Love it or hate it, there's no denying that Ikea is the go-to place to get affordable furniture. Here are 10 facts about the Swedish chain that you probably weren't aware of, courtesy of BuzzFeed (check out the full list at the link):
- According to The Wall Street Journal, Ikea launched in-store restaurants because shoppers were getting too hungry going around the store and were leaving before completing their purchases.
- Ikea is an acronym. It stands for Ingvar Kamprad (the name of the founder), Elmtaryd (the name of the farm where he grew up), and Agunnaryd (the name of his hometown).
- All the items are named after specific things, such as places in Sweden or Norway.
- Ikea layouts vary from country to country. In Korea, kitchens are laid out to include kimchi refrigerators.
- In Finland, customers can recycle their old Ikea furniture at Ikea in exchange for a gift card.
- Ikea stores recycle and reuse materials in different products--for example, the PS Vase is made using leftover or rejected glass from other Ikea products.
- Customers are allowed to lounge and nap on the furniture at Ikea locations in China.
- There's an Ikea hotel in Älmhult, Sweden. You can even stay in a room with bunk beds.
- You can buy Ikea beer. It's a "reddish-brown dark lager with a malty, rich and creamy taste with notes of roasted coffee."
- Ikea broadcast the first national commercial to feature a gay couple in 1994.