What if you went to IKEA in US and then went to a French one? I think the first impression will be - wholly cow, how many pillow patterns can you have? For the French one, it feels like hundreds. French pillows are square. So expect square pillows for your bedroom. Their furniture tends to be brighter, I have a mustard arm chair that is so bright that only a French country home would it fit well (which I do have). The $429 sectional / queen size bed is the perfect lounging item. I work on that day bed all the time. I found their armoire selection intriguing. The floor lamps are also fabulous so are the shades. My 4 bedroom country home might as well be an IKEA catalog. In France, the colors tends to be a lot of pastels, and it also does well with some of the modern Scandinavian designs. I think American IKEA stores a bit more conservative - to appeal to Americans of course. The best part is the cafe, actually. They only serve during meal time, but their appetizers and dessert are way better than what you get in the states. Plus they have lots of different herring, significantly more than the States. You can furnish an entire house for less than $10K. Art not included (that you can get during the empty attic season aka summer flea market). For my flat in Kreuzberg, Berlin, I can't wait to give IKEA a try, we have three there. read more

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