Ikea drawers

My Eco Self is not reknowned for keeping an immaculate house. In an exasperated attempt at self-organisation, to improve my mental health and inspire me to take some of my ideas forward instead of wallowing around my flat in self-disgust, I decided it was finally time to replace the six-years old canvas student drawers for something bigger and more sturdy.

Spurred on by the urgency of my quest, I headed straight for Ikea, due to a limited budget and limited will to look around for a more inspired option. Ikea is not a totally unethical option - you can find out about their corporate policy here. They are working towards FSC certification in their forests. Eco Worrier, from the Times, writes more about the greenness of Ikea here.

Never again. I can feel my blood pressure rising even as I write. It took Food Neurotic Friend and I almost 4 hours to build the chest of drawers, and I actually felt quite sorry as I watched the increasing frustration on his face. We had leftover screws, and were missing some of the final screws we needed (I did tactfully suggest that perhaps we had used the incorrect ones earlier, but that theory was readily dismissed by the chief artisan). Some of the grey material covering the drawer insides came away during construction, leaving the drawers looking less than perfect, an irritant to someone who obsessively patrols any home improvements with a spirit level as a weapon, despite the prevailing chaos in all other areas of domestic ability.

I wish I had been more principled, and looked around for something second-hand, and not flat-packed. I still remember seeing this article in the Times several years ago, where the journalist furnished her whole house from junk shops - and very well too. She recommends Furniture Mart in Kennington. I'll be heading there next time I have a furniture requirement.