe even an orphanage. All I can say is, masha Allah — may God bless their heart.
You see, IKEA is a place where people envision what their household could look like. It’s a space for true family bonding. For some, it means enjoying good, affordable food or using the free Wi-Fi to study or work. Others come just for the ice cream or for the joy of using the machine.
It’s the simple things that happen on a Sunday, not just any other day.
Witnessing all of that warmed my heart.