i have decided that ikea is the furniture equivalent of charles and keith. you get a good deal of contemporary style out of relatively little money but it isn't exactly the best quality and certainly not innovative, but you don't care because you're in your late teens or twenties and affordable replicated style suits you for that particular time and income and if it doesn't last it's not meant to you go through another change of furniture in your thirties so what of it? in the vimes theory of boots and wealth they are the ones that wear out quickly but you can't get the ones that keep your feet dry in ten years, can you? the tragedy is that i have no bookshelves and instead of wailing and gnashing (as julian promises to do, on my behalf) i shall just get the ikea shelves.