Looking good for 60

The Ikea Catalogue is coming up to an important birthday. 2011 will mark the 60th year that consumers have been pouring over the annual book published by the iconic Swedish retailer, which has had an unmistakable influence on mass market home décor design.

It's come a long way, baby. Check out the inaugural catalogue shown above. The 2011 version, which should be hitting doorsteps soon, is stuffed with goodies. Like many consumers, I love to sit down with it, a glass of wine in hand, and get ideas and inspiration for making my home more beautiful. I’ve included  below images of the first few items I saw that struck me as pretty and practical. (Thinking about the chair for my daughter's dorm room.)

Now, tech-savvy Ikea-holics can get their fix anywhere, anytime. IKEA Canada is set to make the 2011 catalogue available via an iPhone application. This will allow users to simply flip through the pages of the catalogue on an iPhone and discover what's new at the big yellow and blue box.

By the way, have I mentioned lately how much I like browsing the textiles and bed linens in Ikea these days. Some very cool fabrics. Might have to skoot over tonight and get an up-close look at the new Birgit throw, a grey wool planet with a folkey pattern in red, yellow, white and blue.