Everyone knows that a trip to IKEA (or any oversized furniture store) is a stress test for a relationship. To avoid breaking up over a heated discussion about rugs, IKEA spokesperson Janice Simonsen suggests dividing your trip into two parts: major purchases and accessories.
Essentially, if you’re outfitting your home with a bunch of IKEA stuff, make one trip to pick out the big stuff like couches, armchairs, beds, or massive wall units. Then set aside a whole different day to come back and grab those little accessories. This works for a lot of reasons. Most obviously, it divides up the stress, but it also gives you time to think about the rest of the design of your home (and even better, maybe find some IKEA alternatives along the way). The idea here is pretty obvious, but it’s easy to lose sight of because of the way IKEA is structured. When you’re walking through those endless aisles it’s pretty easy to just pick up everything, but hold back, and maybe you’ll make it out of their with your relationship intact.
Can You Relationship Handle a Trip to IKEA? | The Wall Street Journal